Gujarat HC releases policy on use of AI in judiciary: ‘Can never be employed to any form of judicial decision-making’
The policy permits the use of AI for administrative and productivity tasks, legal research support, drafting assistance, case management and administration, language and translation.
The policy aims to enable judicial officers and court staff to leverage AI tools to improve productivity, reduce administrative burden, and enhance access to justice (Image generated using AI)
HOLDING THAT human judgement, guided by “conscience, reason, law, and constitutional values, must remain inviolate” in the delivery of impartial justice, the Gujarat High Court on Saturday released a ‘Policy On Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Judicial and Court Administration’, laying down the areas where Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be deployed as well as the restriction on its use – especially in decision making, adjudication, judgments and reasoning.
The 12-page policy, available on the website of the Gujarat High Court, after being unveiled by Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath in Vadodara on Saturday, will apply to all judicial officers in the state, court staff in high court, legal services authority and district judiciary as well as to all court-related work “including hearings, case management, registry functions, administrative tasks, and research activities, whether conducted within the Court premises or remotely.”
Stating that AI can “never be employed” to any form of judicial decision-making, reasoning or judgment preparation, the policy states, “The judiciary stands as the final bastion of impartial justice, where human judgment, guided by conscience, reason, law, and constitutional values, must remain inviolate. In an era of rapid technological advancement, artificial intelligence offers tools that promise advanced, fast and easy research of Judgments, Ratio and settled legal principles. Further, it offers tools which may improve administrative efficiency. Yet the core of adjudication, the weighing of evidence, interpretation of law, application of the legal principles to facts, exercise of discretion, and delivery of reasoned decisions belongs exclusively to the domain of the human mind. Any encroachment upon this domain risks undermining public confidence, introducing hidden biases, generating unverifiable outputs, or eroding the sacred principle that justice is administered by accountable human beings driven by conscience and values under the rule of law.”
The policy aims to enable judicial officers and court staff to leverage AI tools to improve productivity, reduce administrative burden, and enhance access to justice, while preserving judicial independence and the sanctity of judicial decision-making while also establishing clear boundaries on permissible and prohibited uses of AI tools within the High Court of Gujarat and all subordinate courts under its jurisdiction. It aims to protect the confidentiality of case-related information, litigant data, and court records in conformity with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and promote institutional accountability by requiring human supervision and verification in all AI-assisted work.
The policy permits the use of AI for administrative and productivity tasks, legal research support, drafting assistance, case management and administration, language and translation. The policy states, “Violation of any provision of this Policy shall be treated as misconduct and shall attract appropriate action including departmental or disciplinary proceedings under applicable service rules.”
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
