Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday launched an initiative to grant e-passes to visitors thronging the Supreme Court every day — a move that is expected to make the serpentine queues at the pass counters a thing of the past.

SuSwagatam is a web-based and mobile-friendly application that allows a user to register oneself online and request an e-pass. The application has been launched to simplify visitor management at the apex court for advocates, litigants, citizens and all stakeholders.

The access-control entry/ exit software allows the users to register themselves online and request e-passes for various purposes, such as attending court hearings, visiting office blocks, meeting advocates as litigants, or visiting the media lounge.

The new initiative allows users to choose different validity periods for their e-passes, depending on their needs and police clearance certificates. The portal also provides role-based secure logins for different types of users where they can upload their proof of identity and capture their live photo during the registration process.

Users can scan the QR code on their e-passes, delivered through email and also available on the portal, at the entry and exit gates of the court premises.

The SuSwagatam portal has been tested as a pilot project since July 25 and has received positive feedback from users.

More than 10,000 e-passes have been issued through the portal in the testing phase.

The portal can be accessed at https://suswagatam.sci.gov.in, according to Rakesh Sharma, additional registrar and spokesperson of the Supreme Court.

Now, there are 12 special counters on the top court’s premises for the issuance of visitors’ passes to attend court proceedings. On an average, at least 1,000 passes are issued to visitors everyday.

This is in addition to several thousand permanent/ regular passes that are made available to advocates, journalists, clerks and ancillary staff.