The North News
New Delhi, December 11
India’s judiciary is accelerating the use of artificial intelligence across court processes, with the Supreme Court confirming that several AI-powered tools are now in pilot use to support judges, streamline filings and improve administrative efficiency. The update was provided in the Rajya Sabha by Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Law and Justice.
According to the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India, technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing and optical character recognition have been integrated into e-Courts software under the national digitisation programme. Officials say AI is already being tested for translation, defect identification in filings, automated scheduling and improving communication with litigants through chatbots.
One of the most advanced tools, the Legal Research Analysis Assistant (LegRAA), has been developed by the National Informatics Centre’s Artificial Intelligence Division and its Centre of Excellence in Pune. Designed to support judges, it can analyse legal documents, assist with research and offer decision-support inputs.
The judiciary has also rolled out Digital Courts 2.1, a platform that provides access to integrated judgment databases, automated drafting templates and document annotations. The system includes voice-to-text dictation through the SHRUTI engine and translation support via the PANINI tool.
In partnership with IIT Madras, the Supreme Court has deployed prototype AI systems to identify defects in electronic filings. About 200 Advocates-on-Record have been given access to these early versions, with further tests underway on tools aimed at curing defects, extracting metadata and integrating with the Integrated Case Management and Information System (ICMIS).
Another AI initiative, the SUPACE tool (Supreme Court Portal Assistance in Court Efficiency), remains in experimental stages. It is intended to analyse case facts and run intelligent searches for relevant precedents.
Officials stressed that all current AI deployments are restricted to controlled pilots to ensure responsible and secure adoption. Any operational rollout, they said, will depend on policy decisions by individual High Courts.
To guide this transition, the Supreme Court has formed an AI Committee to conceptualise and monitor the use of AI within the judiciary. Under Phase III of the e-Courts Project, running from 2023–24, the government has allocated ₹53.57 crore for future technologies, including AI and blockchain. The tools developed under this phase are intended for use across India’s judicial system.
