Justice Reform Priorities

The key reforms that could make India's justice system faster and fairer, and a recap of the module.

Improving justice requires capacity, process and accountability reforms.

Priorities

Fill vacancies in police and courts.
Separate investigation from law and order.
Invest in forensics and training.
Reduce undertrial detention and money bail.
Expand mediation and Lok Adalats.
Improve legal aid and forensics.
Use technology for transparency.

Module recap

Justice supports property, contracts and trust.
India has far fewer police per person than benchmarks.
Police reform ordered in 2006 remains partial.
Many crimes go unregistered.
About 75 percent of prisoners are undertrials.
Money bail disadvantages the poor.
Lok Adalats settle crores of cases.
New criminal laws took effect in July 2024.
Weak forensics hold back convictions.
e-Courts improve transparency.
Commercial courts and the IBC aim to speed enforcement.

The faster district

A district fills judge vacancies, holds regular Lok Adalats and reviews undertrial cases monthly. Its backlog and jail population fall within a few years.

Thinking justice reform is only about new laws

Capacity, processes and accountability matter just as much.

Key takeaways

Filling vacancies and investing in forensics are priorities.
Reducing undertrial detention improves fairness.
Mediation and technology improve efficiency.
Justice reform supports both rights and growth.