Rule Of Law Index: India Ranks 77 Out Of 140 Countries, Improves In Order & Security Parameter

An international civil society organisation, World Justice Project (WJP), released the Rule of Law Index 2022 on Wednesday (October 26). The report is a compilation of the 'rule of law' status across 140 countries worldwide.

According to the report, the rule of law has declined globally for the fifth consecutive year. While commenting on the report, the executive director of WJP, Elizabeth Andersen, said, "Authoritarian trends that predate the pandemic continue to erode the rule of law...Checks on executive power are weakening, and respect for human rights is falling," The Quint reported.

As mentioned in the report, India has been ranked 77 out of 140 countries with a score of 0.50 on the 'rule of law index'. Meanwhile, neighbouring countries like Bangladesh scored 0.39 in the 127th rank, Pakistan settled with a 0.39 score at the 129th rank, and China scored 0.47 in the 95th rank. Notably, Nepal has performed better than its neighbours, with a 0.52 score and 69th rank.

Know About 'Rule Of Law'

As per the definition given by WPJ, the rule of law is "a durable system of laws, institutions, norms and community commitment" that delivers several universal principles: accountability (government and private bodies), just law (the law which is clear and stable), open government (accessible), and impartial justice system.

The index is prepared by examining these four principles through eight factors- constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.

Analysing India's Performance

According to the official release, India's overall score of the 'rule of law' has decreased by less than 1 per cent in this year's survey, as it scored 0.50 in 2021 and 0.51 in 2020.

During the press conference, a senior advisor to WJP, Ted Piccone, said, "Since 2015, we have seen major drops in criminal justice in India." Notably, India has improved by 0.05 points in order and security parameters.

Whereas it has declined by 0.01 points in parameters like open government, fundamental rights, civil justice, and regulatory enforcement. Globally, India has been ranked 94, 111, and 89 out of 140 in fundamental rights, civil justice, and criminal justice, respectively.

There is a lot of scope for the country to improve in the rule of law index by preparing an accessible governance model and taking citizens' rights into account.

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