Former Chief Justice of India Justice D.Y Chandrachud has said lawyers today must not only interpret statutes but also understand how AI systems arrive at their recommendations.
He said this while inaugurating PALETTE (Professional Advancement in Law through Executive Training & Technical Education), the country’s first AI-powered Legal Innovation Centre recently, the former CJI , at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
Launched by BITS Law School, in collaboration with PanScience Innovations, PALETTE aims to integrate AI and emerging technologies into judicial processes, legal education, and legal practice.
In his speech, Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, who was the guest of honour, said PALETTE will be a “laboratory for justice”. He said this is a significant step toward training a new generation of legal professionals proficient in AI and ethical reasoning.
He said PALETTE is not merely a platform for tech innovation but a thoughtful experiment toward redefining the justice system.
Venkataramani said if law schools must become R&D laboratories, they must do so going beyond serving mere training, commerce, or conventional time and cost-hungry systems.
He wondered over the limitations of the current adversarial judicial system, comparing it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, suggesting it is fast collapsing under its own weight. The AG said he envisioned a collaborative legal structure involving legal technologists, data scientists, and human rights experts working together in the future.
PanScience Innovations founder-chairman Dr Anshul Pandey put the minds of the attendees at ease by first saying that AI is not here to replace human judgment but to augment it. Through PALETTE, he said, they aim to make justice faster, smarter and more accessible.
BITS Law School Dean Prof (Dr) Ashish Bharadwaj said, “Legacy firms, boutique practices, and in-house corporate legal teams are emerging as early adopters of AI in a deeply protocol-driven system. With High Court judges managing 5,000–15,000 cases and an average clearing time of five years, the shift to legal-tech is both timely and necessary.”
What Can PALETTE Do?
The centre will provide hands-on training and AI tools to lawyers, judges, judicial staff, and law students.
The training modules will include:
AI-powered legal research
Case classification
Document review
Courtroom automation
It will aim to serve as a national and international thought hub and host global experts, conferences, and collaborative research initiatives focused on AI regulation, ethical frameworks, and legal innovation. Strategic collaborations with legal-tech firms and regulatory bodies will ensure PALETTE aligns with global best practices and emerging global challenges.
A live demonstration of Nyaay AI tools, developed by PanScience Innovations, was a highlight at the inauguration.
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