January 4, Manama (BNA): The introduction of the remote litigation service in the Major Commercial Courts and the Court of Summary Matters was announced by Nawaf bin Mohammed Al Maawda, Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs, and Waqf. The service is being built in collaboration with the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) and the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, and it will commence with new cases registered at the beginning of 2026.
Justice Minister accounces launch of remote litigation service in Major Commercial Courts and Court of Summary Matters
The minister clarified that the electronic service permits parties to participate in sessions remotely at their discretion while retaining the option to attend in person while fully adhering to all legal guarantees, guaranteeing the right to litigation and a fair trial.
He explained that when submitting a case through the “File a Case” feature on the National Portal of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Bahrain.bh, the party filing the case must select whether to attend sessions in person or remotely.
Minister Al Maawdah further stated that the ministry’s official website, moj.gov.bh, will provide access to the remote litigation service, which will allow other parties involved in the case to participate in remote sessions.
According to him, the competent judge will oversee all aspects of the electronic sessions, including the ability to view documents electronically and hear the parties’ pleadings in real time.
The minister went on to say that the system offers a secure access mechanism through the created eKey (2.0), which improves the dependability and integrity of processes by enabling biometric authentication (facial recognition) and password-free login.
As part of the e-transformation efforts in the justice sector, he underlined the ministry’s ongoing efforts to digitize judicial and legal services in order to advance the idea of access to justice and take advantage of contemporary technologies. He mentioned that the Major Commercial Courts and the Court of Summary Matters are included in the first phase of the distant litigation initiative, and that more courts will be included gradually in later stages.
The introduction of the remote litigation service, according to Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, Chief Executive of the iGA, demonstrates the degree of collaboration and coordination between the government and the authority. Through the ongoing execution of digital transformation initiatives and the provision of cutting-edge technological solutions to courts that help expedite case settlement and streamline litigation processes, it seeks to improve the Kingdom’s legal system.
He expressed his hope that the remote litigation service will improve the quality of government services, streamline procedures for beneficiaries, and support the digital transformation process in accordance with Bahrain’s aspirations to develop government services and achieve the highest levels of efficiency and excellence. He also praised the technical teams at the ministry and the authority that contributed to the service’s launch.
