HOW AI CAN TRANSFORM INDIA'S LEGAL LANDSCAPE

India stands at a crucial intersection of legal tradition and technological innovation, poised to revolutionize its legal system through artificial intelligence.

- AASHISH SHETTY

The potential for AI to bridge linguistic divides, improve legal accessibility, and reduce costs while delivering expansive benefits merits serious consideration from policymakers, legal practitioners, and technologists alike. With the government expressing openness to new AI regulations and acknowledging ethical concerns, as indicated by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, this transformation has already begun to take shape within India's institutional framework.

BREAKING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER IN LEGAL ACCESS The multi-linguistic nature of India presents one of the most significant barriers to legal accessibility. With 22 languages recognized in the Constitution's Eighth Schedule, legal documents primarily authored in English remain inaccessible to millions of citizens seeking justice. This fundamental disconnect has perpetuated inequalities in the legal system for generations, creating a two-tiered justice system divided along linguistic lines. The current manual translation process for laws and court documents is time-consuming and expensive, often delaying justice and increasing costs for all stakeholders in the legal ecosystem.

Recent initiatives by the Union Law Ministry demonstrate the transformative potential of AI in this domain. The ministry is advancing AI solutions for translating Central legislation into Indian languages, with deployment targeted by year-end. While early trials achieved approximately 40% accuracy, ongoing refinements include incorporating specialized legal terminology from Hindi and other Indian language glossaries into the AI system. This represents more than merely technological advancement; it stands as a commitment to democratizing legal information across linguistic boundaries that have long divided access to justice in India.