Report Launch | AI For Justice: Ethical, Fair and Robust Adoption in India's Courts

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant idea in India’s justice system. Transcription tools, translation support, and case summarisation systems have already made their way into courtrooms across the country.

The promise is real: reduce backlogs, improve efficiency, expand access to justice for millions. But so are the risks. In August 2025, a trial court in Andhra Pradesh dismissed objections in a property dispute by citing four Supreme Court precedents, all of which were fabricated by an AI tool. When the matter reached the Supreme Court, it found that relying on non-existent judgments was not merely an error in decision-making, but could amount to misconduct with legal consequences.

In courts, the stakes of getting this wrong are not abstract. A missed context or a biased output doesn’t just mean a bad outcome. It can mean an innocent person convicted or a survivor denied relief.

How do we ensure these systems do not reproduce existing bias? What does transparency look like when algorithms enter judicial decision-making? And who is accountable when something goes wrong?

These questions cannot wait. The adoption of AI in courts must be ethical, transparent, and firmly grounded in constitutional values and due process.

We are excited to launch ‘AI For Justice: Ethical, Fair and Robust Adoption in India’s Courts’ — co-developed with DAKSH and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The report offers a practical framework for the responsible adoption of AI in India’s justice system. It outlines principles, safeguards, and implementation pathways that centre fairness, accountability, and human oversight. Alongside the report, we have developed assessment tools that courts across the country can use to:

• Evaluate institutional readiness for AI adoption

• Identify rights-based risks in proposed systems

• Request technical evaluations of AI tools

• Establish monitoring mechanisms for ongoing performance and impact

The report will be launched in New Delhi, with a panel discussion featuring:

Jhalak Kakkar, Executive Director, Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi

Justice (Retd.) Rajiv Shakdher, Senior Advocate and former Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh

📅 Tuesday, March 24, 2026
📍 New Delhi (venue disclosed closer approved participants)

Register here

Registration is mandatory. Participation is subject to approval from the organisers.
We hope to see you there!