Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s ranking in the India Justice Report (IJR) has improved over the last three years, but it will still take several years for the state to achieve one-third representation of women in its police force, The Times of India has reported.
According to IJR 1025, prepared by Tata Trusts, with support from civil society organisations and data partners, Odisha will require about 73 years to achieve one-third women representation in its police force. The findings indicated that Odisha currently has 11% women in police and 14.2% female officers in the force. The state announced a policy of 33% reservation for women in the police force in 1992.
IJR evaluates the performance of states across police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid sectors. Odisha’s overall ranking in all parameters has improved to 8th in IJR 2025 from 11th position in 2022.
According to TOI, the 2025 report shows that 22 states/UTs, including Odisha, have shown slight improvements in women’s representation compared to IJR 2022. Previously (IJR 2022), Odisha needed 428 years to reach one-third women representation, with 9.1% women in police and 11.1% female officers.
The report highlights that ‘Odisha and West Bengal lag significantly, with one police person serving 1,298 and 1,277 people, respectively’.
There are some positives though. Odisha leads nationally in e-mulaqat implementation in prisons. According to IJR 2025, the highest use of e-mulaqat was in Odisha (43%) followed by Himachal Pradesh (42%). E-mulaqat, introduced during the pandemic years, enhances digital communication between prisoners and their families and legal representatives.
Odisha also leads in prison inspections by authorities. “Prisons, as inherently closed institutions, are subjected to a variety of mechanisms of scrutiny — by the executive, judiciary, and medical establishments. Only Odisha recorded the highest 138% visits,” the report has stated.
