India Justice Report 2025: Fewer Than 1,000 Women Hold Senior Police Roles

By: WE staff | Wednesday, 16 April 2025

• The 2025 India Justice Report (IJR) exposes less than 1,000 women are at senior positions in the Indian police force out of 20.3 lakh personnel
• No State or Union Territory has achieved its own women's reservation quotas in the police
• The report points out a major gender gap in law enforcement leadership

The 2025 India Justice Report (IJR), published on April 15, points out that of 20.3 lakh police personnel across the country, less than 1,000 women hold top positions. The report further finds that none of the States or Union Territories has achieved its own reservation goals for women within the police force.

The IJR, published on April 15 and led by Tata Trusts with civil society partners, is the nation's sole ranking of States on justice delivery in four pillars of importance — Police, Judiciary, Prisons, and Legal Aid. It reported that out of 20.3 lakh police officers, less than 1,000 women are in senior ranks, and none of the States or Union Territories has attained its own quota of women in the police force. Only one State, Karnataka, has attained gender quotas both in the police and judiciary.

Bihar has the largest percentage of women in its police force, but 71 percent of its district court cases are pending for more than three years. Tamil Nadu led in prison administration because of higher funding and utilization of the full budget, but its position in policing and legal aid declined dramatically because of low training and inadequate volunteer support.

Uttar Pradesh has the most overcrowded prisons and over half its High Court judge positions are vacant, while Gujarat has the highest vacancies in both judges and staff. Nationally, 17 percent of police stations lack CCTV, and nearly 30 percent don’t have women help desks. Delhi’s prisons are 91 percent filled with under-trials.

Per capita expenditure in the four pillars of justice is still low ₹6 on legal aid, ₹57 on prisons, ₹182 on the judiciary, and ₹1,275 on police — the maximum. Andhra Pradesh takes the lead in prisoner expenditure at ₹2.67 lakh per prisoner per year. Finally, India has only one civil police officer per 831 individuals, and Arunachal Pradesh's State Human Rights Commission still does not have a working website despite being established in 2023.