‘Law is not an algorithm, justice requires wisdom’: Justice (retd) Dinesh Maheshwari

As many as 601 law graduates of Panjab University (PU) received their degrees at the 7th Law Convocation held at the Multi-Purpose Auditorium, Sector 25, PU South Campus, on Wednesday. Justice (retd) Dinesh Maheshwari, chairperson, Law Commission of India, was the chief guest. Justice Sheel Nagu attended as the guest of honour.

Delivering the address, Justice Maheshwari described the present era as one of extraordinary technological upheaval. He said artificial intelligence has entered the legal landscape with force and cannot be ignored, and must not be misunderstood. “AI is a powerful instrument capable of processing vast repositories of case law, drafting documents and identifying patterns that would elude the most diligent human eye. Yet law is not an algorithm. Justice requires wisdom and wisdom requires a distinctly human capacity; the ability to feel the weight of consequence, to perceive the dignity behind a grievance and to exercise judgment in conditions of irreducible uncertainty,” he said.

“No machine can replicate the moral imagination that a just legal order demands. Use these tools with discernment as an extension of your capabilities, never as a substitute for your conscience. The day you delegate your judgment to a machine, is the day you cease to be a lawyer in any meaningful sense”, Justice Maheswari further added while talking about artificial intelligence and irreplaceable human judgment.

Justice Maheshwari urged students to go beyond classroom learning and engage with social realities. He highlighted constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as guiding principles. He asked graduates to reflect not only on what the law is, but what it ought to be, and to contribute to reform and social justice.

Earlier, Prof. Vandana Arora, Chairperson, Department of Laws, and Director, UILS, along with Prof. Shruti Bedi, welcomed the guests.