‘Lawyers must resist urge to blindly follow AI’: SC judge at moot court event

Speaking at the event, hosted by the Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi in association with the Nirmal Luthra Foundation, she also urged law students to read judgments on their own, identify the law, and arrive at independent conclusions without technological shortcuts.

New Delhi: “Natural human intelligence is always better to rely on than artificial intelligence,” Supreme Court judge BV Nagarathna said at the KK Luthra Memorial Moot Court Competition on Sunday, urging law students to resist the temptation of “blindly” depending on AI tools.

Justice Nagarathna, who was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony at the event (HT)

Speaking at the event, hosted by the Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi in association with the Nirmal Luthra Foundation, she also urged law students to read judgments on their own, identify the law, and arrive at independent conclusions without technological shortcuts.

Justice Nagarathna reminded students that classroom learnings alone cannot prepare them for the profession. Moot courts refine research, articulation and advocacy skills, she said.

She cautioned that courts increasingly see fake or unverified citations generated through AI; therefore, lawyers and students must verify every reference from authentic repositories.

“To independently peruse a judgment and cull out what it carries will hold one in good stead,” Justice Nagarathna said, adding that students must think through a case from both sides and focus sharply on their client’s perspective.

Instituted in 2005 in memory of late senior advocate KK Luthra, the competition marked its 22nd year, and received participation from 138 institutions from across the world. The event organisers shortlisted 72 teams, including participants from the United Kingdom, Mauritius, South Africa, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Justice Nagarathna, who was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony of the moot court event, advised all students of law to build their careers on “integrity, independent thinking and a deep sense of duty to the court, the client and society.”

Justices Anup Bhambani, MP Singh Arora, and Sanjeev Narula of the Delhi High Court were also present at the event and presided over the final rounds.

The moot problem required students to examine “criminal liability arising from interference with life-supporting medical technology” and to engage with emerging legal questions around “AI-enabled medical devices” and emergency decision-making.

She also spoke about criminal law and said that it was the “fulcrum” where the State may legitimately deprive a person of life and liberty. A criminal lawyer, she said, must combine legal ingenuity with fairness, compassion and integrity.

“It is a duty and an act of service” to defend even those whom society may readily condemn, the Supreme Court judge said, adding that everyone deserves adequate defence before conviction.

Justice Nagarathna also encouraged young lawyers to take up legal aid work, uphold the integrity of the judicial system and refuse unethical shortcuts. Addressing the many all-women teams in the competition, she welcomed the growing presence of women in litigation and that women at the Bar must receive the same dignity and respect as their male counterparts.