The Chief Justice directed judges to ensure that subordinate judicial officers strictly follow the ban.
Punjab and Haryana High Court Prohibits ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot for Judicial Officers
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has instructed all judicial officers not to use artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Meta for drafting judgments or conducting legal research. The directive was issued on Monday by the Registrar-General and circulated to all district and sessions judges in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.
The Chief Justice directed judges to ensure that subordinate judicial officers strictly follow the ban. The notice emphasized that any violation would be taken seriously.
The order specifically prohibits the use of AI tools in preparing judgments, performing legal research, or drafting court orders. Judicial officers are expected to rely solely on traditional legal methods when handling cases.
This move follows a similar policy by the Gujarat High Court, which had earlier restricted AI use in decision-making, drafting orders, considering bail or sentencing matters, or any other significant judicial processes.
According to the Gujarat High Court’s policy, AI tools may only be used to improve the efficiency and quality of judicial workflow, but they cannot replace human reasoning in legal decisions.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s instructions reinforce the emphasis on maintaining human oversight in judicial decision-making while allowing technology to support administrative tasks.
