Karnataka tops India Justice Report 2025, but struggles with prisons, legal aid, gender equality
Bengaluru: Karnataka has emerged as the top performer among 18 large and mid-sized states (with a population of over one crore each) in India, according to the India Justice Report 2025 (IJR), a key national ranking assessing the delivery of justice across the country.
The report, cited on Wednesday by The New Indian Express, revealed that Karnataka continues to maintain its strong position from the previous edition of the report, securing the top spot in the overall ranking for justice delivery.
The IJR evaluates states based on their performance in four key areas: police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid. Karnataka stands out for its effective implementation of reservation quotas for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in both the police and judiciary sectors. The state has also set a benchmark with a mere 1.2 percent vacancy rate at the officer level within the police force, the lowest among all large states. Additionally, Karnataka boasts the highest number of paralegal volunteers in the country.
Karnataka is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. But, despite being a top ranking state, the report highlighted significant areas of concern, particularly in prisons, legal aid, and women’s representation within the police force.
The IJR 2025 raised alarm over the state’s prison system, particularly the high number of undertrial prisoners (UTPs). According to the report, 80 percent of inmates in Karnataka’s prisons are under trial, the highest figure recorded since 2015. This increase in UTPs reflects broader systemic issues, including limited access to legal aid at the grassroots level, especially in villages.
Furthermore, Karnataka’s progress in integrating women into the police force remains far from ideal. The state has set an ambitious target to raise the percentage of women in police roles to 25 percent, but the reality falls short. According to the IJR 2025, women constitute only 9 percent of the total police force, with a mere 6 percent representation at the officer level.
Commenting on the findings, Justice Madan B. Lokur (Retd.), former judge of the Supreme Court, emphasised that the barriers to accessing justice begin at the very first point of contact with the system. “With our failure to properly equip and train frontline justice providers — police stations, legal aid actors including paralegal volunteers and district courts — we fracture public trust,” TNIE report quoted him as saying.
“The strength of our entire justice framework rests on these critical first points of contact. The burden continues to remain on the individual seeking justice, and not the state to provide it,” he added.
Maja Daruwala, Chief Editor of the India Justice Report, called for urgent reforms to ensure that justice is not just a constitutional ideal but an everyday reality for all citizens. “As India moves forward into a hundred years of being a democratic, rule-of-law nation, the promise of rule of law and equal rights will remain hollow unless underwritten by a reformed justice system,” Daruwala said, noting that reform is not optional but urgent.
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Where is Priyanka Gandhi? Her voter lynched in Mangaluru, still no response
A voter from Wayanad, the very constituency that elected Priyanka Gandhi to the Lok Sabha with a record margin of over four lakh votes, has been brutally murdered in Mangaluru. Yet, there has been no statement, no visit, and no visible intervention from the newly elected Member of Parliament.
Ashraf, a mentally ill man from Wayanad, was reportedly lynched by a mob of Hindutva activists on the outskirts of Mangaluru. Eyewitness accounts suggest that he was chased and beaten mercilessly, despite some locals pleading with the attackers to stop. However, the police allegedly attempted to suppress the nature of the crime, initially dismissing it as a case of drunkenness or an accident. Bruises on Ashraf’s body were ignored, and for two days, the case was handled with silence and negligence.
It was only due to consistent media reporting and the voices of political and social leaders that the truth began to emerge. It is now widely believed that around 30 individuals were involved in the brutal assault on Ashraf. The attempt to hush up the murder has drawn serious questions about the functioning and intention of the police.
Adding to the controversy, Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar claimed that the attack happened because Ashraf allegedly shouted “Pakistan Zindabad.” This statement has further derailed the investigation, critics say. It has triggered outrage across Karnataka, with many asking how the Home Minister had access to information about such a slogan but did not know the basic fact that Ashraf was mentally unwell.
Even more disturbing is the silence of other senior leaders. The District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's reference to Ashraf as someone from a “different community” has also sparked public anger. Citizens are asking how a Muslim man from Wayanad can be referred to as a non-Muslim. The statement has only added to the confusion and suspicion around the case.
Now, Ashraf’s family has taken his body back to Wayanad. And the questions remain unanswered: Will Priyanka Gandhi visit Ashraf’s home? Will she express solidarity with his grieving family? Will she demand that the Karnataka government take strict action against the killers?
The voters of Wayanad are watching. Will Priyanka Gandhi call Karnataka’s Home Minister and question him about his controversial statement? A statement that mirrored the claims made by the very people accused in the case? Since when did statements made by the accused become the basis of public messaging in a murder case?
Will the Wayanad MP hold the Congress government in Karnataka accountable for failing to act promptly? Will she ask why neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister has spoken on the matter?
The Congress came to power in Karnataka promising justice, equality, and safety for all communities. Karnataka’s Muslim voters, especially, placed their faith in the Congress by turning away not just from the BJP but also from the JDS. What are they being given in return?
At a time when Priyanka Gandhi should have been standing with her constituents and in Parliament against the Waqf Amendment Bill, she was reportedly abroad during the passing of the Waqf Amendment Bill. Many now wonder if this absence is a convenient escape from politically sensitive issues.
If she is back, it is time for her to act. The family of Ashraf, a man from her own constituency, deserves justice. Every single accused in this lynching case—from those who carried out the violence to those who orchestrated it—must face the maximum punishment under the law.
If not, it will not just be Ashraf’s family, but the entire electorate of Wayanad that will be left questioning: why did Priyanka Gandhi contest from their constituency where the party ticket was to be given to a Muslim party worker?
