In India’s criminal justice system, due process has been turned into a sharp reflection of the social and economic schisms in the country. A grim picture of inequity, inertia, and institutional rot is revealed by the National Crime Records Bureau’s Prison Statistics India 2023 report released in September, alongside updated information on the Undertrial Review Committee published in April, and the India Justice Report 2025.

As of December 31, 2023, which was the cut-off date for the report, more than 5.3 lakh people were imprisoned in Indian jails. The NCRB has indicated a slight decrease in the share of undertrials (434,302 in 2022 to 389,910 in 2023). Two new prisons were built in India, which added capacity by an insignificant 0.7% (436,266 in 2022 to 439,119 in 2023), and chronic over

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