The Supreme Court of India will soon use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to handle case listing and bench allocation and remove human intervention in the process. According to Bar&Benchthe decision was taken by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.
Under the current system, the CJI, as the master of the roster, allocates the cases to different Benches.
Why did SC decide to use AI?
According to the report, the proposed reform follows an internal examination that reportedly exposed two deeper problems within the registry.
This includes the long stay of some officials in the same positions, and outdated technological infrastructure, resulting in irregular and improper case allocation.
The report noted that the lapses were uncovered during proceedings before a bench of CJI Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi.
The Bench was hearing a petition challenging provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, on the ground of repugnancy with Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
During the hearing, the UP government informed the court that a similar challenge had already been dismissed by a three-judge Bench in December, 2022.
Despite the dismissal, a similar petition had found its way onto the cause list before a fresh bench.
What SC said
CJI Kant took strong exception to the lapse. Though Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam sought to withdraw the plea, CJI Kant had directed that it would remain pending before the Court and would be taken to a logical conclusion. The CJI had then announced that a deeper administrative probe would follow.
What CJI said about using AI
Earlier this week, the CJI had emphasized the apex court’s commitment to harnessing artificial intelligence to enhance the justice delivery system.
AI would be utilized to achieve speedy, affordable, and true justice, adding that the apex court’s research center had been rejuvenated to identify and address reasons behind the case backlog, the CJI had said on Sunday.
“We’re making the optimistic, positive, and constructive use of AI. For this, we’ve constituted a separate committee. The Supreme Court’s AI Committee. We’ll use AI to its maximum optimal potential for speedy justice, affordable justice, and true justice,” he said.
SC praises Kerala HC’s CMS
Recently, the SC had also praised the Case Management System (CMS) developed by the Kerala High Court, describing it as “far ahead” of other systems in the country. The CMS has transformed the Kerala High Court into India’s first fully digital and paperless court.
In January, an SC bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta highlighted that the Kerala High Court developed this software indigenously without outsourcing, serving as a model for judicial digital transformation across India.
Features of Kerala HC’s CMS?
The system, which was rolled out in 2019, includes functionalities such as automated workflow for case allocation, 24/7 e-filing, dedicated portals for judges, advocates, litigants, and government officials, smart courtroom equipped with “All-in-One” touch machines that automatically display the current case file for judges and advocates, eliminating physical paper files and AI Integration for tasks like transcribing witness depositions and translating orders, while maintaining strict human oversight.
Key Takeaways
- The Supreme Court’s adoption of AI is a pivotal step towards modernizing the Indian judicial system.
- This initiative aims to address issues of case backlog and improve allocation transparency.
- The Kerala High Court’s Case Management System serves as a model for other courts in India.
