Artificial Intelligence in Indian Courts: Constitutional Safeguards and Judicial Accountability under e-Courts Phase III with Reference to Sustainable Development

Abstract

The digital transformation of the Indian judiciary has gone beyond just using computers for court records. Now, it's moving towards a completely technologically equipped system that can handle services like electronic filing, online court sessions, digital evidence, automatic speech writing, language translation, legal research, and managing court operations with the help of data analysis. The e-Courts Mission Mode Project, especially Phase III, shows a major step forward in this change. The government has clearly thought about including new technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain, in this phase. This article looks at the legal and constitutional issues that come up when using Artificial Intelligence in the Indian court system, especially how it connects to the e-Courts Project. It says AI should not be seen as a replacement for judges thinking and expertise, but rather as a tool that is controlled and used under human supervision in the legal decision-making process. The article looks at the key principles from the constitution, like equality, dignity, privacy, fairness, transparency, like, open court processes, to ensure that everyone gets timely justice, by technology in the courts. The article argues that there is a big gap in the rules because there isn't a complete set of laws that specifically apply to AI in courts. The article suggests an AI governance model that can be used in Indian courts which focuses on having humans oversee the AI, protecting data, ensuring cybersecurity, making sure processes are fair, being open and clear, and holding institutions responsible with reference to Sustainable Development Goals. The article concludes that e-Courts Phase III can only be implemented in its true essence only if the technology works well but doesn't take over from the judicial independence.