'Powerful tool to cut judicial pendency': Shashi Tharoor hails Singapore's AI-powered platform
Government data released in March 2025 put the number of pending cases across different courts and tribunals at more than five crore.
- Sep 16, 2025,
- Updated Sep 16, 2025 12:53 PM IST
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday described Singapore's AI-powered legal research platform Lawnet as a "game-changer" and urged India's legal system to explore similar tools to tackle mounting delays in justice delivery.
"Singapore's AI-powered legal research platform, #Lawnet, is a game-changer. Its Gen AI features allow legal professionals to conduct research more efficiently by asking questions in natural language and getting instant, sourced answers from case law and legislation," Tharoor wrote on X.
He linked the idea to India's own challenges, stressing the urgency of innovation. "With over 5 crore cases pending, India's legal system is in urgent need of innovation. The Indian government, judiciary, and legal community must explore the possibility of a similar AI-driven platform. This could be a powerful tool to significantly reduce judicial pendency and the inordinate delays that plague our justice system,” he added.
Government data released in March 2025 put the number of pending cases across different courts and tribunals at more than five crore. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Lok Sabha that government litigation "may not be considered a major contributor" to the backlog, despite the Union of India being party to more than 7.26 lakh cases.
Meghwal said in a written reply that a "final decision" on a National Litigation Policy had “not yet been made.” The policy is intended to reduce pendency and ease the burden on courts. He also noted that the Union government had created the Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS), a web-based platform used by 53 ministries and departments to monitor cases.
The data on the LIMBS portal shows the Union of India is currently party to 7,26,901 cases across courts.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday described Singapore's AI-powered legal research platform Lawnet as a "game-changer" and urged India's legal system to explore similar tools to tackle mounting delays in justice delivery.
"Singapore's AI-powered legal research platform, #Lawnet, is a game-changer. Its Gen AI features allow legal professionals to conduct research more efficiently by asking questions in natural language and getting instant, sourced answers from case law and legislation," Tharoor wrote on X.
He linked the idea to India's own challenges, stressing the urgency of innovation. "With over 5 crore cases pending, India's legal system is in urgent need of innovation. The Indian government, judiciary, and legal community must explore the possibility of a similar AI-driven platform. This could be a powerful tool to significantly reduce judicial pendency and the inordinate delays that plague our justice system,” he added.
Government data released in March 2025 put the number of pending cases across different courts and tribunals at more than five crore. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Lok Sabha that government litigation "may not be considered a major contributor" to the backlog, despite the Union of India being party to more than 7.26 lakh cases.
Meghwal said in a written reply that a "final decision" on a National Litigation Policy had “not yet been made.” The policy is intended to reduce pendency and ease the burden on courts. He also noted that the Union government had created the Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS), a web-based platform used by 53 ministries and departments to monitor cases.
The data on the LIMBS portal shows the Union of India is currently party to 7,26,901 cases across courts.