Delhi gets first pilot hybrid court room

Delhi Courts entered the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Friday with the launch of their first ‘Pilot Hybrid Court’ at Tis Hazari Court, equipped with a ‘Speech to Text Facility.’ This AI technology will now assist judges by intelligently recording and converting spoken words into text during evidence recording, thereby saving time and enhancing the working capacity of judges and court staff, particularly stenographers.

Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Manmohan, inaugurated this AI-equipped pilot hybrid courtroom and also introduced a digital court app. He highlighted the importance of leveraging technology to enhance the legal system and reduce delays in justice delivery.

The pilot hybrid court’s speech-to-text facility is designed for efficient evidence recording, and the digital court application allows judicial officers to access all e-filed cases. Justice Manmohan stressed the need to harness technology to improve the legal system, ensuring timely justice and reducing delays. He described the speech-to-text facility as a powerful tool with the potential to be a game-changer.

This facility utilises advanced technologies such as ‘Automatic Speech Recognition’ and ‘Large Language Models’ to convert spoken words into written text, displayed on the system’s screen. The ‘Digital Court Application’ is a desktop tool for judicial officers, featuring functions like document upload, ensuring all physical documents are available in digital form within the Case Information System (CIS).

Justice Manmohan commended the IT Committee, led by Justice Rajiv Shakdhar, for their efforts in promoting paperless courts and advancing technology use in the judiciary. However, he also cautioned about the misuse of technology for illegal activities and emphasized the need for proper technological application to enforce laws.

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He noted that this technology could address the shortage of court staff, particularly stenographers, by efficiently handling evidence recording. This would free up stenographers for other tasks, mitigating the staff shortage issue.

Justice Manmohan also pointed out the financial challenges involved, stating the need for more funds while acknowledging the state’s budget priorities. Efforts are ongoing to develop hybrid court facilities in all 691 district courtrooms in Delhi, with a budget of approximately Rs 387 crore. Fourteen pilot projects are currently in the pipeline.

The inauguration was attended by several dignitaries, including Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, Justice Rajiv Shakdhar, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, Justice Sanjeev Narula, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, Justice Girish Kathpaliya, Principal District and Sessions Judge (Headquarters) Sanjay Garf, Principal District and Sessions Judge (West) Vinod Kumar, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, and Nitin Ahlawat, President of the Delhi Bar Association. (With inputs from PTI)