About
What is IJR?
The formal justice system is an essential public resource to be used by all to resolve conflict, adjudicate disputes and remedy wrongs. The justice system is intended to be a universal public good on which the public can rely on entirely. In India, the performance and shortcomings of judiciary police prisons and legal aid – four major pillars of the justice delivery system - are often complained about but rarely has their collective capacity to deliver justice been objectively assessed.
The India Justice Report is a first of its kind national periodic reporting that brings together, hitherto siloed information, to measure the capacity of four pillars of the justice system - the police, the prison system, the judiciary and legal aid—in each state, against its own declared standards or benchmarks.
Through the filters of human resources, infrastructure, workload and diversity it assesses the capacity of 4 pillars of the justice system to deliver to their mandate. Importantly, by comparing data over a five-year period, the IJR assesses efforts governments make year on year to improve the administration of justice. This ‘trend’ analysis helps discern each state’s intention to improve the delivery of justice and match it with the needs on the ground.
Vision
The Justice Report provides a consolidated data set which officials and policymakers can use to understand what the sub-systems of the justice system in their state looks like, where its weaknesses are, so that they can begin to address and repair these frailties to improve the overall delivery of justice in that state. It is also meant as a baseline for researchers to build on in their own endeavours when analysing the justice system. It is also intended to serve as a replicable template, for the use of civil society and media, especially local journalists, for more localised initiatives emanating from civil society in states prompting a more educated public engagement with justice system reform. We also hope that there would be copy-cat reports that come from states themselves, looking at local conditions.
In bringing together previously siloed data, the India Justice Report reveals some areas that require urgent intervention from policymakers. It presents an analysis of essential preconditions for ensuring duty holders have the resources to perform the tasks required in any sub-system and provides policy makers with an easy but comprehensive tool.
The report hopes to leverage evidence-backed strategy to encourage states to achieve low-hanging fruits.
It scores and ranks states against their own declared benchmarks to create a matrix for competitiveness.
Funders
IJR’s work is made possible by the generous contributions of our patrons:
- Ravi Venkatesan
- Lal Family Foundation
- Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
- Tree of Life Foundation
- Tata Trusts
- Cyrus Guzder
- J.T. Pathak Trust
- Frappe Technologies
The Team
Maja Daruwala, Chief Editor - A barrister from Lincoln's Inn, she has been engaged in numerous human rights initiatives and concentrates on issues relating to civil liberties. Ms. Daruwala’s interests lie particularly in the area of systemic reforms.
Valay Singh, Lead - A published author, Mr. Singh regularly writes for Indian and international publications. He has been engaged with the India Justice Report since its inception in 2018.
Nayanika Singhal, Senior Research Associate – Ms. Singhal has an MA in Criminology and Justice from TISS, Mumbai, and is a lawyer by training. She has researched on the criminal justice system in various capacities and has been associated with the IJR since 2019.
Dr. Arshi Showkat, Data Analyst – Dr. Showkat holds a Ph.D. from Jamia Millia Islamia, where her research focused on women's access to justice in Kashmir. Prior to joining IJR, she worked with various non-profit organizations and local media outlets in Kashmir. Her interests include reading, designing, gardening, and and gushing over her cat’s antics.
Sarab Lamba, Researcher – A law graduate from ILS Pune, Ms. Lamba has been working in the research sector, particularly in the area of gender and human rights.
Saumya Srivastava, Researcher – Ms. Srivastava is a legal researcher who has worked at the intersections of gender, criminal justice and sexual and reproductive health and rights. She holds a B.A. LL.B (Hons.) from Symbiosis Law School, Pune.
Nidha Parveen, Researcher – Ms. Parveen holds a master's in Criminology and Justice from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She was Research Assistant to Maja Daruwala and currently engaged with India Justice Report as Researcher.
Bharat Singh, Communications Consultant – Mr. Singh has over 15 years of experience in national media, spanning both digital and print journalism. Since 2023, he has been working with the India Justice Report, managing its outreach and supporting dissemination in Hindi. He holds a PG Diploma in Hindi Journalism from IIMC, New Delhi.