In Ishfaq Ahmed, the dispute of landlord and tenant was pending adjudication for a considerable length of time and hence the Supreme Court observed a considerable delay in these proceedings and discussed scope of AI in context of speedy justice.
Held: The Supreme Court underscored the urgent need for court and case management reforms in Pakistan’s overburdened judiciary and explored the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance efficiency—without undermining judicial discretion, empathy, and constitutional guarantees of fair trial. It also emphasized AI’s limitations in areas like ADR, which require irreplaceable human qualities.
Selected Passages:
“In Pakistan’s overburdened courts, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) presents a promising path to operational reform… AI must serve as a facilitative instrument to expand access to timely justice, provided its adoption remains grounded in principled constitutional limits
It must be unequivocally affirmed that AI is not, and must never become, a substitute for judicial decision-making… Adjudication is a constitutional function rooted in legal reasoning, institutional independence, and human empathy— qualities no automated system can replicate.
Human dignity and compassion must remain central… The rule of law must always prevail over the rule of data, with human judges retaining ultimate authority to interpret evolving legal and moral standards
C.P.L.A. No. 1010-L/2022