SC begins AI-based transcription of hearings on real-time basis

The Supreme Court started using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transcribe hearings live on an experimental basis from February 21.

A large screen installed in the Chief Justice of India’s (CJI) court hall will display the arguments and counter arguments of the lawyers. The technology will be used during the Constitution Bench hearing of the case pertaining to the Maharashtra Political Crisis.

“We are trying to explore the possibilities of live transcript. It is an experiment. Then we will have a permanent record of arguments as well. This will not just help the lawyers, but will also help law colleges analyse how the arguments are made,” Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said in the open court.

The CJI also said that the transcript of arguments will be given to the lawyers before it is uploaded to the Supreme Court website. He, however, mentioned that the technology may encounter some problems if two lawyers speak at the same time. Such glitches will, however, be fixed as it is used more.

Senior lawyers present in the court lauded the idea with Kapil Sibal, calling it a milestone.

CJI Chandrachud, who leads the e-committee of the Supreme Court in his aegis, launched the electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) project in January to provide free digital access to the official law reports of the apex court's reported judgments.

He lauded the allotment of Rs 7,000 crore to Phase-III of e-courts project and said that the allocation of Rs 7,000 crore for the Phase-III of e-courts project in the Union Budget 2023 will help to enhance the accessibility of judicial institutions.