In a first for the Indian judiciary, the Kerala High Court has framed a comprehensive policy outlining the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by judges and staff in the state’s district judiciary. 

The policy released by the Registrar General strictly bars the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and other cloud-based services in judicial decision-making, citing concerns over data privacy, confidentiality and ethical accountability.

The policy clearly states that under no circumstances should judges use AI tools to arrive at any findings, reliefs, orders or judgments. AI tools, regardless of their capabilities, must not serve as a substitute for judicial reasoning or the human application of law. 

Only tools explicitly approved by the High Court or the Supreme Court may be used, and even then, only for limited, non-judicial purposes such as case scheduling or document translation.

The move comes at a time when AI adoption in public institutions is on the rise, raising questions about transparency and data integrity. Kerala’s policy seeks to set guardrails for this transformation by mandating that all outputs generated by approved AI tools must be verified by judges or qualified translators. Whether it is a translated legal text or a list of cited judgments, human oversight is non-negotiable.

Cloud-based AI services have been explicitly banned under the policy to protect privileged communications and sensitive personal identifiers. Even for approved tools hosted locally, extreme caution is advised to avoid factual or legal inaccuracies. The court also emphasises that these tools must only be used for the exact purposes for which they are approved, and their usage must be thoroughly documented. Courts across Kerala are now required to maintain an audit trail of all instances of AI use, detailing the tool used and the verification process undertaken.

To ensure accountability and awareness, all judicial officers, court staff, interns, and law clerks must attend training sessions organised by the Judicial Academy or the High Court. These programs will cover the ethical, legal, and technical implications of AI use within judicial frameworks. If any errors or anomalies are identified in AI-generated content, the matter must be immediately reported to the Principal District Judge, who will forward it to the IT department of the High Court for review and appropriate action.

Earlier, the Supreme Court of India confirmed its integration of AI into administrative functions and remains firm in its stance that AI has no role in judicial decision-making. These tools now help detect procedural defects in case filings, potentially reducing the backlog of pending cases.

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