The Centre for Legal Aid Programme (CLAP) at the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi won the second place in the internationally acclaimed MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship 2025 on June 11. The esteemed recognition is conferred by the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities in partnership with the MacJannet Foundation and is accompanied by a grant of $7,500 in acknowledgement of CLAP's exemplary contribution to community engagement and the advancement of access to justice.
The recognition from the Talloires Network which comprises over 400 universities in 92 countries highlights NUSRL’s growing global footprint in engaged legal education. The prize will assist the Centre in expanding its outreach efforts, strengthening projects such as Project Saarthi (prison- based legal aid and rehabilitation) and initiating further collaborations in rural and tribal areas of Jharkhand.
The prize celebrates exceptional student- led initiatives worldwide that embody the values of civic engagement, global citizenship and social responsibility. This recognition places CLAP among a distinguished list of international programmes working at the grassroots to bring about meaningful change. Following the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru which secured the second place in 2014, NUSRL is the second National Law University in India to receive the award.
CLAP works in close collaboration with several institutional partners including the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) and a network of civil society organisations and grassroots NGOs. These partnerships have enabled the Centre to expand its impact and reach particularly among marginalised and underrepresented communities across Jharkhand.
Over the years, CLAP has undertaken a wide range of impactful initiatives like the village adoption project which aimed at providing sustained legal awareness and support to rural populations; welfare programmes for senior citizens which was designed to address the legal, financial, and emotional concerns of the elderly and prison visits and interventions, focusing on access to legal aid, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates.
The Centre has also actively conducted speed mentoring sessions for legal literacy, sensitisation programmes in government schools to promote constitutional values and child rights and client counselling sessions to address the legal grievances of underserved individuals.
In addition to these outreach efforts, CLAP has organised legal aid certificate courses, guest lectures by eminent legal scholars and practitioners, panel discussions and national-level seminars to foster academic discourse and build student capacity. Through these multifaceted activities, CLAP not only fulfills its mission of advancing access to justice but also serves as a living laboratory for law students to cultivate ethical leadership, empathy and civic responsibility.
For its continued work over the years, it has been recognised at the national level and has also won the National Legal Award for Legal Aid and Social Justice Activities by Knowledge Steez for two consecutive years 2023 and 2024 and has also secured the Best Faculty Coordinator Award at the second Prof VS Mallar Memorial Legal Aid Competition organised by NLSIU, Bengaluru.
“This award is a powerful recognition of CLAP’s unwavering commitment to social justice and a reflection of NUSRL’s vision of cultivating legally aware and socially responsible professionals. We are proud of our students for leading with empathy, integrity and purpose,” said Prof. (Dr) Ashok R Patil, Vice Chancellor of NUSRL
The current leadership of the Centre includes faculty convenors Dr Mrityunjay Mayank and Dr Shweta Mohan along with student convenor Anannaya K Sangra, Secretary Aman Ayush and Treasurer Vaishnavi Bhardwaj, student advisors Harsh Anmol and Dewanshi Agarwal and senior members Sejal, Akash Kachhap and Vishrut Veerendra, who collectively contribute to the execution of the Centre’s wide- ranging initiatives.