We support 85 organisations that help poor, vulnerable, and marginalised people understand their rights, access legal assistance, and navigate the justice system
The communities our partners reach through this work include undertrial and released prisoners, women and children in conflict with the law, Dalits and Adivasis, migrant workers, and others who face social, economic, or geographical barriers to justice. Our partners provide legal representation, counselling, and community-based support to help people exercise their rights and seek effective remedies.
A significant area of this work focuses on undertrial prisoners. Our partners conduct prison visits, identify cases, provide legal counselling and representation during trials and appeals, and coordinate with legal services and prison authorities. They also work with families and provide social and rehabilitative support during and after incarceration.
We also support efforts to strengthen the quality and reach of legal services. Legal and social work fellowships, mentoring, and continuing legal education programmes help young lawyers develop as competent, public-spirited litigators while strengthening the capacities of lawyers working at the district level.
Our partners train community leaders, legal volunteers, and human rights defenders to improve legal awareness, identify rights violations, and connect people with legal institutions and other forms of support. In several locations, this has helped extend legal assistance to communities that are remote or have historically had limited access to formal institutions.
The work addresses a range of concerns, including prolonged and unnecessary detention, poor-quality legal aid, caste discrimination, barriers to land and forest rights, and the legal and social challenges faced by women and children in the criminal justice system.
Our collaborative initiatives include fair-trial and undertrial-support programmes with National Law Universities and civil society organisations, legal fellowships for young lawyers, continuing legal education for district-court practitioners, community legal service clinics, and networks of paralegal volunteers and human rights defenders.
