Police reforms, women representation look up, dip in prison, judiciary rankings
Plagued by cross-border smuggling and terrorism, besides the menace of gangsters, periodical targeted killings, grenade attacks and farmer protests, Punjab has shown mixed results in the latest India Justice Report (IJR) 2025, which evaluates the state’s justice delivery mechanisms across police, prisons, judiciary and legal aid.
The report ranks Punjab ninth among 18 large and mid-sized states, reflecting modest improvement in its overall performance but highlights persistent challenges in prisons and judiciary.
The report underscores Punjab’s efforts in diversity and infrastructure, such as the growing percentage of women in police (11.1%) and judiciary (51.9% in subordinate courts). However, systemic gaps like staff shortages and overcrowded prisons remain pressing concerns.
Punjab climbed to seventh rank in 2025 from 13th in 2022 in introducing police reforms. This was driven by enhanced budget utilisation (94%) and increased spending on modernisation.
The state’s prison system dropped to 15th rank, with critical issues like 100% correctional staff vacancies and overcrowding (116% occupancy). The jails are often talked as breeding ground for criminals who get access to mobile phones, drugs and the influential getting more facilties too.
Punjab’s judiciary rank fell from the third spot in 2022 to seventh in 2025, with high vacancy rates for judges and staff impacting efficiency.
Legal aid emerged as a bright spot, reclaiming second place from ninth in 2022, supported by efficient utilisation of NALSA funds (110.4%) and increased representation of women in panel lawyers (24.3%).
The per capita spending on the police in Punjab has increased significantly over the years. According to the India Justice Report 2025, Punjab’s spending per person on the police rose from ₹1,666 in 2019 to ₹2,604 in 2025. This reflects a consistent effort to allocate more resources to law enforcement and modernisation.
As for constable vacancies, the situation has worsened slightly. The vacancy rate for constables in Punjab increased from 6.8% in 2020 to 12.6% in both 2022 and 2025. This indicates a growing gap in filling these critical positions, which could impact the efficiency of the police force.
Initiated by Tata Trusts in 2019, the report is a collaborative effort involving civil society organisations and data partners, including DAKSH, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Common Cause, Centre for Social Justice, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, and TISS-Prayas.
Justice Madan B Lokur (retd), Chair of the UN Internal Justice Council, released the fourth edition of the report in 2025. The report tracks improvements and deficits in justice delivery across the police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid, using indicators like budgets, human resources, infrastructure, workload, and diversity. It aims to provide policymakers, civil society and stakeholders with actionable insights to reform the justice system.
Maja Daruwalla, Chief Editor of the India Justice Report, has been the driving force behind its creation and evolution. A renowned advocate for human rights and justice reform, Daruwalla emphasises the urgent need for a well-resourced and responsive justice system.
Punjab