Regulation of AI in Courts

As part of the National eGovernance Plan, Phase-III of the eCourts Mission Mode project with an outlay of Rs 7210 crore is under implementation for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in the Indian Judiciary. Its vision is to transform the judicial system with Information and Communication Technology enablement of courts and to enhance the judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, making the justice delivery system accessible, cost effective, reliable, and transparent.

Under eCourts Project Phase III, an amount of Rs. 53.57 crore has been earmarked for the component "Future Technological Advancements(AI, Blockchain etc)"to integrate modern technologies for smoother user experience.The Supreme Court of India constituted Artificial Intelligence Committee to explore the use of AI in the judicial domain. However, no formal policy or guidelines exist for adopting AI tools in judicial processes, as AI-based solutions remain in the controlled pilot phase and authorities use AI only within the areas approved in the DPR of eCourts Phase III. Besides, formulation and regulation of operational frameworks in this regard will begoverned by the rules of Business and policies of the concerned High Courts.

Judiciary is aware that integrating AI into judicial processes poses key challenges such as algorithmic bias, language and translation issues, data privacy and security concerns, and the need for manual verification of AI-generated outputs. The eCommittee, Supreme Court of India has formed a Sub-Committee of six High Court judges with technical experts to recommend secure connectivity and authentication mechanism for data and privacy protection, assess the digital infrastructure and service delivery systems under the eCourts Project to strengthen data security.

An AI based software tool called Legal Research Analysis Assistant [LegRAA] has been developed to aid judges in legal research and document analysis. An upgraded platform called Digital Courts 2.1 has been designed to assist Hon'ble Judges and Judicial Officers by providing a single window for managing case-related information and tasks. The platform includes AI-powered voice-to-text (ASR-SHRUTI) and translation (PANINI) functionalities to assist the judges with order and judgment dictation.At present, in the pilot phase of AI based solutions, the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India reports no systemic bias, unintended content, or other issues.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in Lok Sabha today.

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Samrat