1 April 2026 Legal Updates

Artificial Intelligence In Courts: Promise, Peril, And Path Ahead

AI In Courts: A Powerful Tool Or A Dangerous Shortcut? Judiciary Warns Against Blind Reliance

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the legal profession, from research to drafting pleadings. However, its growing use in courts has triggered serious concerns about accuracy, ethics, and accountability.

Indian courts are now increasingly confronting a crucial question:
Can AI be trusted in legal practice?

Rise of AI in Legal Practice

1. Initially, AI was limited to

• Legal databases
• Case search tools

2. Now, it has evolved to

• Draft legal arguments
• Generate case citations
• Mimic judicial reasoning

3. Popular tools include

• Global: ChatGPT, Harvey AI, CoCounsel
• India: Manupatra, SCC Online, CaseMine

4. Shift

• From assistant → decision-influencing tool

Major Concern: AI Hallucination

1. AI sometimes

• Generates fake cases
• Produces incorrect legal reasoning

2. Indian Example

• A fake case titled “Mercy v. Mankind” was cited in court
• Flagged by Justice B.V. Nagarathna

3. Court Reactions

• Delhi High Court → Rejected petition with fake citations
• Bombay High Court → Imposed costs

4. Courts warned

• AI misuse = waste of judicial time + professional misconduct

Global Perspective

• In Mata v. Avianca, Inc.: Lawyers fined for fake AI-generated citations
• US courts now require: Certification that AI content is verified
• Principle: AI is a tool, not an authority

Key Legal Issues Raised

1. Professional Responsibility

• Lawyer remains responsible for: Accuracy, xAuthenticity
• Cannot blame AI
• “Duty of verification is absolute”

2. Confidentiality Concerns

AI tools may:

• Store sensitive client data
• Risk privilege breach

3. Bias in AI

• AI trained on past data → May reproduce judicial biases

4. Misinterpretation of Judgments

• Indian judgments are: Lengthy, Complex
• AI struggles to separate: Ratio decidendi vs obiter dicta

Indian Legal Ecosystem & AI

• Growing but still evolving
• Limitations: Language diversity and Lack of unified tools
• Practical approach: Use AI “stack” and Research tools + drafting tools + general AI

Advantages of AI in Law

• Faster research
• Better access to justice
• Helps small practitioners
• Can reduce case backlog

Challenges for Indian Judiciary

• Lack of standardisation in pleadings
• Complex documentation
• Procedural inconsistencies

AI adoption requires:

• Structured legal drafting
• Standardised formats

Supreme Court’s Concern

The Supreme Court of India has termed AI hallucinations as: “Institutional concern”

1. Key warning

• Reliance on fake AI content → misconduct

2. The Core Principle

Technology may evolve, but responsibility does not

• AI can assist
• AI cannot replace legal judgment

Conclusion

1. Artificial Intelligence

• It is neither a threat nor a solution by itself.
• It is a powerful but imperfect assistant.

2. The future of law depends not on AI’s capability, but on:

• Lawyer’s discipline
• Ethical use
• Human verification

3. Final takeaway

• Courts will not judge the machine — they will judge the lawyer.