Punjab and Haryana HC Uses ChatGPT in Bail Plea Hearing, Rejects Petition Filed by Accused

The Punjab Haryana High Court on Tuesday became the first court in India to have used ChatGPT technology (artificial intelligence) to decide on the bail plea of an accused and it rejected the petition.

The bench led by Anoop Chitkara sought the response of ChatGPT while hearing the bail application of an accused arrested in June 2020 for alleged rioting, criminal intimidation, murder, and criminal conspiracy.

Justice Chitkara assessed the reply received from ChatGPT and rejected the bail plea of the accused on the basis of his experiences and decisions given earlier.

The judge said that "To inflict death is cruel in itself, but if cruelty leads to death, then the situation changes. When a physical assault is committed in a brutal manner, the parameters of bail also change".

The court, also made it clear that "Any reference to ChatGPT and any observation made, is only intended to present a broader picture on bail jurisprudence, where cruelty is a factor".

Responding to the use of ChatGPT by the court, a High Court lawyer Saurav said, "It is a good step, it can have both positive and negative effects, which will be decided in the future. He also said that artificial intelligence cannot be a threat to the jobs of lawyers, it can only be used as a tool".

Nishadh Ahuja, who has been practising in the HC for the last three years, while reacting to the judgment in the High Court using ChatGPT, said that in the initial stages, the use of ChatGPT may not be a threat to us, and can be used as a tool to make our work easier in the future.

Chiryanshu, another lawyer who has been practising in the Punjab Haryana High Court for the last five years, said that the use of ChatGPT is still in the early stages.

"Because ChatGPT and artificial intelligence are in their early stages, it is too early to say that this could threaten a lawyer's job. Giving examples, he said that when computers were in the initial stages, people thought that computers would take away their jobs, but if seen today, all the work in the IT sector is done with computers and it is creating employment for many people," he said.