Wed Apr 16 08:49:17 UTC 2025: ## Telangana Tops India in Police Performance, but Justice System Shows Imbalances: Report
**Hyderabad, April 16, 2025** – Telangana has secured the top spot in India for police performance, according to the India Justice Report 2025. However, the report reveals significant disparities within the state’s broader justice system, highlighting a need for more balanced development.
The report, in its fourth edition, evaluated 18 large and mid-sized states based on four pillars: police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid. Telangana’s strong law enforcement propelled it to third overall among these states, behind Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This marks a significant improvement from its 11th-place ranking in 2019.
Telangana’s policing success is attributed to infrastructure improvements, enhanced training, increased public access to services, and strong inclusion of marginalized communities. The state has exceeded reservation targets for Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the police force.
However, gender representation remains a significant concern. While progress has been made, the state is far from achieving the 33% benchmark for women in police forces, projected to take over 22 years at the current rate. The number of women sub-inspectors and constables per police station also falls significantly short of recommended figures.
The judiciary presents a mixed picture. While Telangana ranks second nationally for gender representation in the High Court, with over 30% of judges being women, a large backlog of cases remains a major issue. Over half of the pending cases in the High Court have been pending for more than five years. A severe shortage of forensic staff (91% vacancy) also hampers investigations and trials.
In prison management, Telangana ranks seventh, with an occupancy rate lower than many other states, but still indicating a stressed system. The report criticizes the low spending on inmate medical care and rehabilitation programs, with expenditure significantly lower than the national average.
Legal aid is Telangana’s weakest area, ranked tenth. Limited resources and outreach hinder access to legal support, particularly in rural areas.
The report concludes that Telangana’s success in policing needs to be complemented by improvements across the entire justice ecosystem to ensure a more equitable and effective system. The skewed focus on front-end policing, without proportional investment in other areas, needs to be addressed to achieve comprehensive justice reform.
First Piper 