Cases related to morphed or fabricated digital contentarefiled in courtsunder the Information Technology Act, 2000covering offenses like identity theft (Section 66C), cheating by personation using computer resources (Section 66D),publishing or transmitting obscene or harmful digital material (Sections 67, 67A and 67B) etc. Cases are also registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023covering offences relating to cheating by personation (Section 319), electronic forgery and related falsification of records (Section 336) and forgery of electronic records (Section 340). While dealing with such cases, the judiciary has recognised the growing risk posed by manipulated digital material and its potential impact on public perception.

Several measures have been undertaken to address these concerns, including the introduction of various amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the enactment of new criminal laws in 2023. In addition, procedures for the authentication and admissibility of electronic records have been strengthened under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, which mandates electronic record authentication certificatesfor establishing the authenticity of digital evidence.

Further, as part of the eCourts Mission Mode project, a large number of the court proceedings are being live-streamed to enhance transparency. Authentic copies of court judgements are made available on the Judgement Search Portal to ensure accessibility and reliability of judicial decisions.

As part of the National eGovernance Plan, Phase-III of the eCourts Mission Mode project with an outlay of Rs 7210 crore is under implementation for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in the Indian Judiciary. Its vision is to transform the judicial system with Information and Communication Technology enablement of courts and to enhance the judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, making the justice delivery system accessible, cost effective, reliable, and transparent.

Under 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 smoother user experience.The Supreme Court of India constituted 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 phaseand authorities use AI only within the areas approved in the DPR of eCourts Phase III.
 

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 Chairperson of the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India has formed a Sub-Committee of six High Court judges with technical experts to recommend 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. Another AI based tool called Digital Courts 2.1 has been designed to assist Hon'ble Judges and Judicial Officers by providing a single window for managing all case-related information and tasks. The platform includes 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.
 

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in Lok Sabha today.

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Samrat

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