Technology has helped level the playing field within the legal profession by enabling lawyers in smaller towns to access digital legal resources and research tools that were once available only in metropolitan cities, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Thursday.
Addressing a lecture on the "Future of Justice Delivery" organised by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA), the CJI noted that the judiciary's focus over the past two decades had been to make courts more accessible, transparent and responsive, rather than technological for technology's sake.
Advocates practising in smaller towns now have access to digital libraries, electronic databases and sophisticated legal research facilities that were once confined to metropolitan cities. “The Bar, too, has benefitted immensely from this digital evolution. Technology has reduced routine procedural burdens while simultaneously expanding access to legal resources and research tools. Nowadays, an advocate practising in a smaller town enjoys access to digital libraries, electronic databases, and sophisticated legal research facilities that were once the preserve of metropolitan practice. In that sense, technology has helped level the playing field and democratise professional opportunity within the legal profession,” he observed.
Recalling his early days at the Bar, the CJI highlighted that lawyers earlier had to rely on physical cause lists pasted outside courtrooms and often move across court complexes to find out when their matters would be taken up. Today, the same information is available on a mobile phone within seconds.
He said that the e-Courts Mission Mode Project has evolved into an integrated digital justice ecosystem with e-filing, digital case management, online access to court records, video conferencing and virtual hearings. The National Judicial Data Grid, he noted, enables the judiciary to identify trends, allocate resources efficiently and adopt data-driven solutions through real-time information on case pendency and disposal.
“Over the last two decades, our endeavour has not been to make courts more technological for their own sake. Rather, it has been to make them more accessible, more transparent, and more responsive to every stakeholder who interacts with the Justice Delivery System. Technology, in our understanding, is not an end in itself; it is an instrument that enables courts to fulfil their constitutional responsibility more effectively”, he said.
On the use of artificial intelligence, the CJI reiterated that AI could assist but not replace judicial decision-making.
"Artificial intelligence may augment judicial intelligence without replacing the judicial conscience,” he said.
Referring to the Supreme Court's draft AI regulations, he stressed that the framework seeks to ensure that AI assists the justice delivery system without overpowering or overtaking human decision-making, while incorporating safeguards relating to privacy and data security.
The CJI also highlighted the "One Case One Data" initiative, which aims to create a single standardised digital record for every case. He noted that the system will enable the Supreme Court to ascertain the status of a case at the trial court level with a single click while avoiding duplication of case records as litigation progresses through different levels of the judiciary.
He further referred to AI-enabled initiatives such as SUVAS, through which Supreme Court judgments have been translated into 16 regional languages, and expressed confidence that they would very soon be available in all recognised regional languages. He also highlighted SuSahay, a conversational platform that provides information on court procedures, filing requirements and case status.
Concluding his address, the CJI stressed that technology and human values are not competing ideals. When deployed responsibly, he said, technology strengthens the values that sustain the administration of justice by making courts more inclusive without compromising integrity and more efficient without sacrificing fairness.
“The true measure of technological progress lies not in the sophistication of the software we create, but in the extent to which it makes justice more accessible, more affordable, and more comprehensible for those whom our courts ultimately exist to serve,” he said.
Justice Vikram Nath and Justice V Mohana also addressed the event. Justice Abha Nayar Patel of the Supreme Court of Zambia delivered the keynote lecture on innovation, integrity and inclusivity in justice delivery.