Supreme Court to use AI to generate summaries for pleadings: ACJ Manmohan

The Supreme Court is set to introduce an AI tool called 'AI Saransh', developed by the National Informatics Centre, which is designed to generate summaries of pleadings

Delhi High Court’s Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan, during the IBA International Conference Mexico City 2024, revealed that the Supreme Court of India is in the process of introducing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool known as AI Saransh, according to a report by LiveLaw. This tool, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), is designed to generate precis or summaries of pleadings, streamlining the process of highlighting contentious issues in legal cases.

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What is AI Saransh?

According to the NIC, AI Saransh is a document summarisation technique that condenses long content by highlighting the main points to provide a clear idea of the overall material. It is crucial for those needing a quick and accurate summary of lengthy content as manual summarisation can be expensive and time-consuming. 

The tool offers two main types of summarisation: extractive and abstractive. Extractive summarisation extracts key sections of text from the original content based on predefined metrics, without altering the text. In contrast, abstractive summarisation generates new sentences and phrases to convey the most important information, producing summaries that are more natural and closer to human expectations, while avoiding the grammatical issues often found in extractive summaries.
 

The judge emphasised that AI is being increasingly integrated into India's legal system to enhance efficiency in both alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and judicial processes. AI tools like AI Saransh can provide deeper insights and achieve unprecedented precision in document analysis and review. The integration of AI-enabled transcription tools like TERES and AI SUVAS for multilingual transcription and translation of judgments in vernacular languages was also highlighted as key advancements in Indian courts.

AI and India’s justice system

ACJ Manmohan explained that the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) can significantly streamline the review process by rapidly analysing and summarising large volumes of legal documents. He added that Indian courts and ADR proceedings are already utilising digital case management systems, which allow for the submission of all documents through a single platform, thereby easing communication.

Legislative developments in India

Discussing the legislative developments in India, ACJ Manmohan highlighted the significance of the Mediation Act, 2023, which was passed in August 2023. This act has accelerated mediation and conciliation processes, ensuring party autonomy, minimal court interference, and confidentiality.

He further emphasised the continuous improvements in the Arbitration Act, particularly the 2015 amendment that promoted international commercial arbitration and further amendments in 2019 and 2021, reflecting India’s commitment to an arbitration-friendly regime. The launch of the Arbitration Bar of India has also promoted professionalism and ethics in arbitration.

Manmohan’s speech also touched on the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has simplified India’s tax system, improving efficiency and competitiveness. Additionally, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, was praised for its role in enhancing trust and security in digital transactions, safeguarding consumer information, and supporting a thriving digital economy.