Empowerment in true sense
Lot is being said about women’s empowerment and their involvement in top jobs in various organisations and even though many strides have been achieved on this front, but the data obtained from ground reflects a different situation.
If we discuss the country’s police force as an example it shows less than 1,000 women in senior positions like Director-Generals and Superintendents of Police, with 90 per cent of all women in policing serving in the constabulary.
The India Justice Report (IJR) 2025, initiated by Tata Trusts and supported by several civil society organisations and data partners, tracked the performance of states across four areas — Police, Judiciary, Prisons and Legal Aid.
According to the report, despite growing awareness about the need for gender diversity in law enforcement, not a single state or Union Territory has met its target for women’s representation in the police force.
The IJR 2025, released this week ranked Karnataka as the top-performing state among the 18 large and mid-sized states in terms of justice delivery, maintaining its position from 2022.
Notably, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu followed Karnataka, with the five southern states outperforming others due to better diversity, infrastructure and staffing across sectors.
The report also underscored gender disparities within the police hierarchy as out of 2.4 lakh women in police, only 960 are in the Indian Police Service (IPS) ranks, while 24,322 hold non-IPS officer positions such as Deputy Superintendent, Inspector, or Sub-Inspector. The authorised strength of the Indian Police Service (IPS) is 5,047 officers.
A staggering 2.17 lakh women serve in the constabulary. Madhya Pradesh tops the chart for the highest number of women Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs), with 133.
Around 78 per cent of police stations now have Women Help Desks, 86 per cent of prisons are equipped with video conferencing facilities and the per capita expenditure on legal aid has nearly doubled between 2019 and 2023, reaching Rs 6.46. The share of women in the district judiciary has also increased to 38 per cent in the same period.
The IJR also flags serious infrastructural and staffing deficiencies across the justice system. India has just 15 judges per million people, far below the Law Commission’s 1987 recommendation of 50.
High Courts are operating with 33 per cent vacancies and district courts with 21 per cent, leading to massive workloads — up to 15,000 cases per judge in High Courts like Allahabad and Madhya Pradesh. District court judges, on average, are handling 2,200 cases each.
Notably, women’s empowerment in the police force is crucial for promoting gender equality, improving policing, and enhancing community trust.
Their involvement in decisions in the police force can help improve community policing as women police officers can build trust and rapport with female victims of crime, leading to increased reporting and cooperation.
Besides, women bring unique perspectives and experiences to policing, enhancing problem-solving and decision-making. Women police officers can be effective in addressing crimes such as domestic violence, human trafficking and child abuse.
And more importantly, women in leadership positions can serve as role models and mentors, inspiring and supporting other women in the police force.
By empowering women in the police force, we can create a more inclusive, effective, and responsive law enforcement agency that better serves the needs of diverse communities.
