Legal support
A rights-based approach is imperative while seeking sustainable change. The constitutional rights of almost all marginalised groups such as women, Dalits, Adivasis, transgenders, vulnerable children, and persons with disabilities are violated as they cannot access the judicial system due to social exclusion and lack of resources. Ripples of Hope (RoH) has collaborated with the Centre for Policy Research, to seed and run a Fellowship across India supporting young lawyers practicing public interest and human rights law. The young lawyers provide litigation assistance to the most vulnerable and needy for whom it is impossible to access any form of justice.
What Martin Luther King Jr. said in 1963 - “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere; whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” - is true of India in 2024. Our legal support work hopes to chip away that reality, one case at a time.
In support of a rights-based approach
"Access to lawyers and legal representation is critical for vulnerable groups. Young girls, particularly, who may face discrimination, violence, abuse and harassment, need to be aware of their legal rights and making legal aid available enables them to fight for their own autonomy and choices."
— Jayna Kothari, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
"In 2024 we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Constitution. The Constitution Defenders Fellowship aims to deepen our constitutional inheritance and values by enabling vulnerable social groups to mobilize the constitution and other laws to protect and advance their interests."
— Dr Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor & Professor of Law, National Law School, Bangalore