Delhi Gets First Pilot Hybrid Court Room With 'Speech To Text' Facility

The Delhi Courts on Friday got into the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with their first 'Pilot Hybrid Court' equipped with a 'Speech to Text Facility', following which AI will now take dictation (record) and type (convert into text) intelligently for judges at the time of recording evidence.

On the one hand, it will save time, and on the other, it will enhance the working capacity of judges and court staff, particularly stenographers.

Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Manmohan, inaugurated the first AI-equipped pilot hybrid courtroom at Tis Hazari Court on Friday. He also launched a digital court app.

On this occasion, Justice Manmohan said, "Technology must be utilised to enhance the legal system and reduce delays in justice delivery."

The 'pilot hybrid court has a speech-to-text facility for evidence recording' and the digital court application is for judicial officers to access all e-filed cases.

Justice Manmohan emphasised, "We have to use and harness technology to improve the legal system to ensure that the people who are accused of crimes are brought to book, and the delays have to be cut short. The only way to ensure that the system works properly is to ensure that good technology is brought into the system."

The ACJ termed the speech-to-text facility for evidence recording as a very powerful tool. He said that it has the potential to become a game-changer.

The speech-to-text facility for recording evidence is equipped with advanced technologies like 'Automatic Speech Recognition' and 'Large Language Models' to efficiently convert spoken words into written text visible on the screen of the system.

The 'Digital Court Application,' designed for judicial officers, is a desktop application that includes a range of features, such as a document upload function that ensures all physical documents presented in court are also available in digital form in the Case Information System (CIS).

Justice Manmohan mentioned that the facility, equipped with diverse tools, exemplifies the correct application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

The ACJ also said that the ongoing efforts are to promote paperless courts.

He admired the IT Committee headed by Justice Rajiv Shakdhar and said that everyone is making an effort, and the IT committee is doing a great job.

Justice Manmohan, however, also warned that technology is often used to violate laws and commit crimes.

He said, "Today, when I sit in court and decide matters, one of the things that strikes me is that technology is being used to circumvent the laws, to break the laws, to promote infringement. The only way we can deal with violations and bring people in conformity with the law is again to use technology in the right way."

He further discussed that this technology can deal with the shortage of staff in the courts and can solve it.

"As a Chief Justice, the biggest problem that I face is that all judges are requesting a large number of stenographers, and there is not enough pool available. I think this will solve the problem to a large extent because once the speech-to-text facility is available, especially with regard to the recording of evidence by the joint registrars and by the district judiciary, this will ensure that quite a big pool of stenographers becomes available for other purposes," ACJ said.

He also pointed towards the financial challenges and said, "We require a lot more finances. Naturally, the state has its own priorities. So there is a bit of a tussle, or there is a bit of an argument over it, and we have to resolve it."

He said that efforts are underway to develop hybrid court facilities in all 691 district courtrooms in Delhi, with a budget of about Rs 387 crore. The 14 pilot projects are in the pipeline.

On this occasion, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, Justice Shakdhar, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, Justice Sanjeev Narula, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, Justice Girish Kathpaliya, Principal District and Sessions Judge (Headquarters) Sanjay Garf, and 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, were also present.

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