Tech threatens independent legal thought: Justice Bindal at KK Luthra memorial

Supreme Court Judge Rajesh Bindal warns that technology should aid, not replace, independent thinking, citing concerns over attention spans and misinformation.

Technology must remain a tool and not replace independent thinking, Supreme Court judge Rajesh Bindal said on Friday, expressing concern that excessive reliance on digital platforms has reduced attention spans among law students and encouraged blind dependence on readily available information.

SC judge Rajesh Bindal during the lecture.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 22nd KK Luthra Memorial Moot Court Competition organised by the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, justice Bindal acknowledged the advantages technology has brought to the legal system, including virtual courts, e-filing and access to online judgment repositories. However, he warned that these benefits come with significant drawbacks.

Referring to the information boom driven by the internet and social media, he said the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new challenges, including the citation of fake case laws in court proceedings. In such an environment, he observed, there is a growing tendency to depend blindly on easily accessible material without subjecting it to careful scrutiny.

“Technology should serve as a tool, not a substitute for independent thinking and thorough reading,” justice Bindal said. “If thinking has to be there, it cannot be possible if your attention is not there. And one of the challenges of excessive use of technology is attention deficit disorder (ADD).”

He also highlighted concerns judges increasingly face regarding the right to be forgotten. With greater transparency and digitisation of court records, requests are frequently received seeking removal or masking of judgments from online platforms. “We regularly get emails asking why my judgments are being published or uploaded,” he said.

Justice Bindal noted that the issue becomes more sensitive in matrimonial disputes and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, where parties’ names remain permanently linked to court records. To address this, courts have begun masking the identities of parties before uploading judgments online. “Now even the accused are using masked names,” he added.

The KK Luthra Moot Court Competition has been held annually since 2005 in memory of senior advocate KK Luthra. Organised by the Campus Law Centre and the Nirmal Luthra Foundation, led by his children – senior advocates Siddharth Luthra and Geeta Luthra – the event this year features 72 teams representing 138 institutions from India and abroad.

This year’s issue for the Moot Court focuses on criminal liability arising from interference with life-supporting medical technology and the evolving legal questions surrounding AI-enabled medical devices and emergency decision-making.