By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 25: Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya, Justice Soumen Sen, has stated that the integration of technology into the legal system enhances efficiency, transparency and public trust.
Justice Sen said this in his address at the East Zone-II Regional Conference on ‘Advancing Rule of Law through Technology: Challenges and Opportunities’ (P-1464).
Organised by the National Judicial Academy (NJA) in collaboration with the High Court of Meghalaya and the Meghalaya State Judicial Academy here, the two-day conference brought together chief justices and judges from the High Courts of Sikkim, Manipur, Kerala, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bombay, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Meghalaya, along with eminent speakers and legal scholars.
In his welcome address, Justice Sen expressed gratitude to the NJA and its Director for their participation.
Referring to the theme of the conference, Justice Sen said that the rule of law implies that laws must be accessible to the public, equally applicable, and fairly enforced. He also stressed that the integration of technology into the legal system enhances efficiency, transparency and public trust.
Justice Sen also outlined the fundamental principles of the rule of law—supremacy of law, equality before law and the predominance of legal spirit—while discussing how technology can strengthen these foundations through digital management systems, e-governance, online legal services and AI-assisted research tools.
He, however, cautioned against challenges such as privacy concerns, ethical use of AI, misinformation through mass and social media, lack of empathy in judicial processes, affordability issues and inadequate infrastructure.
On the other hand, Director of the National Judicial Academy, Justice Aniruddha Bose, underscored the importance of advancing the rule of law alongside technological progress to prevent what he termed as a potential “digital apartheid”.
He noted that India has made significant strides in democratising access to technology across social and economic strata.
Justice Bose also reflected on the transformative impact of technology in the Judiciary—from the shift to computers and the acceptance of electronic evidence to live streaming of court proceedings.
He then highlighted India’s pioneering role in forensic innovation, recalling the establishment of the first fingerprint bureau in Kolkata. “While technology has enhanced judicial efficiency, it also poses new challenges in verifying digital evidence, as manipulated content can be difficult to detect,” Justice Bose remarked.
He further noted that artificial intelligence, while capable of assisting judicial work, must be approached with caution and deep understanding.
It may be mentioned that the first day of the conference featured sessions on ‘Bridging the Digital Divide: Rule of e-Services’, ‘Electronic and Digital Media: Role of Courts’ and ‘Effective Use of Technology in Alternate Dispute Resolution’.
The event was also attended by Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew, Justice W Diengdoh, Justice Biswadeep Bhattacharjee and several other dignitaries from the judiciary.
