‘AI-driven’ Tribunal Order Sparks Bias Fears; Karnataka HC Notes Case Shifted to New ITAT Bench

The Karnataka High Court (HC) has disposed of a writ petition filed by Buckeye Trust after the income tax appellate tribunal (ITAT) president reassigned its case to a different bench, following concerns that an earlier tribunal order appeared to have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI). The development comes amid growing debate over the use of AI in judicial and quasi-judicial processes. In an order last month, the bench of justice M Nagaprasanna noted that once the ITAT president had transferred the matter to another bench, the writ petition filed to defer proceedings had become infructuous. The court, however, granted liberty to Buckeye Trust to seek remedies before appropriate forums should an adverse order be passed in the future. The unusual case arose when B