ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE INDIAN LEGAL SYSTEM: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THE FUTURE OF JUSTICE

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing the administration and practice of law in India. Its applications include legal research, document review, translation, transcription, case-information management, scheduling, and assistance in analysing large volumes of legal material. These tools may improve efficiency and access to justice in a system affected by substantial case backlogs, linguistic diversity and unequal access to legal services. At the same time, AI creates serious risks: inaccurate or fabricated legal authorities, algorithmic bias, privacy violations, opacity, cybersecurity threats, unequal access, and the possibility that automated recommendations may improperly influence judicial or professional judgment. This paper examines the opportunities and limits of AI in the Indian legal system through doctrinal legal research. It analyses constitutional principles, the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and its phased commencement, the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, and selected judicial and institutional developments. Particular attention is given to the Supreme Court of India’s White Paper on Artificial Intelligence and Judiciary (November 2025), and its decision in Pooja Ramesh Singh v Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd. (2026), which addressed reliance on AI-generated fictitious authorities. The paper argues that AI should operate as a supervised support system rather than an independent decision-maker. It recommends human oversight, mandatory verification of legal sources, privacy-by-design, bias testing, transparent procurement, audit trails, professional training and accessible grievance mechanisms. The future legitimacy of legal AI in India depends not merely on technological capability, but on its compatibility with constitutional values, procedural fairness and the rule of law.