Delhi high court introduced their first ‘pilot hybrid court’, here’s how it will work
On Friday, the national capital witnessed a huge technical leap as the Delhi Court launched its first ‘pilot hybrid court’ with a ‘speech to text facility’.
The AI-equipped court at Tis Hazari Court, which was opened by acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Manmohan, intends to improve judicial efficiency by minimizing delays.
The newly integrated speech-to-text technology will intelligently translate spoken words into written text, accelerating the evidence-recording process.
The program not only claims to conserve time, but it also seeks to boost the working ability of judges and court workers, particularly stenographers.
Justice Manmohan underlined the significance of using technology to strengthen the judicial system and speeds up justice delivery.
“Technology must be used to improve the legal system and reduce delays in justice delivery,” Justice Manmohan said at the inauguration.
He emphasized the importance of using technology to promote efficient operations and timely justice.
“We have to use and harness technology to improve the legal system to ensure that the people who are accused of crimes are brought to book, and the delays have to be cut short. The only way to ensure that the system works properly is to ensure that good technology is brought into the system,” added Justice Manmohan.
The pilot hybrid court effectively converts spoken speech into text using modern technologies such as ‘Automatic Speech Recognition’ and ‘Large Language Models’. This digital shift is poised to be a formidable instrument and potential game changer in legal procedures.
Justice Manmohan pointed out the multifunctional aspect of this technology, indicating that it addresses the acute shortage of stenographers in courts.
He discussed the continued challenge to meet the demand for stenographers and stated that the new approach could help tremendously.
“As a chief justice, the biggest problem that I face is that all judges are requesting a large number of stenographers, and there is not enough pool available. I think this will solve the problem to a large extent because once the speech-to-text facility is available, especially with regard to the recording of evidence by the joint registrars and by the district judiciary, this will ensure that quite a big pool of stenographers becomes available for other purposes,” he said.
The occasion also featured the debut of a ‘digital court application’ that aims to improve judicial processes by giving judicial authorities access to all e-filed cases.
This desktop application includes features such as document uploads, which ensure that all physical papers submitted in court are likewise digitally available in the Case Information System.
Justice Manmohan congratulated the IT Committee, led by Justice Rajiv Shakdhar, for their hard work and dedication to the achievement of this effort.
He also stated that financial limits and priorities must be managed in order to further promote these technological achievements.
“We need a lot more money. Naturally, the state has its own priorities. So, there’s a tussle, or a disagreement, and we have to settle it,” he explained.
Justice Manmohan voiced concern over the misuse of technology, stating that it is frequently used to violate laws.
He emphasized the necessity of employing technology effectively to address such infractions and bring people into compliance with the law.
“Today, when I sit in court and decide cases, one of the things that strikes me is how technology is being used to avoid laws, break them, and promote infringement.
“The only way we can deal with violations and bring people into compliance with the law is to use technology properly,” he continued.
Efforts are underway to develop hybrid court facilities in all 691 district courtrooms in Delhi, with a budget allocation of approximately Rs 387 crore. Fourteen pilot projects are currently in the pipeline.
