AI COMMITTEE CONSTITUTED BY JAMMU AND KASHMIR HIGH COURT

reporter India, Legal, News

INTRODUCTION

Artificial Intelligence has been a major breakthrough in the arena of technology. This adaptive and revolutionary technology has not only served the mankind at the global front by reducing their tedious work into simple algorithms and data analysis by machines but has also successfully decoded the impossibilities of the tasks performed by humans.

The constant development of Artificial Intelligence has brought about many opportunities to different sectors of the society including the judicial sector. Through decades’ judiciary has been given the status of delayed and expedite judicial adjunction. With the introduction of AI in the judiciary, though it cannot replace the knowledge and wisdom of the judge but it can surely help in the speedy disposal and reducing the pendency of cases. Thus, the step by Jammu and Kashmir High Court to establish an AI Committee has been a constructive step in developing and increasing the scope of judiciary further.

CONSTITUTION OF THE COMMITTEE

Jammu and Kashmir High Court on 12.10.2020 passed an order to constitute Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee in the High Court which would serve various purposes of the High Court. As far as the composition of the committee is concerned, it would comprise of 2 members, one chairman and one other member. Jawed Ahmed, the Registrar General of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, according to the order appointed Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajesh Bindal as the chairperson of the committee and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Puneet Gupta as the other member of the committee.

Presently, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajesh Bindal is the Chairman of various committees including the Finance Committee, Building and Infrastructure Committee, Information Technology Committee and State Court Management Systems Committee. Further, he is also the Chairman of the Committee which was formed to conduct the assessment for optimal use of technology by NALSA and the State Legal Services Authorities including use of Artificial Intelligence. 

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Puneet Gupt on the other hand has also constitutes as the member of various committee including the Committee of Information Technology.

The Jammu and Kashmir AI committee will be accountable for ensuring that the judicial procedure has been effectively and efficiently integrated with the AI leading to an automated judicial aspect. The order further specified various aspects which would be covered by the Committee. These are:

  1. AI Language Technology would be used to translate the judicial documents.
  2. AI would also be used to automate the process in the administrative department or administrative adjudication.
  3. AI would be further explored and be used to provide legal research assistance by the judges or on judicial scale.
  4. AI can also be explored and used in other judicial arenas other than the above mentioned.

At last the committee will coordinate with the Member-Convenor of the Artificial Intelligence Committee of the Supreme Court of India. The first step towards introduction of AI in the judicial domain is ‘Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software’ short-termed as ‘SUVAS’ which was established to translate the English Judicial documents, Orders or Judgments into nine vernacular languages scripts and vice versa. Thus, the AI Committee of Jammu and Kashmir High Court should be in consonance with the Supreme Court initiatives.

The AI committee has been brought into existence in order to assist the judiciary by reducing the burden of the court in attending the trivial matters. It enables the court to focus and aim its strategies towards achieving the objectives which are paramount for imparting justice. Further, the courts will ensure speedy delivery of justice as AI would also assist the judges in passing orders and judgements, thereby lessening the gap of number of cases and the inability of the judges to impart justice within the reasonable timeframe. AI would also confirm to quality judgements due to the enhancement of the legal research which can now be conveniently conducted with the use of AI.

By-

Somya Jain

Student Reporter, INBA