India Supreme Court Warns Lawyers Against AI-Generated Petitions

The Supreme Court of India expressed grave concern on February 17, 2026, regarding an alarming trend of lawyers using generative artificial intelligence to draft legal petitions. A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi, noted that the unverified use of AI has led to the submission of pleadings containing fictitious case laws and fabricated extracts from genuine judgments.

During a hearing for a public interest litigation filed by Roop Rekha Verma, Justice Nagarathna cited a non-existent case titled 'Mercy vs Mankind' and noted that attributing fake quotes to real judgments creates an additional burden for the judiciary. Justice Bagchi argued that legal drafting has suffered a setback, as special leave petitions often consist merely of quotations rather than original work.

Chief Justice Kant stated that the use of AI for drafting is absolutely uncalled for. The court emphasized that while technology can assist in research, the final responsibility for accuracy remains with the lawyers and judges. These warnings follow a December 2025 petition by Kartikeya Rawal regarding AI hallucinations and bias, and coincide with India hosting the AI Impact Summit-2026.