VISAKHAPATNAM: Artificial intelligence and digital technologies must make justice more accessible rather than deepen existing inequalities in the legal system, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday, stressing the need to ensure that lawyers practising in district courts have access to the same digital resources as corporate legal professionals.
Delivering the Justice K Ramaswamy Endowment Lecture at Dr BR Ambedkar College of Law, Andhra University, on ‘The Legal Profession: Opportunities and Challenges in the Digital Age’, he emphasised that technology must address barriers of distance, language and access that prevent ordinary citizens from benefiting from legal services.
Referring to initiatives such as Tele-Law and e-Sewa Kendras, he observed that digital platforms were connecting rural citizens with legal professionals, but language and complicated user interfaces continued to limit their reach. Recalling his suggestion to former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to make Supreme Court judgments available in regional languages, Kovind noted that more than 83,000 translations were now accessible in 18 Indian languages.
He cautioned against excessive reliance on artificial intelligence in legal research and court proceedings, pointing out that AI tools could generate fabricated judgments and citations. Referring to cases in the US and India involving AI-generated false citations, he stressed that lawyers must personally verify every legal reference against original judgments and establish its authenticity.
“We cannot transfer our professional credibility to a software provider,” he remarked, underlining the importance of human supervision in the use of technology, including automated legal translations and examination of digital evidence.
Kovind called for changes in legal education to prepare students for digital proceedings, electronic records and emerging challenges such as deepfakes. Law schools should encourage critical thinking and assess students on their reasoning and ability to defend arguments rather than merely the quality of written submissions. He also advocated clear safeguards governing AI use in courts, including confidentiality and human oversight.
Referring to Justice K Ramaswamy’s judicial contributions, Kovind observed that his work demonstrated how law could protect the marginalised and uphold human dignity. He recalled his role in the S R Bommai versus Union of India case, which addressed the misuse of Article 356.
He urged Andhra University alumni to contribute to an endowment fund for the institution, suggesting that donations be made jointly in the names of alumni and their spouses.
Vice-Chancellor Prof G P Rajasekhar spoke about Justice Ramaswamy’s contributions to the judiciary. His son and Union Government Secretary K Srinivas thanked Kovind for delivering the lecture. Kovind also inaugurated the college’s Nyaya Bandhu Pro-Bono Club.