India's courts are turning to artificial intelligence to tackle a crushing paperwork burden that contributes to nearly three-quarters of prisoners being held without conviction, according to a non-profit developer whose speech-recognition tool has been adopted in more than 6,000 courtrooms across 11 states.
Adalat AI, a non-profit, builds speech-recognition software trained on India's legal system alongside AI tools to manage cases and court documents. The technology allows judges to dictate witness testimony, which is then displayed on screen for both parties to verify before being submitted as the official record.
'It's writing, writing, writing, all day,' Kerala judge Suresh Babu said in Adalat AI's annual report, describing the administrative bottleneck that can slow the recording of witness evidence.
Co-founder and CEO Utkarsh Saxena described his team as 'the plumbers of the court system', adding: 'We aren't automating decision-making, we're automating the administrative processes to give judges back time to do the things that actually matter.'
The question is whether faster paperwork will lead to shorter cases. In 2024, nearly three-in-four people in prison in India were being held without a conviction as they awaited processing. Adalat AI's internal studies show major improvements in the number of witnesses heard and orders issued at courts using its tools. A randomised evaluation with research centre J-PAL is underway.
Some jurisdictions now mandate the use of Adalat AI technology for recording witness testimony. A similar push is happening in Singapore, where courts introduced AI-powered transcription tools in December 2023.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Reducing administrative delays could significantly cut the number of under-trial prisoners, addressing a chronic human rights and efficiency concern in India's justice system.
- The J-PAL randomised evaluation will provide rigorous evidence on whether AI for paperwork actually shortens case durations, informing adoption in other jurisdictions.
- Singapore's parallel move suggests a growing global trend toward AI-assisted court administration, which could reshape how judicial systems operate.
Background
India's courts have long faced a massive backlog of cases, partly due to manual, paper-intensive processes for recording testimony and managing documents. The high proportion of under-trial prisoners reflects systemic delays. Adalat AI's approach targets the documentation step, aiming to free judges to focus on legal decision-making rather than transcription.
Key Perspectives
Judge Suresh Babu: Describes the current system as 'writing, writing, writing, all day,' implying that administrative work consumes time that could be spent on judging.
Utkarsh Saxena, CEO of Adalat AI: Casts his team as 'plumbers of the court system' who fix impediments, emphasising that the tool automates administrative processes, not judicial decisions.
What to Watch
- Results of the J-PAL randomised evaluation, which will measure whether the technology leads to shorter case durations.
- Whether additional Indian states mandate the use of Adalat AI for witness testimony recording.
- How other countries, inspired by India and Singapore, experiment with similar AI tools in their own court systems.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedThe headline says Indian courts are deploying AI to clear a paperwork backlog.Semafor: “India’s courts are drowning in documents — and even recording witness testimony can create a bottleneck.”
- SupportedAdalat AI technology has reached more than 6,000 courtrooms across 11 states.Semafor: “which have reached more than 6,000 courtrooms across 11 states.”
- Partly supportedPaperwork delays keep most prisoners awaiting trial without conviction.Semafor: “In 2024, nearly three-in-four people in prison in India were being held without a conviction as they awaited processing.”
- Not in the sourcesThe opening attributes the statistic about prisoners held without conviction to Adalat AI.Semafor: “In 2024, nearly three-in-four people in prison in India were being held without a conviction as they awaited processing.”
- Not in the sourcesThe paperwork burden contributes to nearly three-quarters of prisoners being held without conviction.Semafor: “That type of inefficiency matters: In 2024, nearly three-in-four people in prison in India were being held without a conviction as they awaited processing.”
- Partly supportedThe software lets judges dictate witness testimony, which both parties check on screen before it is submitted as the official record.Semafor: “when a witness answers a question, the judge can now dictate what should be recorded by Adalat. Then, both parties check the text on screen before moving on. Those transcripts are then submitted as the court’s official record of the testimony.”
- SupportedKerala judge Suresh Babu said, “It's writing, writing, writing, all day,” in Adalat AI's annual report.Semafor: ““It’s writing, writing, writing, all day,” says Kerala judge Suresh Babu in the annual report of nonprofit Adalat AI.”
- SupportedUtkarsh Saxena called his team “the plumbers of the court system”.Semafor: “Co-founder and CEO Utkarsh Saxena calls his team the “plumbers of the court system”, the ones who fix and unclog the pipes.”
- SupportedSaxena said, “We aren't automating decision-making, we're automating the administrative processes to give judges back time to do the things that actually matter.”Semafor: ““We aren’t automating decision-making, we’re automating the administrative processes to give judges back time to do the things that actually matter,” Saxena says.”
- SupportedIn 2024, nearly three-in-four people in prison in India were held without conviction as they awaited processing.Semafor: “In 2024, nearly three-in-four people in prison in India were being held without a conviction as they awaited processing.”
- SupportedAdalat AI's internal studies show major improvements in witnesses heard and orders issued at courts using its tools.Semafor: “In internal studies, Adalat has seen major improvements in the number of witnesses heard and orders issued at courts that use its tools”
- SupportedSome jurisdictions mandate Adalat AI technology for recording witness testimony.Semafor: “Some jurisdictions now mandate the use of Adalat AI technology for recording witness testimony.”
