Diversity on the bench: Police, judiciary lack caste, gender multiplicity

Four of the five South Indian states, with the exception of Kerala, were ranked at the top in diversity in the justice system, according to the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022, released on April 4.

The report tracks states’ progress on justice delivery mechanisms — the judiciary, police, prisons, and legal aid.

According to the third edition of the report, among large- and medium-sized states with a population of 10 million or more, Tamil Nadu was ranked the best in diversity, climbing six spots from the previous assessment in 2020.

The diversity ranking assessed various indicators, such as the share of women across the four pillars of the justice system, and Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) representation in the police and judiciary.

Overall too, in terms of justice delivery, four southern states — Karnataka (1), Tamil Nadu (2), Telangana (3), and Andhra Pradesh (5) — were at the top, with Gujarat ranking fourth.

The report finds that “...improvements in one indicator, such as filling a vacancy or building more diversity into a system, have a positive ripple effect on other indicators and cumulatively affect overall rankings”.

While there have been improvements in the indicators of different pillars, in terms of diversity, particularly caste or gender, “everywhere there is a shortfall in inclusion and the pace of repair remains glacial”, said the report.

Two excuses are usually put forward for not bringing caste and gender diversity into institutions, said Maja Daruwala, editor and convener, IJR.

“One, there are not enough people coming forward or meriting inclusion,” she said. “(And second, that) there are not enough facilities in the institution to accommodate the presence of diversities like, say, disabilities as well,” she added.