As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into legal systems worldwide, India’s Supreme Court has proposed a comprehensive framework to regulate the use of AI across courts and judicial bodies. The draft “Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026” aims to encourage innovation while ensuring that human judgment remains at the centre of the justice system.
A key principle of the proposed framework is that AI can support judicial processes but cannot make judicial decisions. The draft clearly states that judges alone will retain the authority to decide questions of law, facts, sentencing, and justice. AI-generated recommendations will remain advisory and subject to independent judicial review.
The framework allows AI to assist with legal research, citation verification, document summarisation, translation, transcription, scheduling, record management, drafting support, and litigant assistance through chatbots. Accessibility tools for people with disabilities are also encouraged.
At the same time, the regulations place strict limits on AI use. Courts will not be allowed to use AI for bail assessments, predicting criminal behaviour, evaluating witness credibility, profiling litigants, or conducting surveillance of judges, lawyers, or parties involved in cases. The use of opaque or unexplainable AI systems in matters affecting legal rights and personal liberty is also prohibited.
To address concerns around AI-generated inaccuracies, lawyers and litigants using AI for filings must disclose its use. Responsibility for any false or misleading AI-generated content will remain with the individual submitting the material. The draft also proposes an AI Content Verification Authority to establish standards for verifying AI-generated information.
The framework introduces a robust governance structure, including a national oversight body, specialised committees, High Court AI units, and a proposed Centre of Research and Excellence on Artificial Intelligence (CoRE-AI). AI systems will undergo technical and ethical assessments, audits, incident reporting, and transparency reviews before deployment.
The proposed regulations position India among the first major jurisdictions to establish a comprehensive judicial AI governance framework before widespread adoption, balancing technological progress with constitutional safeguards.
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