CJI: Need to prepare for increased litigation on crypto, artificial intelligence in the future

NEW DELHI: Underlining that litigation in the coming years will be on issues such as cryptocurrency, data protection, encryption and artificial intelligence, Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana asked lawyers on Saturday to familiarise themselves with new technology.

Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day judicial conference on Mediation and Information Technology in Gujarat, the CJI also said the country’s alternate dispute resolution (ADR) model has the potential to transform India’s legal landscape.

“All those engaged in justice dispensation mechanism, judges, lawyers, law enforcement agencies, and others, now need to have a thorough understanding of new technologies,” he said. “The rapid development of technology has resulted in increased complexity even within the legal and regulatory landscape of the country. For instance, technological developments such as cryptocurrency, data protection, encryption, and artificial intelligence have caused courts and law enforcement agencies to engage with novel issues. With the passage of time, there is a possibility of increased litigation on these issues,” he added.

The event was presided over and inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Kovind, while highlighting the twin issues of mediation and information communication technology (ICT) in furthering the cause of access to justice, said: “Among many objectives of the switch to ICT, the topmost has to be the improvement of access to justice. What we are aiming at is not change for the sake of change, but change for the sake of a better world.”

On mediation, Kovind, who was a lawyer, said: “In mediation, everyone is a winner,” as he said that “If any pending litigation is settled by mediation, the entire court fees deposited by the litigant party are refunded.”

During his address, CJI Ramana also spoke of dispute resolution. “Since alternate dispute resolution (ADR) is designed around a participatory model, its adoption is going to break the existing barrier. From being an ‘outsider’ to the process, citizens with their direct involvement will become ‘insiders’,” he said.

Technological advancements are doing away with constraints to parties, he said.

CJI NV Ramana