Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Indian Judicial System

As of January 2023 more than 47 million cases are pending in Indian Courts and this number is expected to be on an upward tangent. Many of these cases have been pending before the lower and higher courts since the last decade. There has been significant research conducted in identifying the reasons behind such exponential increase in cases. The main reasons for pendency of cases were identified as the lack of available judges, legal professionals or even quality of infrastructure and courts. However very little research has been carried on with a concrete solution for how the cases can be disposed at a faster rate and thereby reduce the case load. This paper proposes that through effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the cases that are pending before the courts can be significantly reduced and aid all the stakeholders involved, namely, the judges, lawyers, clients, and general public. The paper explores the utilization of AI in the judicial system by assessing its application in three main areas: Legal Research, Legal Reasoning and Outcome Prediction. Furthermore, the paper will examine the ways in which the Indian Judicial System can adopt AI while taking into account the three main factors i.e. bias, precedents and costs, which are all essential for effective implementation of AI. Overall, this paper provides prospective applications of AI’s in law while also assessing the feasibility of such applications in the Indian judicial system. Since this study discusses the convergence of AI and law the paper will not only be helpful for engineers who are aiming to develop AI technology but also various stakeholders in law who will be the consumers of such technology.