In what could become one of the biggest administrative changes inside the Supreme Court in recent years, software powered by Artificial Intelligence is set to take over case listing and bench allocation in the top court, a move that would sharply reduce human intervention in the process.
The decision, according to highly placed sources cited by Bar & Bench, has been taken by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant at a time when the court’s administrative machinery is facing close internal scrutiny.
The shift is significant because the power to assign matters to benches has so far rested with the Chief Justice of India as the master of roster, a role that has often drawn intense attention and debate.
The proposed reform follows an internal examination that reportedly exposed two deeper problems within the registry. One was the long stay of some officials in the same positions, which sources said had created entrenched control. The other was ageing technology systems that allegedly allowed administrative gaps to persist, including irregular and improper allocation of cases.
That review has already led to an unusual round of interdepartmental transfers in the Supreme Court registry, with more changes likely before the month ends. Sources said the reshuffle is aimed at breaking long-held administrative patterns and addressing inefficiency within the system.
What triggered the Supreme Court’s administrative overhaul
The immediate trigger for the proposed changes was a lapse noticed during the hearing of a petition filed by Irfan Solanki. The matter came up before a bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi, where the petitioner had challenged the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, arguing that it was repugnant to Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
During the hearing, the State of Uttar Pradesh pointed out that a closely similar challenge had already been dealt with earlier in Md Anas Chaudhary v State of Uttar Pradesh. That petition had been dismissed on December 12, 2022, by a three-judge bench comprising former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice PS Narasimha, with liberty to the petitioner to pursue remedies before the competent forum.
Even so, a similar plea had again appeared before a different bench, raising questions over how such a listing had taken place despite the earlier order.
CJI Kant is learnt to have taken a serious view of the development. Although Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam sought permission to withdraw the petition, the Chief Justice reportedly directed that the matter would remain pending and be carried forward to its logical end. He had also indicated that a wider administrative inquiry would follow.