The report highlights structural inefficiencies across four pillars of the justice system, that may worsen inequalities in access to justice 

Key Structural Issues Highlighted 

• Police
  • Understaffed: There is 23% vacancy in the police force and over 50% vacancy among the forensic staff across the country.
  • Suboptimal Women Representation: Nationally, there are only 8% women officers in senior positions and no states/UTs meet their reserved quotas for women in the police.
    • The national benchmark is 33% as advised by the central government in 2009.
• Judiciary
  • Low Judge-to-Population Ratio: There are 15 judges per 10 lakh population against the desired 50 judges per 10 lakh population (recommended by the 1987 Law Commission of India).
  • Lack of Diversity: 
    • Women: They constitute 38% of judges in the lower judiciary and only 14% in high courts.
    • Other Vulnerable Sections:  Only Karnataka meets SC, ST, and OBC quotas in the judiciary. 
• Prisons
  • Understaffed: 30% of the prison staff positions were vacant nationally. 
  • Overcrowded: Prison occupancy has risen to 131% with the share of undertrials at 76%.
• Legal Aid: 
  • Declining Volunteer Participation: Number of Para Legal Volunteers has decreasedby 38%. 

To strengthen India's justice system, there is a need for tangible incentives. For example, states should be rewarded for demonstrating improvements in judicial vacancies, police training, or prison rehabilitation programs for long-term sustainability across the country.