Article:
The Law Minister recently stated that the implementation phase of adopting machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is necessary to enhance the functioning of the justice delivery system. This initiative forms part of the eCourts project, which aims to revolutionize the Indian judiciary through the enablement of information and communication technology (ICT).
The eCourts Project: An Overview
The eCourts project was conceived with the vision of transforming the Indian judiciary by enabling ICT in courts. This project is nationally monitored and funded by the Ministry of Law and Justice’s Department of Justice, particularly for district courts across the country.
The project’s primary objectives are to provide efficient and timely citizen-centric services, develop and implement decision support systems in courts, automate processes to ensure transparency and information accessibility, and enhance judicial productivity. The ultimate goal is to make the justice delivery system affordable, reliable, predictable, and transparent.
The Importance of Technology in Judiciary
Technology plays a crucial role in managing the heap of pending cases in the judicial system. According to the recent National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), approximately 3,89,41,148 cases are still pending at the District and Taluka levels, with an additional 58,43,113 unresolved cases lingering at the high courts. Such pendency reduces the judiciary’s efficiency and restricts peoples’ access to justice.
Utilization of Technology in Judiciary: Examples
The Covid-19 pandemic has paved the way for broader use of technology in the judicial domain due to the rise in e-filing and virtual hearings. For instance, the Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS) uses AI to assist in translating judgments into regional languages, making justice more accessible. Additionally, the newly launched SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court Efficiency), aims at enhancing court efficiency and reducing pendency.
AI and ML: Their role in the Judiciary
AI and ML technologies can potentially improve the judiciary’s efficiency by assisting judges in conducting trials more swiftly and effectively. This will help in reducing the backlog of cases allowing legal professionals to devote more time to better legal reasoning, discussion, and interpretation of laws.
Understanding AI and ML
AI describes machines’ actions in performing tasks that traditionally required human intelligence. It includes technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition, big data, neural networks, and self algorithms, which when fed with specific data, enables machines to react accordingly.
Machine Learning (ML), on the other hand, is a branch of AI that enables software applications to predict outcomes more accurately without being explicitly programmed. ML algorithms use historical data as input to predict new output values.
The Future of AI technology
As the use of AI technology gains momentum, concerns about data protection, privacy, human rights, and ethics are likely to escalate. Thus, developers of these technologies need to enforce stringent self-regulations. External regulations through statutes, rules, and by the judiciary via judicial review and constitutional standards are also necessary.