Recently, Tata Trusts released the India Justice Report 2025 in collaboration with other organisations, underscoring how delays, overcrowding, and lack of accountability have made justice inaccessible for millions of citizens.
About the India Justice Report (IJR)
(a) It is the nation’s periodic assessment that assesses the capacity of India’s justice system across four key pillars – police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid.
(b) It numbers states according to their performance in these areas, using parameters like human resources, infrastructure, budgets, workload, and diversity.
Key Highlights from the India Justice Report 2025
(i) Judicial Backlog and Vacancies: Pending cases have crossed the mark of five crore, with high courts and district courts struggling with vacant places of 33% and 21%, respectively.
(a) 15 judges per 10 lakh population; Law Commission (1987) suggested 50 judges per 10 lakh population.
(b) Judges in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala have tremendous workloads, more than 4,000 cases per judge.
(ii) Policing and Rural Neglect: The police-to-population ratio hinges at 155 personnel per 100,000 people, less than the sanctioned strength of 197.
(iii) Prison Overcrowding: Most of the prisons running at more than 200% occupancy rates between 2020 and 2022, with Uttar Pradesh alone having 17 or 18 such prisons, worsening conditions for inmates.
(iv) Legal Aid Accessibility: Per capita spending on legal aid remains low at less than 7rs restricting access for marginalized communities.
(v) Diversity and Representation: Karnataka is the only state having SC, ST, and OBC quotas in both the police and judiciary. With the current pace, Jharkhand will take more than 200 years to reach the 33% target of women personnel in the police.
State Level Findings
(i) Large States (population above 10 million): Karnataka took the top position, and Andhra reached second. Telangana, eleventh earlier, has retained its third position.
(ii) Chhattisgarh records the highest rise in police training spend and 100% case clearance rates at the High Court and district levels. Every police station has a women’s help desk.
(iii) Small States (population up to 10 million): Sikkim again got 1st rank among small states. Moreover, it is the only state to meet the 33% women judges benchmark in High Courts.
Download the Mobile App of Target Defence Academy
How to Prepare for SSB Interview 2025: Top Tips to Develop OLQs
NDA Foundation Course After 10th | Best NDA Coaching in India after 10th
Indus Water Treaty: History, Water Distribution & Current Situation
Implications for the Common Citizen
(a) Fear of taking help from law enforcement due to inefficiencies and bias.
(b) Lack of trust in the judiciary, as it takes too long to resolve cases.
(c) Generalisation of custodial violence, with negligible accountability for human rights violations.
Key Recommendations Made in Report
(i) Fill Vacancies & Reduce Backlog: Speed up the appointment of judges to address vacancies in high courts and district courts. Implement measures to resolve the issue of pending cases, and also leverage technology-driven solutions like e-courts.
(ii) Improve Police-to-Population Ratio & Enhance Rural Policing: To address the reduction in rural police stations, to enable equitable law enforcement.
(iii) Reduce Overcrowding & Focus on Undertrials: Utmost priority is to expand prison infrastructure. Also, give emphasis on alternatives to incarceration, like community service and bail reforms.
(iv) Increase Funding: Increase per capita expenditure on legal aid, currently at ₹6.46, to ameliorate accessibility for marginalized communities.
(v) Strengthen Paralegal Networks: Rebuild and rejuvenate the paralegal volunteer base, which has decreased by more than 35% since 2019.
(vi) Diversity and Representation: Ensure representation of SC, ST, OBC, and women in police, judiciary, and legal aid systems.
(vii) Technology and Innovation: Leverage the benefits of the integration of forensic science and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to strengthen efficiency.
(viii) Adopt E-Governance: Utilise digital tools comprehensively for case management and public access to justice services.
Conclusion
The India Justice Report 2025 exposes critical flaws in India’s justice system. Also, it emphasizes the urgent need for judicial reforms, police restructuring, and improved legal aid accessibility. Without systemic changes, justice will remain elusive for the common citizen.