October 10, 2025

“Technology will integrate police, forensics, jails, and courts, and will speed up their work as well. We are moving towards a justice system that will be fully future-ready.”

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is bringing major changes to India’s courts and law enforcement. It is helping make the system faster, easier to use, and more effective in decision-making. With AI being used in court processes, case management, legal research, and policing, delays are getting reduced and justice is becoming more accessible for everyone.

To support this, the Indian government has set aside ₹7,210 crore for the e-Courts Phase III project, out of which ₹53.57 crore will be spent on new technologies like AI and blockchain in High Courts across India by 2027

Need of AI in Indian courts

Currently in India, AI is still at the developing stage and is being tested in the Indian courts to make the system of justice work faster and more smoothly. There are tools like legal research helpers, software for document checking and case predictions which are being used to reduce the backlog of cases. These tools are used to make decisions more reliable. With the help of these tools the cases can be sorted, past judgments can be found, which will speed up the procedure where the decision is still pending. AI technology is also introduced to transcribe arguments which are oral in the hearing of the constitutional bench. It can be used to translate from English to other regional languages.

Current use of AI in Indian courts

Government projects like Judgement Analytics and e-Courts are making the legal processes more accessible, transparent and efficient with the integration of AI. AI-based tools like SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court Efficiency) are helping judges with legal research and analysis of case law. Along with SUVAS, these projects marked the beginning of AI use in the Indian judiciary and were welcomed as ways to improve efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.

In 2024, to celebrate 75 years of the Supreme Court, a Hackathon was held with the theme of exploring AI-based solutions to improve and streamline the work done by the Registry of the Supreme Court.

The Constitution of India guarantees equality before the law and the right to a speedy trial. Using technologies that make legal information easily accessible helps in fulfilling these rights. At present, there is no specific law for Artificial Intelligence, but the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, will apply wherever personal data is processed automatically, which is relevant when AI tools are used for evidence or court records. However, the law requires that all judicial orders must be signed and justified by judges, which means AI cannot formally decide a case.

The Supreme Court has also made it clear that AI-generated outputs should always be reviewed and approved by a human judge. To ensure transparency and accountability, India now needs clear guidelines, such as requiring parties to disclose the use of AI in court filings, instead of relying only on internal rules followed by the judiciary.

India’s Digital Court 2.0 initiative

The e-Courts Project, started by the Supreme Court of India, is an important step to modernize how courts work by using digital methods. This project aims to make judicial functions smoother, faster, and more organized with the help of technology. In its third phase, the project introduces advanced tools to improve how cases are managed and how court administration is carried out across the country. This phase continues the earlier efforts of digital reform and focuses on building a justice system that is more efficient, responsive, and effective for everyone.

Md. Zakir Hussain vs. The State of Manipur & Others (2023)

This case is one of the landmark cases where the use of ChatGPT was done during the judicial process. In January, 2021 Zakir Hussain, who is 36 years old was dismissed from VDF which is Village Defence Force. This happened due to an escape of an alleged criminal while he was on duty.

The dismissal was challenged by Zakir in the Manipur High Court. The police was directed by Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma to explain the entire dismissal process in detail. The police then submitted an affidavit. The affidavit which was submitted lacked clarity and did not explain VDF in detail. The court then turned to ChatGPT for further research.

ChatGPT explained that the VDF is made up of local volunteers who are trained to protect their areas from threats. Justice Sharma referred to this in his ruling. The dismissal of Hussain was cancelled because the court found that he was not given a fair chance to defend himself. The court pointed to a 2022 order from the Manipur Home Department which clearly says that before dismissing any VDF personnel, they must be given an opportunity to answer the charges against them, something that was not done in Hussain’s case.

Use of AI in Punjab & Haryana High Court

In March 2023, Justice Anoop Chitkara of the Punjab and Haryana High Court referred to ChatGPT while deciding a bail plea of Jaswinder Singh, who was accused of an assault that led to death. The judge asked ChatGPT about general legal views on granting bail in cases involving cruelty during assaults. ChatGPT’s reply showed that judges often take a cautious approach in such matters, sometimes refusing bail or fixing a high bail amount.

The court made it clear that ChatGPT’s input was only used for general background and not for giving an opinion on this specific case. This incident highlighted how the High Court used technology as a research aid to support judicial reasoning.

Use of AI in Delhi High Court

In August 2023, Justice Pratibha M. Singh of the Delhi High Court gave a ruling in favor of the luxury brand Christian Louboutin in a trademark dispute. Louboutin’s lawyers had used ChatGPT responses to show the brand’s reputation for its “spike shoe style” with the famous “red sole,” which they argued was being copied by another brand called Shutiq.

However, Justice Singh refused to rely on ChatGPT for deciding legal or factual issues, pointing out that AI tools can sometimes give wrong information, cite non-existent cases, or produce made-up details. This case showed the Delhi High Court’s careful and cautious stance on using AI in courtrooms, stressing that human judgment must always take priority over AI-generated content in legal decisions.

Kerala High Court mandates AI integration in judicial proceedings

Kerala is the first Indian state to use transcription technology compulsory in all the courts to record the witness statements. The Kerala High Court on 27 September, 2025 issued a directive that it will come into effect from 1 November, 2025. All the lower courts in the state as per the official memorandum will now have to use ‘Adalat.AI’ which is a speech to text tool. This tool is developed by a startup Adalat AI to record the witness depositions. The tool was created with support for Harvard, MIT and Oxford in research.

The tool is designed to address the backlogs and delays in the Indian legal system. It will help the stenographers and the judges in converting the spoken testimony more accurately and quickly into written records. Adalat.AI was introduced by the High Court on a trial basis in some selected courts. This included the courts which handled cases of sexual violence and atrocities against children and women along with other courts in Ernakulam. That pilot project began on February 1 and aimed to modernize the process of recording witness statements and reduce delays.

The new order says that from November 1 onwards, all courts must primarily use the Adalat.AI voice-to-text system for recording depositions. If there are technical issues, courts can only use alternative platforms approved by the High Court’s IT Directorate to ensure data security and confidentiality. Once recorded, the signed deposition will also be uploaded to the District Court Management System (DCMS), so that lawyers and parties can access it directly from their dashboards.

Nodal officers in each district have been asked to monitor to ensure that there is smooth implementation of the tool. Monthly reports on how depositions are being recorded are to be given by the Nodal officers. These reports include the total number of courts which are using manual recording and the number of courts are using the technology.

Adalat AI has also claimed that its tool is more accurate than generic transcription services because it is specially designed to understand legal terms and Indian pronunciations, making it reliable for recording testimonies, court orders, and judgments.

Key uses of technology in e-Courts

Case management

There are so many novel digital tools that are helping the courts in managing cases better. This is achieved by smart scheduling, reducing backlogs, and setting priorities. The tool helps in predicting possible delays and adjournments so that judges and court staff can plan resources more efficiently for faster resolution of cases.

Legal documentation and research

Technology will now help the judges and lawyers in finding relevant case laws, summarize judgments, and also in preparing legal documents. This not only saves time but also improves the accuracy and consistency of legal work.

Filing and court procedures

With document scanning and language processing tools, filing of court papers is becoming faster and more accurate. This reduces human error and speeds up the entire process of digitizing and handling case records.

User support and chatbots

Virtual assistants and chatbots are being used to guide people with information about their case status, procedures, and legal updates. This makes courts more user-friendly and accessible, especially for those who are not familiar with legal systems.

Predictive analysis in case outcomes

By studying past judgments and case data, technology can give insights into possible outcomes and risks. This helps judges and lawyers make better decisions and prepare stronger case strategies, improving the overall functioning of courts.

Conclusion

The use of new technology is changing how Indian courts work, making the system faster and more open. These tools help judges and lawyers with research, paperwork, and case management, but they cannot replace human thinking and judgment. Projects like SUPACE, SUVAS, and Adalat.AI show that courts are ready to use modern methods to reduce delays. Still, India needs clear rules to guide how such tools are used in courts. In the end, technology should only support the justice system, not take its place.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Which courts in India are using AI?

The Supreme Court of India, Kerala High Court are amongst some of the courts that have started using AI in India. With the e-courts project many courts will also soon join.

How is AI being used in courts?

The courts in India are using AI for summarisation of documents, legal research, case research, administration work etc.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Judicial Processes in India