Governance · Sub-pillar 3.1
Rule of law
Laws that apply equally to all, the enforcement of contracts, and secure property rights.
What is rule of law?
Rule of law is sub-pillar 3.1 of the 47 BH framework for a developed Bharat by 2047, the first of seven sub-pillars under the Governance pillar. It asks whether the same laws apply to everyone, whether contracts are honoured and enforced in reasonable time, and whether people can rely on owning what is theirs.
Why it matters for 2047
The rule of law is the quiet foundation under everything else in the framework. A farmer who knows her land record is accurate, a supplier who knows a contract will be enforced, a tenant who knows the law protects him as much as his landlord: each of them can plan, invest and trust strangers. Where the law bends for the powerful or arrives a decade late, people fall back on connections, cash and caution.
For an economy, the rule of law is the difference between a deal done on a handshake with a cousin and a deal done with a stranger across the country. Enforceable contracts and secure property are what let businesses grow beyond the people they already know.
For a citizen, it is the promise that the Constitution makes to everyone equally. 47 BH treats the gap between that promise and daily experience as one of the central measures of a developed Bharat.
Where India stands
- 86th
of 143 countries was India's rank in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025, with its overall score down 1.7% on the year. It ranked 43rd for open government but 114th for civil justice.[1]
- 5.64 crore
cases were pending in Indian courts in mid-2026 according to the National Judicial Data Grid, as told to the Rajya Sabha in July 2026, including more than 96,000 in the Supreme Court.[2]
- 15
judges per million people is roughly India's strength (about 21,285 judges), against the 50 per million recommended by the Law Commission in 1987, according to the India Justice Report 2025.[3]
- 97.3%
of villages had their record of rights computerised and 97.1% of cadastral maps were digitised by the end of 2025; over 36 crore land parcels carry a unique Bhu-Aadhaar number.[4]
On paper and in infrastructure, India has moved a long way. Almost every village's land record is now digital, 88.6% of sub-registrar offices are linked to revenue records, and more than 36 crore parcels carry a unique identifier, which makes title disputes easier to prevent and resolve. [4] The World Justice Project ranks India first among lower-middle-income countries for open government. [1]
In the courtroom, the picture is slower. More than 5.6 crore cases are pending, and India ranks 114th of 143 on civil justice, the factor that measures whether ordinary people can resolve disputes affordably and without long delay. [1][2] With about 15 judges per million people, a third of the Law Commission's recommendation, the arithmetic of delay is hard to escape. [3]
A note on the numbers: the Rule of Law Index is an expert and household survey compiled by a non-governmental organisation and is one view among several; the pendency figure comes from the government's own National Judicial Data Grid and changes daily; the land record figures are administrative data from the Department of Land Resources, which count records computerised rather than records verified as accurate.
On the 47 BH report card
Every 15 August, 47 BH reports how far India has come on each sub-pillar. For this sub-pillar, the headline indicators are:
- World Justice Project Rule of Law Index score and rank (WJP).
- Cases pending in courts and judges per million people (National Judicial Data Grid; Department of Justice).
- Share of land records digitised, and of parcels with a unique identifier (Department of Land Resources).
Two lenses on rule of law
City and village
47 BH asks whether a villager can get a land dispute settled in her lifetime as readily as a company gets a commercial dispute heard in a city, and whether a small shopkeeper in a town can enforce a contract against a bigger party. Digital land records are a rural advance; the backlog of civil cases weighs on villages and cities alike. [2][4]
Learn, avoid, protect
- Learn
- What can India learn from countries that cut court delay with case management, time limits and alternative dispute resolution, and from states and courts that cleared old cases fastest?
- Avoid
- Which mistakes should it avoid, such as passing new laws faster than courts can apply them, or counting digitised records as settled titles?
- Protect
- What of its own should it protect, such as an independent judiciary, a Constitution that has held for 75 years, and the village and community practices that settle most small disputes without a court at all?
What this sub-pillar does not cover
Each topic has one home in the framework. These related topics sit elsewhere:
- Crime, policing, prisons and the speed of criminal justice: Governance: Safety and justice
- The independence of courts, regulators and other institutions: Governance: Institutions and citizens' rights
- The ease of starting, running and closing a business: Enterprise: Open and fair markets
- Honesty in everyday dealings and corruption: Values: Personal integrity
Questions about rule of law
Where does India rank on the rule of law?
India ranked 86th of 143 countries in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025, third of six in South Asia and tenth of 35 lower-middle-income countries. Its best factor was open government (43rd) and its weakest civil justice (114th). [1]
How many cases are pending in Indian courts?
About 5.64 crore cases were pending across the Supreme Court, High Courts and district courts in mid-2026, according to National Judicial Data Grid figures given in the Rajya Sabha in July 2026. More than 96,000 were in the Supreme Court. [2]
How many judges does India have?
About 21,285 judges, or roughly 15 per million people, according to the India Justice Report 2025. The Law Commission recommended 50 per million in 1987. High Courts had 325 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 1,122 on 1 May 2026. [3][5]
Are India's land records digital?
Largely. By the end of 2025, 97.27% of villages had computerised records of rights and 97.14% of cadastral maps were digitised, and more than 36 crore land parcels had a Bhu-Aadhaar number, according to the Department of Land Resources. [4]
Why is the rule of law a Governance question rather than an Economy one?
Because it is the state's first duty: to make and apply laws equally and to settle disputes fairly. Its economic effects, on investment and business, are large, but 47 BH measures them under Enterprise and Economy.
Sources
- World Justice Project, "Rule of Law Index 2025: India", country press release, October 2025. https://worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/documents/India_3.pdf
- Ministry of Law and Justice, written reply in the Rajya Sabha citing the National Judicial Data Grid, July 2026, as reported by Telangana Today, 23 July 2026. Live figures: njdg.ecourts.gov.in. https://telanganatoday.com/more-than-5-64-crore-cases-pending-across-indian-courts-rs
- Tata Trusts and partners, "India Justice Report 2025", national press release, 15 April 2025. https://indiajusticereport.org/files/English_National%20Press%20Release_India%20Justice%20Report%202025.docx.pdf
- Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, "Year-End Review 2025", Press Information Bureau, 1 January 2026. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2210412®=3&lang=1
- Department of Justice, "Sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancies of Judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts as on 01.05.2026". https://www.doj.gov.in/static/uploads/2026/05/c0f593db7c35d425c94883b9a4afb139.pdf
47 BH cites every figure so that it can be checked. If you find an error, it will be corrected openly and the date below will change.