The Aporia · AI takes on the paperwork clogging India’s court system

AI takes on the paperwork clogging India’s court system

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Schiffer, Z. (2026, October 28). AI takes on the paperwork clogging India’s court system. Semafor. https://www.semafor.com/article/10/26/2026/ai-takes-on-the-paperwork-clogging-indias-court-system

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Quick Summary

India’s court system faces a severe backlog of paperwork and documents, delaying justice significantly; in 2024, nearly three-quarters of people in prison awaited trial without conviction. Adalat AI, a nonprofit organization, develops speech-recognition software tailored to India’s legal system to streamline case management and document handling. The company has deployed its tools in over 6,000 courtrooms across 11 states, resulting in faster processing times and increased judicial productivity. A randomized evaluation by J-PAL research center is assessing the impact of these technologies on judicial efficiency.

Written by AI on 2026-10-31, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Adalat AI, a nonprofit founded by Utkarsh Saxena, is deploying speech-recognition software and case management tools across 11 states in India to streamline court proceedings. The technology aims to reduce paperwork bottlenecks that have led to nearly three-quarters of people in Indian prisons being held without conviction as they await trial processing. According to internal studies, Adalat's tools have been implemented in over 6,000 courtrooms, resulting in significant improvements in the number of witnesses heard and legal orders issued. The software allows judges to dictate testimony directly into a digital system, which is then reviewed by both parties before being submitted as an official record. While the technology does not automate judicial decision-making, it aims to free up more time for judges to focus on critical aspects of cases.

Written for “AI in Indian Court System” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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No political leaning scored for article 111499 · logged 2026-10-31

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Uncertain

0 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

60/100

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articles that frame the event the way this one does

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Semafor · 1393 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected

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2026-10-16

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Who wrote this

Zoë Schiffer

1 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 The test will be whether faster paperwork leads to shorter cases.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · AI takes on the paperwork clogging India’s court system

The only article under this byline in the corpus.

Topics

Adalat Adalat AI India J-PAL Kerala

Subjects

India GPE · 3× Adalat ORG · 2× Adalat AI ORG · 2× J-PAL ORG · 1× Kerala GPE · 1× Saxena PERSON · 1× Singapore GPE · 1× Suresh Babu PERSON · 1× Utkarsh Saxena PERSON · 1×

Narrative

In internal studies, Adalat has seen major improvements in the number of witnesses heard and orders issued at courts that use its tools, which have reached more than 6,000 courtrooms across 11 states.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-31

🔮 The test will be whether faster paperwork leads to shorter cases.

2026-10-31 · Semafor

AI takes on the paperwork clogging India’s court system · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 0 hedged)

India’s courts are drowning in documents — and even recording witness testimony can create a bottleneck. asserted

recording → drown → bottleneck

“It’s writing, writing, writing, all day,” says Kerala judge Suresh Babu in the annual report of nonprofit Adalat AI. asserted

Babu → write → AI

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. asserted

they → matter → processing

Adalat AI builds speech-recognition software trained on India’s legal system, alongside AI tools to manage cases and court documents. asserted

AI → build → cases

Co-founder and CEO Utkarsh Saxena calls his team the “plumbers of the court system”, the ones who fix and unclog the pipes. asserted

who → call → pipes

For example, when a witness answers a question, the judge can now dictate what should be recorded by Adalat. asserted

what → answer → Adalat

Then, both parties check the text on screen before moving on. asserted

parties → check → screen

Those transcripts are then submitted as the court’s official record of the testimony. asserted

transcripts → submit → testimony

“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. asserted

Saxena → automate → things

The test will be whether faster paperwork leads to shorter cases. asserted

paperwork → lead → cases

which → see → states

Some jurisdictions now mandate the use of Adalat AI technology for recording witness testimony. asserted

jurisdictions → mandate → testimony

A similar push is happening in Singapore, where courts introduced AI-powered transcription tools in December 2023. asserted

courts → happen → December