Rewiring Justice: India’s Judicial Transformation in a Cyber World

Muskan Sharma
Muskan Sharma
Research Analyst- Policy & Advocacy, CyberPeace
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 31, 2025
10

Introduction

The judiciary as an institution has always been kept on a pedestal and is often seen as the embodiment of justice. From Dictatorship to Democracy, the judiciary plays a central role; even where the judiciary is controlled, the legitimacy of the policies, in one sense or another, is derived from it. In democracies around the world, the independence and well-being of the judiciary are seen as the barometer of democracy’s strength. In this global age, where technology is omnipresent, it seems the judiciary is no exception. Now more than ever, when the judiciary is at the centre of evaluative focus, it becomes imperative to make the judiciary transparent. Digitisation of the judiciary is not just an administrative reform; it is an extension of constitutionalism into the technological realm, an effort to ensure that justice is accessible, transparent, and efficient. On July 25, which is the International Day on Judicial Well-being, is commemorated every year with a clear message that judicial well-being supports “anti-corruption, access to justice, and sustainable peace.

Digitisation by Design: Justice in the Age of Transformation

The Prime Minister of India envisioned the future of the Indian legal system in alignment with the digitised world, as when he said, “Technology will integrate police, forensics, jails, and courts, and will speed up their work as well. We are moving towards a justice system that will be fully future-ready,” he said, almost predicting the future. Although there are many challenges in the face of this future, there are various initiatives that ease the transition. To clarify, India is streamlining operations, reducing delays, and enhancing access to justice for all by integrating AI into legal research, case management, judicial procedures, and law enforcement. Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and predictive analytics are just a few of the AI-powered technologies that are currently being used to increase crime prevention, automate administrative duties, and improve case monitoring. 

The digitisation of Indian courts is a structural necessity rather than just a question of contemporary convenience. Miscarriages of justice have frequently resulted from the growing backlog of cases, challenges with maintaining records, and the loss of physical files. In the seminal case of State of U.P. v. Abhay Raj Singh, the courts acknowledged that a conviction could be overturned by missing records alone. With millions of legal documents at risk, digitisation becomes a shield against such a collapse and a tool for preserving judicial memory. 

Judicial Digitalisation in India: Institutional Initiatives and Infrastructural Advancements

For centuries, towering bundles of courtroom files stood as dusty monuments to knowledge, sacred, chaotic, and accessible to a select few. But as we now stand in 2025, the physical boundaries of a traditional courtroom have blurred, and the Indian government is actively working towards transforming the legal system. The e-Courts Mission Mode Project is a flagship initiative that aims to utilise Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to modernise and advance the Indian judiciary. This groundbreaking effort, led by the Department of Justice, Government of India, is being carried out in close coordination with the Supreme Court of India’s e-Committee. As a news report suggests, the Supreme Court (SC) held 7.5 lakh hearings through video conferencing between 2020 and 2024, as stated by the Ministry of Law and Justice, responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Technological tools such as the Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS), the Case Information Software (CIS), and the Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency (SUPACE) were established to make all pertinent case facts easily available. In another move, the Registry, SC, in close coordination with IIT, Madras, has created and implemented AI and ML-based technologies that are integrated with the Registry’s electronic filing software. This serves as a statement to the fact that cybersecurity and digital infrastructure are no longer administrative add-ons but essential building blocks for ensuring judicial transparency, efficiency, and resilience. 

E-Governance and Integrity: The Judiciary in Transition

The United Nations recognises the fundamentals of the judiciary’s well-being and how corruption acts like water to the rust and taints the integrity of not a single judge in general but creates a perception of the whole institution. This threat of corruption is recognised by the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), particularly Article 11, which urges the protection of the judiciary’s independence and integrity. Digitisation, while it cannot operate in a vacuum, acts as a structural antidote to corruption by embedding transparency into the fabric of justice delivery as automated registry systems, e-filing, and real-time access to case data drastically reduce discretionary power and the potential for behind-the-scenes manipulation. However, digital systems are only as ethical as the people who design, maintain, and oversee them, bringing their own limitations.

Conclusion: CyberPeace and the Future of Ethical Digital Justice 

The potential of digitalisation resides not just in efficiency but also in equity, as India’s judiciary balances tradition and change. A robust democracy, where justice is lit by code rather than hidden under files, is built on a foundation of an open, accessible, and technologically advanced court. This change is not risk-free, though. Secure justice must also be a component of digital justice. The very values that digitisation seeks to preserve are at risk from algorithmic opacity, data breaches, and insecure technologies. 

Our vision is not just of a digitalised court system but of a digitally just society, one where judicial data is protected, legal processes are democratised, and innovation upholds constitutionalism. Therefore, as a step forward, CyberPeace resolves to support AI upskilling for legal professionals, advocate for secure-by-design court infrastructure, and facilitate dialogue between technologists and judicial actors to build trust in the digital justice ecosystem. CyberPeace is dedicated to cyber transparency, privacy protection, and ethical AI.

References 

  1. https://www.un.org/en/observances/judicial-well-being 
  2. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106239 
  3. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106239 
  4. https://www.barandbench.com/view-point/facilitating-legal-access-digitalization-of-supreme-court-high-court-records 
  5. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2085127 
  6. https://www.medianama.com/2024/12/223-supreme-court-seven-lakh-video-conferences-four-year-rajya-sabha/
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 31, 2025
Category
TAGS
No items found.

Related Blogs