INDIA’S COURTS are severely overburdened. As a recent report notes, over 50 million cases remain pending in India’s justice system. At the current pace, it would take “over 300 years” to clear the backlog. This strain arises from lengthy manual procedures, shortages of judges and staff, and logistical delays.
In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) offers promise: AI-driven speech-to-text tools can help transcribe judges’ dictations and testimony, and case‐management algorithms can streamline workflows. For example, the Delhi courts have piloted “Adalat AI,” a machine-learning system that lets judges dictate orders for automatic transcription and summary. Such active steps aim to relax the justice system from manual clerical work, freeing judges to focus more on adjudication. However, the use of AI in courts also raises critical concerns about privacy, bias, and accountability. To realise the benefits (faster case processing, wider access to legal aid, predictive analytics, etc.) without undermining justice, clear policies are essential.
Without guardrails, AI use could violate litigants’ confidentiality, erode trust in verdicts, or entrench unfairness. As the Kerala High Court’s policy observes, AI “can be beneficial, but…their indiscriminate use might result in negative consequences, including violation of privacy rights, data-security risks, and erosion of trust in judicial decision-making”. In short, formal guidelines are needed to ensure AI promotes – not compromises – the rule of law and due process.
