#judicial ethics

The Supreme Court quashed a Rs 425 crore Section 114 Customs Act penalty after finding the order relied on AI-generated citations that were non-existent or mis-quoted. It imposed a zero-tolerance rule for unverified AI material, rendering such decisions void and urging verification by customs officials and litigants.

The Jharkhand High Court has ruled that state entities cannot file review petitions solely to repudiate statements made by their own counsel in court, calling it a gross abuse of process. It imposed Rs. 50,000 personal costs on officials, reinforcing that judicial admissions bind the state and cannot be retreated from through procedural manipulation. This sets a critical precedent for accountability in public litigation and deters tactical litigation gamesmanship by government bodies.