India Ranks 79th in World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2023

The World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2023 reveals that India ranks 79th out of 142 countries, reflecting a continuing decline in the rule of law globally. This year’s Index shows a decline in the rule of law in 59% of the countries surveyed, marking the sixth consecutive year of global declines since 2016. Notably, India has experienced a drop in several key areas, particularly in the Fundamental Rights factor, where its score fell from 0.50 in 2022 to 0.49 in 2023. This decline is attributed to ongoing issues such as corruption, judicial inefficiency, and government overreach.

Global and Regional Context

Globally, Denmark holds the top position in the WJP Index, while Venezuela ranks lowest. In South Asia, India is third behind Nepal (71st) and Sri Lanka (77th). The overall trend shows that the judicial and civil systems in India continue to struggle, with rising corruption impacting their effectiveness.

Key Findings

Fundamental Rights: India ranked 99th globally for Fundamental Rights, illustrating significant challenges in protecting citizens’ rights.

Corruption: With a rank of 96th, corruption remains a critical issue, with judicial accountability and transparency lacking.

Civil Justice: Although India showed improvement in its Civil Justice score, it still ranked 111th, indicating ongoing delays and enforcement issues.

Judicial Challenges

The report highlights persistent issues within the Indian judiciary, including low productivity among judges and inadequate mechanisms to handle corruption allegations. This aligns with findings from the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, which underscores a correlation between low rule of law scores and pervasive corruption. Despite the Indian judiciary’s efforts, these systemic challenges hinder effective governance and justice delivery.