Source: LawBeat

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant urged deeper integration of technology and artificial intelligence so courts can operate with the urgency and responsiveness of hospitals, saying “Time has come when the judiciary should work like hospitals 24x7.” He spoke at an event organised by the Madhya Pradesh High Court on the theme “Fragmentation to Fusion: Empowering Justice via United Digital Platform Integration,” and called for the judiciary to evolve into an “immediate relief giving system” addressing the pains and demands of ordinary citizens without delay. The CJI described technology as the most effective solution to delays and inefficiencies, stating that “Technology is the only effective answer to wastage of judiciary’s time,” and noted that the Indian judiciary was an early adopter of digitisation, with the COVID-19 pandemic driving rapid virtual functioning.

He said the judiciary is committed to optimally using emerging technologies, including AI-driven platforms, to improve access to justice, strengthen public confidence, and bring greater transparency. The CJI observed that advanced software systems “will facilitate better and quicker decision-making” and characterised technological advancement as a constitutional necessity that can help courts transcend procedural rigidity and reach previously inaccessible citizens. In a related keynote at the Conclave on Technology and Judicial Education in Gangtok, he warned that AI must never replace judicial reasoning, urged judges to be equipped to critically evaluate automated tools to safeguard adjudication, and called for a “rigorous and forward-looking” shift in judicial training with ethics central to counter algorithmic bias, while insisting that ultimate control must rest with judges.