Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh has secured the third position among small states in the India Justice Report (IJR) 2025, marking steady progress in the state’s efforts to strengthen justice delivery.
The report assesses state capacities across four key pillars — police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid — and is the only national index based entirely on official government data.
The fourth edition of the report, released in April 2025, evaluates seven small states (with populations under one crore) and 18 large and mid-sized states, ranking them based on their structural and functional capacities. With an overall score of 4.21 out of 10, Arunachal trails Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, which clinched the top two spots in the small state category.
Published by Tata Trusts in collaboration with DAKSH, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, and TISS-Prayas, the IJR is grounded in official data sources and measures 68 indicators across the justice system.
Progress and Positives
Arunachal Pradesh showed measurable improvements in 24 indicators between IJR 2022 and IJR 2025. Gains were recorded in human resource strength, gender representation, and technological innovations in justice delivery.
In the police sector, the state improved women’s representation and outreach to marginalized groups. The judiciary saw enhancements in staffing and case clearance rates at the district level, alongside a modest rise in the inclusion of Scheduled Tribes and women in subordinate courts.
On prison reforms, Arunachal has avoided the severe overcrowding observed in other regions. It also scored better on metrics related to custodial health and infrastructure. The state’s legal aid services expanded through increased deployment of paralegal volunteers and panel lawyers, reflecting a stronger institutional commitment.
Persistent Challenges
Despite these advances, the report flags continuing deficits in diversity, infrastructure, and access, particularly in remote tribal belts. Arunachal has yet to meet the benchmark of 33% women representation in the police — a target unmet by any Indian state. Inclusion of persons with disabilities in the justice system remains negligible, despite the 4% reservation mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
Judicial vacancies and procedural inefficiencies continue to burden subordinate courts, and while backlogs have reduced, systemic reform is still needed. Legal aid clinics in far-flung districts remain under-equipped, hindering access to timely and affordable justice.
The prison system, though relatively less overcrowded, lacks adequate medical personnel and rehabilitation programs, reflecting a custodial rather than reformative approach.
Way Forward
Experts behind the report stressed that infrastructure gaps, manpower shortages, and insufficient investment in training and digital infrastructure continue to undermine justice delivery in northeastern states, including Arunachal.
While the state has made significant strides in gender inclusion and operational efficiency, political will, budgetary prioritization, and performance-linked planning will be crucial to building a more inclusive and robust justice system.
The India Justice Report 2025 underscores that despite its third-place ranking among small states, Arunachal’s justice system still faces foundational challenges that demand sustained reform and strategic investment.
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