Judge must be guided by conscience, not algorithms: Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath

Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath on Saturday cautioned that judges must remain guided by their conscience while delivering justice, not algorithms that shape artificial intelligence (AI) or other technological tools that are increasingly being used to assist in judicial work.

The judge noted AI represents the next frontier in judicial innovation, and has the potential to assist courts in many areas, including case management, legal research, translation and transcription of court proceedings.

However, he went on to highlight that it is important to set limits on AI use in judicial work and not reduce the adjudication of legal disputes to a mechanical process. He also flagged concerns that algorithmic systems involved in the development of AI may replicate underlying biases present in the data it is fed.

Therefore, AI can only be viewed as a tool to assist judges, and not as a substitute for judicial decision-making, Justice Nath emphasised.

"Adjudication is not a purely mechanical exercise. It involves interpretation, discretion, and a nuanced understanding of facts and human circumstances. It requires empathy, fairness, and a sense of justice that cannot be reduced to algorithmic outputs," he said.

He went on to remark that the delivery of justice must be guided by human conscience and not algorithms that drive technological tools.

"Technology will continue to evolve, systems will improve, facilities will expand, but at the heart of the justice delivery system will always remain the judge, guided not by algorithms, but by conscience, not by convenience, but by duty," he said.

The Supreme Court judge was speaking at an event organised by the Gujarat Legal Services Authority.

In his address, he also touched upon the lingering issue of case pendency, noting that justice continues to remain uneven and that delays continue to affect litigants across the system.

“The issue of pendency is widely known, but pendency is not merely a statistical problem; it is a human problem,” he said.

He pointed out that behind every pending case lies a litigant facing personal, financial or social consequences.

He noted that digital innovation must be seen as a structural necessity to bridge gaps in access to justice, particularly for litigants in remote and economically weaker sections.

Referring to initiatives such as the eCourts Mission Mode Project, e-filing systems and virtual hearings, he observed that technology has improved transparency and reduced dependence on the physical presence of litigants and lawyers.

He also highlighted live streaming of court proceedings and translation tools as measures that bring courts closer to citizens and strengthen open justice.

Justice Nath further higlighted that the strength of the justice system ultimately rests on the district judiciary. Trial courts are where the facts of a legal dispute are established and where citizens first engage with the legal process, he noted.

“It is the district judiciary that forms the bedrock of our justice delivery system,” he said.

Drawing from Edward Abbott Parry’s Seven Lamps of Advocacy for lawyers, Justice Nath said that qualities such as courage, industry, clarity and judgment are equally essential for judges. He emphasised that judicial independence depends on the courage to take decisions that may be unpopular but necessary.

Justice Nath also stressed the importance of clarity in judicial writing.

“Judicial writing must not seek to impress; it must seek to explain. The authority of a judgment lies in its reasoning, not in its rhetoric,” he said.

He went on to assert that honesty cannot be treated as an exceptional virtue. Rather, it is “a sine qua non" or a non-negotiable condition of judicial existence.

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