Calcutta High Court Distributes 'Dragon Legal Speech Recognition Software' To Judicial Officers of WB & Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Calcutta High Court has announced the distribution of Dragon Legal Speech Recognition Software to judicial officers of West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 

The 'cutting-edge' software, enabled by artificial intelligence, aims to assist judicial officers in fulfilling their day-to-day roles even in the absence of support staff such as stenographers, by converting their spoken word into accurate written text. 

The High Court has hailed this move as a facilitator in the way legal professionals engage in their work and an enabler to help judicial officers break free from traditional methods of discharging their duties.

This move ensures that the High Court at Calcutta remains a beacon of justice efficiency, and adaptability, it was said. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam shared his insights while using the software on a trial basis, and of the assistance it may provide judicial officers.

"There is a problem of lack of stenographers in the districts, as well as the High Court, and therefore the computer committee thought fit to provide this software along with compatible headphones which will help you in dictating judgements, I have found it to be very user friendly, adapting to the diction of Indian-English speech. It was very useful, and the government has approved a sum of more than Rs 4 crores to procure 920 software and headsets. This will enable the discharge of functions more efficiently and be less dependent on the support staff. Confidentiality will be preserved, you can carry it anywhere, do the dictation at your leisure," he said.

Further addresses were delivered by Justice Debangshu Basak, Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya. 

Notably, this move comes only weeks after the High Court announced the distribution of 1,000 laptops to judicial officers of the state and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.