SC flags misuse of AI by lawyers, warns against fake judgements
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New Delhi: While India hosts the world’s largest artificial intelligence conclave, the AI Impact Summit-2026, the Supreme Court on Tuesday raised concerns over a growing misuse of AI in legal filings.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant expressed alarm over lawyers increasingly submitting petitions drafted with AI tools that cite non-existent judgments, such as “Mercy vs Mankind.”
“We are alarmed to reflect that some lawyers have started using AI to draft petitions. It is absolutely uncalled for,” the bench, also comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi, said. The observations came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by academician Roop Rekha Verma seeking guidelines on political speeches.
Justice Nagarathna highlighted a recent instance where she encountered the fictitious citation “Mercy vs Mankind.” The Chief Justice referred to a similar case in Justice Dipankar Datta’s court, noting that “not one but a series of such judgments were cited.”
She further explained that while some of the judgments cited are real, lawyers often attribute fake quotes to them, making it difficult for judges to verify the contents. “It creates an additional burden on the judges,” she said.
Justice Bagchi added that the art of legal drafting is declining, with many special leave petitions largely consisting of lengthy quotations from prior judgments and little original articulation of legal grounds.
Meanwhile, the five-day AI summit opened to packed halls and long queues on Monday at Bharat Mandapam. Tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists gathered as India promoted wider access to AI and sought international agreements on global AI commons. Large billboards welcoming delegates dotted the city, and attendees queued well before the 9:30 a.m. opening, highlighting widespread public interest in the event.
With PTI inputs