Supreme Court Angry After Judge Used Fake Judgments Generated By AI

The Supreme Court of India has warned it may take disciplinary action against a lower court judge after discovering that a ruling relied on fabricated legal precedents generated by artificial intelligence.

The case stems from an August 2025 property dispute in Andhra Pradesh, where a junior civil judge dismissed objections raised by a defendant. In delivering the judgment, the court cited four earlier rulings that were later found not to exist.

The defendant appealed to the state’s high court, arguing that the authorities referenced in the ruling were fictitious. While the high court acknowledged that the cited cases were not real, it upheld the decision, stating that the trial court had applied the correct legal principles despite the incorrect citations.

In its order, the high court said that reliance on non-existent rulings would not automatically invalidate a judgment if the reasoning and application of the law were sound.

When asked to explain the citations, the junior judge said the references were generated using AI tools and were believed to be genuine at the time. The judge stated there was no intention to mislead the court.

The matter was subsequently taken to the Supreme Court, which ordered a stay on the enforcement of the property ruling. The apex court described the use of AI-generated material in the judgment as a serious lapse in judicial decision-making and indicated it may amount to misconduct.

The Supreme Court also directed that the case be reviewed in detail and issued notices to the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, and the Bar Council of India for further input.