Ensure OTP system for seamless payment to empanelled counsel: Delhi High Court directs State

The Delhi High Court recently directed the Delhi government to ensure the setting up of a new OTP (One Time Password) based system on the Online Single Window System (OSWS) portal to ensure seamless payment of professional fees to Standing Counsel [Piyush Gupta v. Govt of NCT of Delhi]..Observing that the present process of payment was cumbersome and antithetical to the seamless submission of bills, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad ordered,"...the State is directed to ensure that some provision of OTP based signature is made available as the present process is cumbersome and defeats the purpose of seamless submission of bills. Let the same be done within four weeks’ from today.".The Court noted that it had already directed the Delhi government in August 2020 to clear the pending bills of such lawyers. However, the same was not done so far. Thus, the Court directed,"Let the exercise be concluded positively before the next date of hearing and the Respondents shall make all endeavour in clearing the bills which are pending till date."The matter will be heard next on December 12..During the course of the hearing, Delhi Government Standing Counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi brought to the notice of the Court that the new OSWS portal has become operational for payment of professional fees to Standing Counsel.Tripathi stated that the process is still a lengthy one and that empanelled lawyers are required to download the form, fill details of the bill and then upload the signed and scanned copy again on the portal. He added that some provision of an OTP-based system should be made available in the OSWS portal which will reduce the time period in sanctioning the bills..Advocates Rakohit Pandey and Prince Arora appeared for the petitioners.Advocate Santosh Kumar Tripathi appeared for the Delhi government..Read order:.Government appoints acid attack survivor as Standing Counsel for Srinagar courts