India Justice Report 2025: A System Failing the Common Citizen

Syllabus: GS2/ Structure, Organization and Functioning of Executive and Judiciary

Context

• Recently, India Justice Report (IJR) 2025 was released by Tata Trusts in collaboration with other organisations, underscores how delays, overcrowding, and lack of accountability have made justice inaccessible for millions of citizens.

About the India Justice Report (IJR)

• It is a national periodic assessment that evaluates the capacity of India’s justice system across four key pillars—police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid. 
• It ranks states based on their performance in these areas, using metrics such as human resources, infrastructure, budgets, workload, and diversity.

Key Highlights from the India Justice Report 2025

• Judicial Backlog and Vacancies: Pending cases have exceeded five crore, with high courts and district courts facing vacancy rates of 33% and 21%, respectively.
  • 15 judges per 10 lakh population; Law Commission (1987) suggested 50 judges per 10 lakh population.
  • Judges in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala have workloads exceeding 4,000 cases per judge.

• Policing and Rural Neglect: The police-to-population ratio stands at 155 personnel per 100,000 people, below the sanctioned strength of 197.
  • Rural police stations have declined, affecting law enforcement accessibility.
  • 83% of police stations have at least one CCTV camera, but Jharkhand has below 50% coverage.
  • Women in police forces are largely concentrated in constabulary roles, limiting leadership representation.

• Prison Overcrowding: Several prisons operate at over 250% occupancy rates between 2020 and 2022, with Uttar Pradesh alone having 18 such prisons, worsening conditions for inmates.
  • 76% of prisoners are undertrials, with Delhi exceeding 90%.

• Legal Aid Accessibility: Per capita spending on legal aid remains low at ₹6.46, limiting access for marginalized communities.
  • The number of paralegal volunteers has dropped by 38% since 2019.
• Diversity and Representation: Karnataka is the only state to meet SC, ST, and OBC quotas in both the police and judiciary.
  • At the current pace, Jharkhand will take 206 years to achieve 33% women personnel in police, while Andhra Pradesh will take just 3 years.

States-Level Findings

• Large States (population above 10 million): Karnataka once again takes top position and Andhra climbs to second from fifth.
  • Telangana, eleventh in 2019, has retained its third position.
• Chhattisgarh records the highest rise in police training spend and 100% case clearance rates at High Court and district levels.
  • Every police station has a women’s help desk.
• Small States (population up to 10 million): Sikkim retains its 1st rank among small states and is the only one to meet the 33% women judges benchmark in High Courts.
  • All small states register 1 in every 3 district court judges; Goa (70%) and Meghalaya (61%) lead.
  • All small states have 80%+ police stations with at least one CCTV.

Implications for the Common Citizen  

• Fear of approaching law enforcement due to inefficiencies and bias.
• Distrust in the judiciary, as cases take years to resolve.
• Normalization of custodial violence, with little accountability for human rights violations.

Key Recommendations Made in Report

• Fill Vacancies & Reduce Backlog: Expedite the appointment of judges to address vacancies in high courts and district courts.
  • Implement measures to tackle the five-crore pending cases, including the use of technology-driven solutions like e-courts.
• Improve Police-to-Population Ratio & Enhance Rural Policing: To address the decline in rural police stations to ensure equitable law enforcement.
• Reduce Overcrowding & Focus on Undertrials: Expand prison infrastructure and promote alternatives to incarceration, such as community service and bail reforms.
• Increase Funding: Raise per capita spending on legal aid, currently at ₹6.46, to improve accessibility for marginalized communities.
  • Strengthen Paralegal Networks: Rebuild the paralegal volunteer base, which has declined by 38% since 2019.
• Diversity and Representation: Ensure representation of SC, ST, OBC, and women in police, judiciary, and legal aid systems.
• Technology and Innovation: Integrate forensic science and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to improve efficiency.
• Adopt E-Governance: Expand the use of digital tools for case management and public access to justice services.

Conclusion

• The India Justice Report 2025 exposes critical flaws in India’s justice system, emphasizing the urgent need for judicial reforms, police restructuring, and improved legal aid accessibility. 
• Without systemic changes, justice will remain elusive for the common citizen.

Source: IE