Rs 7,210 crore project to boost use of AI, tech in courts: Arjun Ram Meghwal

New Delhi, Dec 19 Aiming to enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively and quantitatively, Phase-III of the eCourts Mission Mode project, with an outlay of Rs 7,210 crore, is under implementation to boost the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in courts, the Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a reply in Lok Sabha, said the project, which is a part of the National eGovernance Plan, aims to make the justice delivery system accessible, cost-effective, reliable, and transparent.

Under the eCourts Project Phase III, an amount of Rs 53.57 crore has been earmarked for the component “Future Technological Advancements (AI, Blockchain, etc.)” to integrate modern technologies for a smoother user experience.

He said the Supreme Court constituted an Artificial Intelligence Committee to explore the use of AI in the judicial domain. However, no formal policy or guidelines exist for adopting AI tools in judicial processes, as AI-based solutions remain in the controlled pilot phase and authorities use AI only within the areas approved in the DPR of eCourts Phase III.

Besides, formulation and regulation of operational frameworks in this regard will be governed by the rules of Business and policies of the concerned High Courts, he said.

Meghwal said that the judiciary is aware that integrating AI into judicial processes poses key challenges such as algorithmic bias, language and translation issues, data privacy and security concerns, and the need for manual verification of AI-generated outputs.

The eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, has formed a Sub-Committee of six High Court judges with technical experts to recommend a secure connectivity and authentication mechanism for data and privacy protection, assess the digital infrastructure and service delivery systems under the eCourts Project to strengthen data security.

An AI-based software tool called Legal Research Analysis Assistant (LegRAA) has been developed to aid judges in legal research and document analysis. An upgraded platform called Digital Courts 2.1 has been designed to assist Judges and Judicial Officers by providing a single window for managing case-related information and tasks, he said.

The platform includes AI-powered voice-to-text (ASR-SHRUTI) and translation (PANINI) functionalities to assist the judges with order and judgment dictation. At present, in the pilot phase of AI-based solutions, the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India reports no systemic bias, unintended content, or other issues, said Meghwal.

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