The Legal Services Clinic (LSC) at NLSIU recently concluded Pro Bono Month 2025-26, a month-long celebration dedicated to promoting legal aid and awareness. Initiated as part of the LSC’s outreach efforts, this annual flagship event marks 30 years of the establishment of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). To commemorate this milestone, the LSC organised a series of events throughout November, including:

1. The Annual Panel Discussion with Ford Foundation Chair on Public Interest Law;
2. Playing “Sabha”: A Game Night with JusticeAdda;
3. Discussing Dissent: Documentary Screening & Discussion;
4. Workshop on Trauma-Informed Communication with Chair on Juvenile Justice;
5. The Justice Definitions Edit-a-Thon with DAKSH India;
6. The Law, Politics & Constitution Quiz with NLSQA and LawSoc;
7. Legal Aid Roundtable: Indian Legal Aid and Awareness Network (ILAAN).

November 09, 2025 | Annual Panel Discussion

On the occasion of National Legal Services Day, the Legal Services Clinic and the Ford Foundation Chair on Public Interest Law organised the Annual Panel Discussion on the theme of “Access to Justice in the Age of AI: The Future of Legal Aid in India” on November 9,  2025.

The Panel Discussion, held at the Conference Hall, Training Centre included the following panellists:

1. Mr. Sachin Malhan, Co-Founder of Agami (Speaker);
2. Mr. Hemanth Bharatha Chakravarthy, CEO & Co-Founder of Jhana.ai (Speaker);
3. Ms. Shirisha Reddy, Samvidhaan Fellowship Coordinator at Nyaaya (Speaker);
4. Ms. Varsha Aithala, Assistant Professor of Law at NLSIU (Discussant).

The Panel Discussion saw vivid debate on the role of AI in tendering legal advice, and whether offering such advice violates ethical norms. The panellists also drew from their wealth of experience in diverse fields to explain AI’s potential as an equalizer in the 21st century. Mr. Malhan underscored the potential of AI to increase the legal aid delivery speed manifold. This requires the rise of multiple initiatives by civil society, facilitated by the government. Hemanth, on the other hand, provided an illuminating economic analysis, explaining how AI could reduce infrastructural costs, thus bringing down barriers.  Ms. Reddy drew on her experience from working with marginalized communities, and cautioned for the need of safeguards and last-mile support before AI is implemented. 

After the panellists’ initial remarks, the discussion moved to a QnA session from the audience. Students raised interesting questions about their role with the AskNyaaya initiative, a long-term collaboration of LSC where law students answer legal questions in a simplified language. Consensus emerged on the potential use of AI to automate such tasks, and ensure immediate redressal of queries. Ultimately, the Panel Discussion ended with the deeper question of how law students can effectively contribute to the improvement of legal aid, especially in light of technological innovations.

Reflecting on the Panel Discussion, LSC thanked the panellists; Dr. Kamala Sankaran, Professor of Law at NLSIU and Mr. Pranav Verma, Assistant Professor at NLSIU of the Ford Foundation Chair for Public Interest Law; and the audience, for their continued support in the Panel Discussion, expressing hope for making it an annual event.

November 13, 2025 | Game Night with JusticeAdda

The Legal Services Clinic, in collaboration with JusticeAdda, a non-governmental organization committed to access to justice, organised a Game Night for its members on November 13, 2025. The event was aimed at increasing political awareness amongst LSC members. 

36 students enthusiastically played the strategy game Sabha, designed by JusticeAdda and Hanns Seidel Foundation, where players take on the role of Members of Parliament (MPs) and participate in the Indian democratic setup. The game is completely open-access, with digital files available for free online.

Members played the game across 8 boards, in English and Kannada, supervised by Ms. Varsha Aithala, Assistant Professor at NLSIU and Partner at JusticeAdda.

November 14, 2025 | Documentary Screening & Discussion

The Legal Services Clinic hosted a screening of a documentary titled “Prisoner No. 626710 is Present” on November 14, 2025. The documentary portrays the incarceration of Umar Khalid, a student activist at Jawaharlal Nehru University. It uses forensic analysis and accounts of close friends to obtain a chronology of events leading up to Khalid’s imprisonment under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Students from the entire NLS community attended the screening, which was followed by a discussion on the documentary and themes of free speech and judicial delays with Mr. Lalit Vachani, Director of the award-winning documentary and Lecturer at the University of Göttingen, Germany. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Radhika Chitkara, Assistant Professor at NLSIU.

 

November 27, 2025 | Session on Trauma-Informed Communication

In collaboration with the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Chair on Juvenile Justice at NSLIU, the Legal Services Clinic organised a specialised session on “Trauma-Informed Communication: Engaging Safely with Children in Child Care Institutions” on November 27, 2025.

The session was led by Dr. Madhubanti Sadhya, Juvenile Justice Chair Professor (In Charge) and Ms. Amaidhi Devaraj, Co-Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic. It provided valuable insights into engaging with children in Child Care Institutions (CCIs), using safe and effective communication strategies.

It was also a springboard for the launch of the Legal Services Clinic’s “Parihara” initiative, where volunteer-members organise weekly visits to Child Care Institutions, and learn about engaging with them.

November 20-29, 2025 | Justice Definitions Edit-a-Thon

The Legal Services Clinic, in collaboration with the Judicial Data Collaborative (convened by DAKSH India) organised the Justice Definitions Edit-a-Thon, spanning from November 20 – 29, 2025. Students had a chance to research, write, and compete for exciting prizes while contributing to the Justice Definitions Wiki.

The Justice Definitions Project is a collaborative initiative to build a comprehensive repository of definitions and taxonomies related to the Indian justice system on a wiki platform.  

The Edit-a-Thon was a multi-stage competition, starting with an Orientation on November 20, 2025, when students were familiarised with the Justice Definitions Wiki. Over the course of the next week, teams created Wiki pages for terms such as NHRC, Police Complaints Authority, Wildlife Corridor, Deepfake, etc., with select teams being shortlisted for the next round. Finally, on November 29, 2025, these teams showcased their work and insights they had gained to a panel of judges from civil society organisations.

Winning teams received prizes of Rs. 5000, 3000, and 2000 respectively, while teams that participated also received Certificates and the chance to join the Research Associate Program, where their work will be published on the Justice Definitions Wiki.

Vinayak Kedia (I Year, BALLB) won First Place, while a team of Hitha R and Raghav Singhal (II Year, BALLB) secured Second Place. Aaradhya Garg and Bhumi Sharma (I Year, BALLB) clinched the Third Place prize.

November 26, 2025 | Constitution Day Quiz

On the occasion of Constitution Day, the Legal Services Clinic, in collaboration with the NLS Quiz Club (NLSQC) and Law and Society Committee (LawSoc) organised a Quiz on the theme Law, Politics and the Constitution on November 26, 2025.

The event, open to all members of the NLS community, featured teams and lone wolves battling it out for exciting cash prizes of Rs. 900, 750, and 600 respectively. The team composed of Nikita, Shashank and Amrit won 1st place; while teams of Aswathy, Divya, Rishabh and Arya Harishankar, Tushar Joshi, Mrigank Jain secured the 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

November 30, 2025 | Legal Aid Roundtable

Lastly, to mark an end to the Pro Bono Month celebrations, the Legal Services Clinic, in collaboration with the Legal Services Committee, National Law University Delhi organised a Legal Aid Roundtable of the Indian Legal Aid & Awareness Network (ILAAN), a pan-India initiative to connect LSCs at various law schools. 

The Roundtable allowed LSCs to discuss their key initiatives, structure, challenges they are facing in legal aid delivery, as well as their vision of the future of ILAAN. A follow-up conference will also be organised in 2026.

Legal Services Clinics and Pro Bono Clubs from the following institutes took part in the Roundtable: National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, National Law University, Delhi, Jindal Global Law School, School of Law, Christ University, BITS Law School, Mumbai, V.M. Salgaoncar College of Law, Goa, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Presidency University, Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu National Law University.

Find more information about the history, objectives and proposed activities of the Indian Legal Aid and Awareness Network here.

Looking Ahead

Pro Bono Month 2025-26 is an attempt toward furthering LSC’s mission of increasing student outreach and encouraging active participation in legal aid. Through panel discussions, sessions, quizzes, film screenings, and other events, the Clinic has fostered meaningful dialogue, reinforced the importance of legal aid in achieving justice, and underscored the crucial role of clinical spaces in providing students with practical legal experience. 

The reinvigorated LSC looks forward to continuing our meaningful work for the community, including our collaborations with various partner institutions. We also aim to organize the Legal Aid Exchange, 2026, a flagship conference of various law schools, building on our decades of service for the community.

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