Gujarat High Court Bars Use of AI in Judicial Decision-Making

Gujarat High Court has issued a policy prohibiting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in judicial decision-making, while allowing limited use in administrative functions.

Key Highlights

AI cannot be used for:

Judicial reasoning

Drafting orders/judgments

Bail and sentencing decisions

Interpretation of facts or evidence

Judges remain personally responsible for all decisions and judgments.

AI use is permitted only for:

Administrative work

Legal research

Translation and documentation support

Mandatory human oversight for any AI-generated output

Applies to:

High Court registry

District judiciary

Judicial officers, staff, interns, and legal assistants

Objectives of the Policy

Preserve judicial independence and human-centric justice

Prevent risks like:

AI bias

Incorrect or fabricated legal citations

Improve efficiency in non-adjudicatory tasks

Key Restrictions

No AI use in:

Adjudication or decision-making

Application of law

Determination of rights and liabilities

No autonomous AI action without human verification

Prohibition on sharing confidential case data with public AI tools

Background

The move follows concerns over:

AI-generated fake or unverifiable case laws in legal proceedings

The Supreme Court of India has also warned that AI-based judgments may amount to misconduct.

Kerala High Court was the first HC to introduce an AI policy in 2025.

About Gujarat High Court (Key Facts)

Established: 1960

Location: Ahmedabad

Jurisdiction: State of Gujarat

Works under:

Constitution of India (Articles 214–231)

Has power of:

Judicial review

Writ jurisdiction under Article 226

Additional Important Points

AI in Judiciary (India)

Used for:

Case listing

Translation (e.g., SUPACE in Supreme Court)

Risks:

Hallucination (false outputs)

Bias in algorithms

Data privacy concerns

Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

Ensures data privacy and protection

Relevant in regulating AI usage in governance