Tech must expand access to justice, but AI can't replace judges: CJI

Speaking in Samarkand, CJI Surya Kant said technology must be used to expand access to justice but stressed that AI cannot replace judicial acumen. He highlighted India's digital judicial reforms and the 'human primacy' principle in using AI.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday said technology must be harnessed to expand access to justice but cautioned that artificial intelligence cannot replace judicial acumen or decision-making, which must remain with judges.

Addressing the 7th Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the CJI said the challenge before courts was to embrace technology while remaining faithful to their constitutional duties.

“Technology can bring justice within the reach of millions, but without adequate safeguards, it may exclude the very citizens it is intended to serve, and erode public trust,” he said.

A Citizen-Centric Digital Re-engineering

He said the Supreme Court’s approach was to treat digitisation “not merely as computerisation of existing processes”, but as an opportunity to “re-engineer them around the citizen”.

India's Digital Judicial Transformation

Highlighting India’s digital judicial transformation, the CJI said e-filing, virtual hearings, digital case management and live-streaming of Constitution Bench proceedings had reduced the burden of distance and cost and improved access to courts.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of digital infrastructure, with the Supreme Court alone conducting more than 7.5 lakh hearings through video conferencing between March 2020 and June 2024.

Breaking Barriers with AI Tools

On overcoming language barriers, the CJI said the Supreme Court had developed SUVAS, an AI-assisted tool for translating judgments into Indian languages. More than 83,000 translations had been published in 18 languages, he said.

He also highlighted Su-Sahayak, an AI-powered chatbot on the Supreme Court website that enables litigants, lawyers and the public to access case status, cause lists, orders, judgments and information on e-services.

“The larger objective is to make the Court intelligible to the citizen, because access to justice is incomplete if only the Court’s doors are open but its processes remain difficult to navigate,” he said.

The CJI further referred to the “One Case, One Data” initiative, aimed at integrating case information across all levels of the judiciary and reducing duplication and delay.

'Human Primacy' and Safeguards for AI

However, he stressed the need for safeguards as courts increasingly rely on data and AI.

The Supreme Court’s draft regulations on the use of AI in courts, released in June 2026, are based on the principle of “human primacy”, he said.

“Artificial Intelligence may supplement judicial research and support the Court’s processes, but can never replace judicial acumen or decision-making, which must always remain with the Judge,” Kant said.

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