Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah seeks Supreme Court bench for South India

Bengaluru: Seeking greater accessibility to the apex court, chief minister Siddaramaiah Saturday sought a Supreme Court bench in South India.

Speaking at the 22nd biennial state-level conference of judicial officers, he said: "There is a strong and compelling need to improve accessibility to the highest court of the land. The establishment of an SC bench in South India would go a long way in ensuring justice."



While calls for an SC bench in one of the South Indian states have been made several times (especially by the neighbouring Tamil Nadu) in the past decade, this is the first time a Karnataka CM has raised the issue. Siddaramaiah pointed to the pendency of cases and said: "It is a serious concern that affects timely delivery of justice. While technology can provide tools to address this, it must be complemented by systemic reforms through strengthening infrastructure, increasing judicial capacity, and modernising court processes."

He also highlighted the challenges associated with artificial intelligence in judiciary. While pointing out that AI might help in faster case disposal through rapid legal research and improved management systems, he also shared concerns over its independence. "Algorithmic bias can undermine the guarantee of equality before the law. Opaque systems may weaken the doctrine of reasoned decisions, which lies at the heart of our judicial process," he said, emphasising that there is a need to preserve judicial independence.

Time for introspection

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who addressed the same gathering later, reiterated Siddaramaiah's concerns, stating that the time to pause and introspect has arrived for Indian Judiciary. "The challenges we confront and the possibilities we explore are shared across the judicial landscape of the country," he said.

Praising Karnataka for its institutional dynamism and openness to innovation, he said the state could emerge as a guiding force for technological adaptations: "What emerges from these deliberations has the potential to inform and shape judicial practices across the country."

He also warned judicial officers in the state to be attentive to the realities that shape the disputes before them. "It is this combination of legal understanding, human sensitivity, and institutional discipline that defines the true character of judicial functioning... An over-reliance on AI tools risks reducing this nuanced exercise (judgment) into a mechanical output, thereby diluting the depth, independence, and integrity of judicial reasoning," he said.
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