National legal academy needed for AI and cyber challenges, says CJI Surya Kant
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant called for a national-level legal academy to train lawyers to handle fast-rising challenges from artificial intelligence and cybercrime. He spoke at the Bar Council of India's National Conference and Symposium on Mediation at the India International University of Legal Education and Research in South Goa.
"We are entering an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a powerful tool for helping the legal platform, but technology is also leading us to different kinds of crimes," he said. He added that some cybercrimes are "completely unheard of."
Warning that cybercriminals are innovating new modes of crime, the CJI said the challenges before the legal system will grow in scale and seriousness. He asked a blunt question to the Bar: "Are you professionally equipped to face such a kind of challenge?"
The CJI proposed a national-level legal academy on the lines of the National Judicial Academy, with periodical training that goes beyond short capsules. He suggested multi-month, in-house programs taught by domain experts, backed by structured modules and practical evaluation.
He urged the Bar Council to plan and establish a professional course or a dedicated institute. Such training, he said, would help Indian lawyers compete with peers from other jurisdictions handling international disputes.
What a national legal academy should deliver
- Digital evidence and procedure: Electronic records, Section 65B certification, seizure and chain of custody, authenticity and admissibility, and courtroom presentation of technical material.
- Cybercrime typologies: Online fraud, ransomware, deepfakes, identity theft, crypto-linked offences, social engineering patterns, and platform-level takedown or preservation processes.
- Technology for practitioners: How AI tools work at a high level, error modes and bias, secure use in research and document review, validation protocols, and audit trails.
- Forensics and incident response: Working with cyber police, CERT-like teams, forensic labs, drafting effective complaints, preservation requests, and interim relief strategies.
- Cross-border issues: Jurisdiction, data access pathways (MLATs, letters rogatory), service of process, data retention realities, and platform policies.
- Ethics and risk: Confidentiality while using AI tools, privilege, client consent, accuracy controls, and disclosures in court and to clients.
- Practice workflows: E-discovery, contract analysis, due diligence with AI assist, quality checks, and courtroom communication of technical facts.
- ODR and mediation: Online mediation for cyber disputes, enforceability, and secure conduct of proceedings.
- Assessment and CPD: Simulations, moot hearings with forensic experts, incident playbooks, and credit-based certifications mapped to CPD requirements.
Immediate steps for Bar Councils, associations, and firms
- Introduce a CPD mandate with annual hours dedicated to AI and cyber matters.
- Partner with academic bodies and public agencies for faculty and labs; formalize liaisons with cyber cells and forensic units.
- Create a vetted expert roster covering forensics, data protection, platform compliance, and investigation procedures.
- Establish secure "sandboxes" to test AI tools; adopt procurement and data-handling policies; require client consent where needed.
- Standardize templates: preservation letters to platforms, electronic evidence hold notices, 65B certificates, and checklists for urgent relief.
- Train courtroom skills: examining forensic witnesses, explaining algorithms in plain language, and challenging unreliable tech evidence.
Why this matters
Without structured training, counsel will struggle with digital evidence, data access, and AI-driven disputes. With it, firms can move faster on cyber incidents, advise on AI risk, and compete in cross-border matters with confidence.
Useful references
Explore the Bar Council of India for professional updates and the National Judicial Academy for judicial training models that can inform Bar-focused programs.
If you're mapping your firm's AI upskilling path, see curated options here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.
Key message from the CJI
Short workshops will not be enough. The Bar needs sustained, expert-led training - delivered through a national legal academy - to meet the next wave of AI and cybercrime cases head-on.
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