Justice in Action: A Year in Review
India Justice Report: 2024 Wrapped
We turned 5: Lessons and Learnings
The India Justice Report Collective completed 5 years since the launch of the first index in November 2019.
The India Justice Report, first started under the aegis of the Tata Trusts, aims to democratise knowledge about the capacity of the justice system to provide the services it is mandated to. All too often we think that the justice system is far removed from our lives, and is of relevance only to those persons who are in direct contact with it: the inmate under trial who is 'legally innocent' but remains behind bars for extended periods of time, the overworked judge in a district court, or a constable on duty. This is far from the truth. The branches of the justice system twist and turn into all aspects of our everyday lives.
Over the past 5 years, we expanded our horizons, deepened our knowledge base and reinforced our commitment to advocating for a transparent, efficient, and accessible justice system across India.
Through challenges and strong headwinds, we have continued sailing on course. Despite the challenges and less encouraging trends, we remain committed to mapping data, pin-pointing solutions, and engaging with policymakers and duty-holders to work towards their Constitutional mandate of Free, Fair and Equitable Justice for All.
Our partners, supporters, champions, and donors–each a lighthouse in this journey–have given us the resources, provided crucial insights and access to other like-minded individuals and institutions both in the government and civil society. We remain grateful to all those who stand by us.
Accessibility: Our effort is to collate, analyse and most of all to simplify data to show how the justice system works. The team is committed to ensuring all have access to data about justice. For this, the report and state factsheets have been translated into over 8 languages including Hindi, Marathi and Tamil to foster greater understanding and engagement across linguistic barriers. All sourced raw data is also publicly available to download and use on our website: www.indiajusticereport.org
Transparency: To promote everybody’s right to information, the report continues to use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to obtain data which is meant to be in the public domain. Since 2019, for three reports and satellite studies, the team has filed over 2,000 RTI applications.
Accountability: As part of its theory of change, the team continues to engage with stakeholders deeply involved and invested in the justice system. This also includes policy-engagement to promote accountability in data collection and verification with a number of institutional actors at the National-level such as the Department of Justice (Ministry of Law and Justice), the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) among others.
A Snapshot of 5 Years: Tracking the Justice Pulse
Five years is a blip in the timeline of the justice system. The critical gaps that have afflicted the system for far too long tell stories of state intention, political-economic compulsions, and social conditions. Yet, since 2019, the Collective has seen noticeable trends in the justice landscape of the country, which may suggest things to come.
And now for something a little different…
We continue to dig deeper and gather insights into the improvements or decline in justice capacities across states and Union Territories (UT). This will culminate in the launch of the fourth edition of the India Justice Report in early 2025.
For the team, 2024 was about strengthening and deepening engagements with different organisations, expanding the scope of study to unexplored areas of justice delivery to be released over the coming years, and growing the team to incorporate new expertise and knowledge.
To build IJR 4, we collaborated with new partners, enhanced consultations with stakeholders, and engaged with subject-matter experts, ensuring that this upcoming report remains truly reflective of the nuances and complexities of justice delivery systems. Further, with 370 RTIs filed this year—covering Legal Aid, Juvenile Justice, State Human Rights Commissions (SHRC), and Consumer Rights—our commitment to transparency and evidence-based insights remains stronger than ever.
2024 for IJR: A Year of Collaboration, Growth, and Deeper Insights for Justice Delivery
This year we hosted and participated in diverse platforms, including conferences, colloquiums, webinars, and academic presentations, each with the objective to contribute to meaningful dialogues on justice reform.
Advancing Justice Through Data:
Data for Justice: A Colloquium on Criminal Justice in India
In collaboration with the National Law University, Delhi (NLUD), through the S.K. Malik Chair on Access to Justice, we organised a two-day national conference on 7th–8th September 2024, at the Constitution Club of India.
The event featured discussions on topics such as the value of data in criminal justice, methods of data collection, challenges in accessing official criminal justice data, and the future role of big data in reform strategies. Some of our esteemed panellists were Justice (Retd.) S. Muralidhar, Mr. Mahesh Vyas, Prof. Ashwini Deshpande, Prof. Karthik Muralidharan, and Mr. Mohan Gopal.
A short highlight reel of the event may be found here.
Colloquium on Prison Systems
IJR collaborated with the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) to organise a colloquium on 5th October, 2024 at the ACJ Campus, Chennai. The panellists included Justice Mukta J Gupta, former Judge of the High Court of Delhi, Justice S. Muralidhar, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of India, and former Chief Justice, High Court of Orissa. They deliberated on the impact of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the path to prison reforms.
Unlocking Insights, Inspiring Change: Data & Prisons
IJR in collaboration with IndiaSpend hosted this webinar on 19th March 2024. The webinar was a panel discussion with Dr. S. Muralidhar, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of India, and former Chief Justice, High Court of Orissa, Dr. Meeran Borwankar, IPS (Retd.) Former Director General, Bureau of Research & Development and Dr. Vijay Raghavan, Professor, Criminology and Justice, School of Social Work, TISS Mumbai. The discussion was moderated by our Editor In-chief, Maja Daruwala.
The IJR team was invited to develop a replicable template for Vision 2047 for Andhra Pradesh by NITI Aayog in furtherance to the government’s Vision India@2047 Mission. IJR along with its partner organisation Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy were asked to identify primary thrust areas and key interventions for improvement in the states.
The team was invited by the Department of Justice to discuss the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for allocations for judicial infrastructure.
IJR Chief Editor was invited to interact with interns at the National Human Rights Commission where she shared her insights on the justice system, giving the interns a practical perspective on data.
The IJR team presented findings of the India Justice Report at Christ University
IJR Lead participated at the Centre for Social Justice’s report launch at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy organised the Crime and Punishment Summit in July 2024 where the India Justice Report was also showcased.
In collaboration with Common Cause we were invited by Shiv Nadar University (deemed to be) to educate students on Rule of Law in India.
We expanded our efforts to bring the realities of India’s justice system to the forefront through various dissemination channels. From social media and podcasts to articles and media mentions, our team strove to spark meaningful conversations and inspire action.
We also introduced new features including a tool to easily compare states on different indicators to our website!
This year, we ventured further into the world of podcasts to stay in tune with popular trends. Check out our episodes:
Prisons Are the Dumping Ground for All the Dysfunctions in the Justice System with Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
Unpacking the India Justice Report with DAKSH India
We continued to make headlines and ignite important conversations this year!
Finally, we welcomed new members on board!
As we wrap up this year, we once again extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners, supporters, and readers who have been part of our journey. Together, we've made meaningful strides toward justice and equity.
Here's to continuing the momentum in the year ahead!
Wishing you a prosperous and impactful new year!
-India Justice Report Team
Website- indiajusticereport.org
X- @IJRranking
