A case for using AI to fix judicial delays

As Kerala courts prepare to deploy tech for witness depositions, legal experts debate the benefits and challenges, report Bhavini Mishra & Aashish Aryan

- Bhavini Mishra & Aashish Aryan

The Kerala High Court recently mandated that, starting November 1, witness depositions in state district courts will use Adalat.AI, a speech-to-text translation artificial intelligence tool. In a vast and complex legal system beset with delays, the decision is a pioneering use of technology to reduce procedural challenges.

In most courts, witness statements are recorded in writing — either by the presiding judge or a designated court typist working on the judge’s instructions.

“Automating the speech-to-text process will free judicial time, enable quicker listings, and shorten case calendars, as long as accuracy and workflow integration are maintained. For lawyers, the immediate practical effect will be a shift of effort from mechanical notetaking to analysis, strategy, and rapid verification,” said Suvigya Awasthy, a partner at law firm PSL Advocates and Solicitors.

‘The Al tool is also likely to help judges, lawyers and court administrative staff by speeding up preparation between hearings, making searches for previous statements easier, improving cross-referencing of contradictions, and reducing long-term costs, Awasthy said.

Witness protection

There are other challenges in the witness and statement-recording process in India. The lack of a proper witness protection programme adds to the complexity involved in the deposition process. In a detailed judgment in 2022, a two-judge bench of now-retired Supreme Court Justices A K Sikri and A Abdul Nazeer had said that the condition of witnesses in the Indian legal system was “pathetic”.