In a first-of-its-kind move, the Kerala High Court has issued directions making it mandatory for all district courts in the state to adopt Adalat AI, an artificial intelligence-based speech-to-text transcription tool, for recording witness statements and evidence. The new system will be enforced across all trial courts from November 1, 2025.
According to an official memorandum dated September 27, the initiative seeks to reduce delays in recording evidence and modernise deposition procedures in line with earlier circulars of the High Court. The phased rollout of Adalat AI began on February 1, 2025, with its pilot implementation in select courts in Ernakulam, and will now be extended statewide.
The memorandum highlights that until now, depositions were either handwritten by presiding officers or dictated to typists, often leading to adjournments and delays due to limited staff. The new AI-enabled system is expected to streamline the process and eliminate backlogs by producing accurate, real-time transcripts. A screen will also be provided in the witness box to allow witnesses to review their statements before signing, after which the documents will be uploaded to the cloud for immediate access by registered advocates.
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Kerala becomes the first state in India to mandate such an AI-driven tool across all trial courts. Adalat AI, developed with a specialised legal speech model in Malayalam, has been tested for nine months across nine states. The project has been supported by the Government of India’s IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, and was designed in close collaboration with judges, court staff, and stenographers.
Experts describe this initiative as a landmark step in judicial reforms, setting a precedent for leveraging artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, accuracy, and transparency in the justice delivery system.
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