Prez Murmu’s concerns about criminal justice system are spot-on

Speaking at the Constitution Day celebrations organised by the Supreme Court on November 26, President Droupadi Murmu spoke at length about how the criminal justice system has failed the poorest of the poor. “President Murmu struck an emotional chord with the judges and lawyers regarding the plight faced by prisoners whose trial takes years to be decided while they remain incarcerated for years without being aware of their fundamental rights...,” Hindustan Times reported. The President also spoke about how the poor do not seek recourse to justice because of lack of financial capacity.

An HT analysis of prison statistics for 2021 released earlier this year suggests that the President’s comments about how the criminal justice system is biased against the poor and underprivileged are backed by data. Here are four charts that details this argument.