Technology Delayed is Technology Denied – Should India’s Legal System Embrace Technology For Faster Justice?

This is a Guest Post by Mr. Himanshu Gupta, Founder and CEO, of Lawyered – a legal tech startup

Technology has become a necessity in driving the country’s economy. No sector has been left to embrace technological advancements and achieve an augmented growth. Similarly, the legal sector has witnessed a significant impact due to the rise in the adoption of technology. Though there has been a slow penetration of digitization in the industry, digital work processes and portals have been introduced to make it easier for the legal community to function.

Technology has become a necessity in driving the country’s economy. No sector has been left to embrace technological advancements and achieve an augmented growth. Similarly, the legal sector has witnessed a significant impact due to the rise in the adoption of technology. Though there has been a slow penetration of digitization in the industry, digital work processes and portals have been introduced to make it easier for the legal community to function.

The legal industry has always been associated with carrying out cumbersome tasks with conventional methods of documentation and managing proceedings. This is where technology comes into the picture. It aims to increase efficiency and makes it easier for law professionals to carry out their work processes effectively. Undeniably, technology is changing the legal practice at an exceptional rate and playing a subtle role in bringing a positive change in the industry. It is changing the legal landscape in India and leaving a positive impact on the masses. Ergo, delay/denial of technology will also cause an unnecessary delay in the justice system which is far from ideal. This makes the integration of technology important for the advancement of the rule of law. 

Law practice vs clients

The adoption of technology in the legal industry is projected to have a vibrant future. In India, a whopping 2.81 crore cases are pending in district courts as per a report in 2018. However, the integration of artificial intelligence and other new technologies is known fo advancing the legal practice. The background of the courts requires extensive use of technology to keep pace with the burgeoning number of piling litigations. Furthermore, there are many legal companies and law firms that are leveraging technology to provide an array of online legal services. On the other hand, the courts are also exploring technology-driven solutions such as e-data, and search engines to improve efficiency and reduce the efforts to administer and adjudicate. 

As a result the relationship between law professionals and clients has been improved. It has become easy for law firms to understand the pain points of the clients and focus on meeting their expectations. Considering the uncertainties induced by the pandemic, there has been a paradigm shift from manual recording systems to electronic management. Furthermore, the widespread utilization of the internet in video conferencing, evidence analysis, and legal research on different scenarios has advanced the legal practices. 

Technology in Indian Courts

In this fast-moving world, there is an exceptional need of infusing technology in the Indian judicial system. Computerization of applications has already been initiated in the Supreme Court and in the High Courts in the 1990s. This minimizes the wastage of time of the advocates spent in lengthy queues, detects errors, expedites rectification, calculation of court fees, etc. 

On the other hand, the listing of business information systems (LOBIS) eliminates human interference in cause list generation and revamps the ages-old systems while accelerating overall processes. Furthermore, technological advancement in the Indian judiciary helps litigants to get their queries answered online and get an update on their pending cases. In this regard, an interactive voice response system (IVRS) is used by litigants and advocates to know the status of their cases. 

Apart from advancing the rule of law, technology plays a crucial role in improving the productivity and efficiency of legal professionals and their clients. By taking a majority of tasks online, it promotes a paperless environment. The process of filing FIRs, witness and criminal examination, and recording of evidence can be completed online. Through video conferencing, all stakeholders in the industry can save their travel, time, and costs and get through with speedy disposal of cases. It also helps the judges analyze and determine the cases with online accessibility of precedents and legal propositions.

 The dynamic technological advancement in the legal industry accelerates the legal practices resulting in speedy disposal of cases. Moreover, digitization of legal processes expedites client consultations and legal analyses. Besides this, technology has revolutionized the way law is practiced. It is no more only a classroom learning but also a practical and courtroom exercise.