Supreme Court Publishes Draft AI Regulations For Use Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Courts, 2026

The Supreme Court of India, through notice dated 03.06.2026, has published the draft Regulations for use of Artificial Intelligence in Courts, 2026 (“Draft AI Regulations”). Comments and suggestions from all stakeholders and the general public are invited on the Draft AI Regulations by 20.06.2026.

The salient features of the Draft AI Regulations are as follows:

1. Applicability: these shall apply to the use, deployment or integration of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) in any judicial, adjudicatory or administrative function of the Supreme Court of India, High Courts and all Courts including the tribunals and statutory commissions performing adjudicatory functions within territory of India.
2. Permissible uses of AI: Draft AI Regulations provides an illustrative and non-exhaustive list of purposes for which AI Systems may be used, subject to prior approval in writing of the Appropriate Authority and to the supervision and verification of officers nominated for that purpose. Some of the permissible uses of AI includes: (a) case management (including identification of defects in new filings), cause list preparation, hearing scheduling and docket prioritisation; (b) automated transcription of court proceedings; (c) translation of judgments, orders, pleadings and other legal documents, subject to human verification of accuracy and fidelity to the original and (d) legal research, precedent retrieval, citation verification and document summarisation etc.
3. Prohibited uses of AI: Draft AI Regulation provide a list of absolute and non-derogable list of uses of AI that is strictly prohibited in all court processes such as (a) no personal data of any person shall be used to train, test, or refine any AI System without the prior approval of the Appropriate Authority (b) no judicial outcome shall be reached through Algorithmic Decision-Making alone or solely on the basis of AIgenerated information, data, or analysis; and (c) no AI System shall perform the function of adjudication or sentencing in any matter without mandatory Humanin-the-Loop etc.,.
4. Institutional Mechanism under the Draft AI Regulations: A permanent, full-time Apex Body shall be constituted at the Supreme Court to regulate and promote innovation, integration, governance and policy development on AI in judiciary, which shall further constitute the following committees to assist it in discharge of its functions: (i) Judicial Committee, (ii) Technical Committee; (iii) Committee on Infrastructure and Finance; (iv) Case and Data Management Committee; and (v) Cyber Security Committee. Further, the Draft Regulations provides for constitution of Centre of Research and Excellence, AI Committees to be constituted by Supreme Court and every High Court to oversee, regulate and facilitate the responsible adoption and governance of AI within its jurisdiction and AI Secretariat to support every AI Committee.
5. Grievance Redressal: Draft AI Regulations provides that in case of any harm caused to any party to a proceeding as a direct or indirect effect of prohibited use of AI under Regulation 20 (Prohibited use of AI), that party or their legal representative, may file an application to the court in which the relevant AI System was or is used and such court shall pass appropriate orders after giving a reasonable opportunity of being heard.

* Draft Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026.

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