Artificial Intelligence Must be Introduced in the Judiciary to Make it Timesaving, Transparent and Corruption-free

. By Parmanand Pandey

"The millions mired in poverty here can only get rid (of it) when science is used in their interest. Such maximum application of science is only possible when scientific knowledge is available to Indians in their own country.” Mahamana Madan Mohan Malviya spoke these immemorable words, emphasizing the importance of science and technology. What was true in those days is truer today. The need is to encourage and augment its use in all spheres of life.

Today the dockets of courts, from sub-ordinate courts to High Courts and Supreme Court, are cluttered with new and old cases. Some have been pending for decades together. Some two decades ago when I became an Adorate-on-Record in the Supreme Court of India, I went to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, along with my clerk to seek his help for E filing of the cases. He was courteous but in no position to help. E-filing was at the nascent stage.

As a result, one could see the long queues of Advocates, mostly young ones and clerks before filing and defect-curing counters. Filing and curing defects were the most tedious jobs. The Process of litigation was, undoubtedly, a big punishment, not only for both lawyers but also for clients. However, today with the introduction of technology things have completely changed. Earlier, after drafting on the computer, the printouts had to be taken. Many Advocates had to draft the cases in their own handwriting, then go for typing or composing.

Even computer typing or composing was considered to be a luxury. It was a tortuous exercise. Printouts were to be taken to be photocopied and then paper books were prepared for their filings. One can only imagine how much boring legwork had to be done before any case came for hearings before the judges. Only after that did the second phase of pummelling start. However, e-filing and curing defects have immensely reduced the burden and have proved to be time-saving. This process is eco-friendly. It has saved hundreds of tonnes of papers to be used in the Supreme Court itself.

Therefore, the live-streaming and virtual hearings in the courts are no less than a revolution. Its effect is very much visible to the judges, lawyers and litigants as well. Virtual hearings and live streaming should be made a rule to make better use of technology. A litigant or lawyer can address the court from anywhere in the country or even from abroad. With the abundance of availability of the internet, it has become all the more useful for every section of society, even for maintaining records.

The time has now come for the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Only Artificial Intelligence can root out corruption from the judiciary. It will help decide the cases at the earliest possible for which a litigant has to wait, nobody knows how long. Most of the cases can be decided through Artificial Intelligence, requiring an almost negligible number of judges or judicial officers. With the non-interference human faces, everything will be transparent and corruption-free.

It is expected that it will be introduced sooner than later by the government of dynamic Narendra Modi.

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