The Bombay Catholic Sabha and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) City Core Group on Monday organised a discussion on the state of women in the justice system of the country.
Maja Daruwala, chief editor of India Justice Report and senior adviser to the CHRI, delivered the keynote address showcasing statistics from the India Justice Report 2022.
Discussion on Women in Indian Justice System
The state of Maharashtra will take 12 years to reach the mark of 33% women in the police force, Daruwala said at a discussion on Women in Indian Justice System. The discussion shed light on the figures for women working at different positions in the justice system.
The India Justice Report ranks states’ structural capacity to deliver justice by using official statistics and data received from the government. The discussion, which was held at the Loyola Hall of St Peter’s Church in Bandra (West), saw participation from within the community as well as outside.
Details of the report
Daruwala talked about the current ratio of women in the police force, which is only 11.7%, instead of the national target of 33%.
The report also mentioned that 11.8% women in the police force work at the position of constable and only 8% work as officers. The state of women in prison staff is similar – only 13.8%. Female representation in the subordinate courts ranges to 35.1% but it falls to 13.1% in the high courts.
According to the recruitment data from the 2022 report, it is estimated that India will take 24 years to reach the target of 33% women in the police force.
"Bihar managed to recruit 25% women in police"
“Although Bihar is seen as a less developed state, it has managed to recruit 25% women in the police. Maharashtra will take another 12 years to reach that target. But we cannot be grateful for 33% until we see equal women representation in the force,” Daruwala said.
Daruwala also stressed on the importance of justice and legal literacy. “Just like we think of food and clothing, we want justice to be seen as an essential commodity. Along with justice comes the rule of law, liberty and human rights. Everyone knows about their right to vote but they should also know about legal literacy,” she said.
