The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) has opposed a draft regulation requiring lawyers to disclose every use of AI tools in preparing court pleadings. The draft, released by the Supreme Court's AI Committee in 2026, mandates advocates to certify the AI-assisted nature of documents filed in court. SCAORA called this requirement unworkable and unjustified, citing existing professional codes that already hold advocates accountable for their filings, according to medianama.com.
SCAORA's opposition focuses on Regulation 43(3) and (4) of the draft, which demands formal certification of AI assistance in any document. The lawyers' body argues that advocates are officers of the court bound by the Advocates Act, 1961, and Supreme Court Rules, 2013, which make them personally responsible for the accuracy of their submissions. They contend that mandatory AI disclosure could prejudice parties or judicial officers and is impractical given the routine use of software in legal work. Instead, SCAORA suggests amending the existing Special Leave Petition (SLP) certificate to include a targeted certification about legal citations and precedents, per medianama.com.
This pushback highlights tensions in regulating AI use within the legal profession, where transparency must be balanced against practicality. The draft AI regulations aim to ensure accountability in courts as AI tools become common in legal research and document preparation. Comparable regulatory efforts globally have also grappled with how to integrate AI disclosures without overburdening practitioners. SCAORA’s stance underscores the challenge of crafting rules that respect professional responsibility while avoiding excessive procedural hurdles, according to medianama.com.
The Supreme Court's AI Committee is currently reviewing feedback from stakeholders, including SCAORA. The final version of the AI regulations for courts is expected to be published later this year, setting the framework for AI use and disclosure in legal proceedings across India, medianama.com reports.