Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jun 8: Goa has emerged as the “worst” performer in justice delivery among all Indian States, according to the India Justice Report (IJR) 2025. The report evaluates States on police, prisons, judiciary, and legal aid through a ten-point scoring system.

The coastal State scored a composite 3.51 out of 10, ranking lowest among small States and all Indian States. Goa’s position slipped on the police front from 6th to 7th among small States, while it held the 7th spot on prisons and judiciary and 2nd on legal aid compared to the 2022 report.

Goa scored 3.89 for police, 2.62 for prisons, 3.03 for judiciary, and 4.41 for legal aid. Despite poor overall performance, the State showed improvements in 29 out of 68 indicators over the last report. However, a five-year trend analysis also ranks Goa at the bottom with a composite score of 2.89.

Women’s representation remains low in Goa’s justice system. Women comprise only 10.8% of police personnel and 16.3% of officers. In prisons, just 1.2% of the workforce are women. Legal aid services have over 50% women representation, while High Court women judges stand at 16.2%, and 70% at subordinate courts.

Goa, with a population of about 15 million, currently has only 27 judges—far below the recommended 50 judges per million citizens, with 1 judge at the High Court and 26 at district and subordinate courts.

Among other States, Karnataka topped mid-sized States, while Sikkim was the best performer among smaller States.

The India Justice Report is a joint effort by Bengaluru-based DAKSH, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Common Cause, Centre for Social Justice, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, and TISS-Prayas.