The Supreme Court today asked lawyers to be internet savvy to help smoothen the processing of petitions for quick hearing, particularly in commercial matters.

The apex court said the use of e-mails by advocates and the apex court registry during the course of pendency of matters would help in reducing the arrears as the delay in judicial proceedings are due to late servicing of the documents to the contesting parties.

"Fifty per cent of the pendency is on account of delay in service," a Bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia said while directing the apex court registry to send additional notes and other documents through e-mail.

The Bench, also comprising Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, said that while filing petitions, affidavits and other document, advocates can submit the soft copy to the registry through pendrives or CDs by furnishing the e-mail IDs of the respondents etc.

"This could start forthwith in the commercial matters," the Bench said while clarifying that this was only an additional way of filing and would not disturb the prevailing practice of filing the hard copies of documents.

The court gave its suggestion in the presence of Attorney General G E Vahanvati who welcomed it and made a statement that the Cabinet Secretary will provide the e-mail IDs of all the government departments along with the names of the nodal officers to the apex court registry within two weeks.