Recently reconstituted, SAHYOG- a Pro Bono Research Project at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (“NUJS”) aims to connect student research assistants to lawyers and organisations to aid them in providing pro bono and legal aid services and furthering access to justice in remote, inaccessible corners of society.

  • Hi Adya and Dakshita!Thank you for agreeing to share your experience with our readers.Can you tell us a bit about SAHYOG and its vision?

    Hello!Thank you for having us for this interview. SAHYOG finds its roots in the principle of access to justice for all, which is deeply ingrained in the Constitution of India. The burden of work amidst the lakhs of pending cases often acts as a limitation for accomplished lawyers to advocate the cause of the needy. SAHYOG, as an initiative, proposes to ease this restraint by providing a platform that connects student researchers from NUJS with lawyers and organisations that provide pro bono services. We started this project in September 2019 with the hope of channeling our legal education towards improving access to justice in our country.

  • New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul has inaugurated a web portal – Sahyog – an initiative aimed at provide free of cost access to justice to those in need by connecting student research assistants to lawyers and organisations who take up pro bono cases.(…)
  • SC's Justice Kaul inaugurates 'Sahyog' web portal
  • New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) Supreme Court judge, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul on Tuesday inaugurated the web portal of ‘Sahyog’, a project aiming to further the constitutional goal of access to justice, by providing a platform connecting student research assistants to lawyers and organisitions who have taken up pro bono cases.
  • In his address at the gathering, he said: “I congratulate the team of students at NUJS and the legal aid clinic for this initiative meant at helping law practitioners and the underprivileged citizens by facilitating pro bono legal services through the ‘Sahyog’ portal. This initiative is of great significance in these trying times of Covid-19. I wish this initiative and the team behind it great success.”
  • “I am sure the judiciary can equally utilise in some way the opportunity of interaction with these dynamic youngsters,” he added.
  • ‘Sahyog’, founded by Adya Jha and Dakshita Chopra, alumni of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, in September 2019, has so far contributed over 2,500 pro bono hours with association of several lawyers. Their work has encompassed issues of labour law, slum dwellers, tribal communities, and human trafficking victims among others.
  • In furtherance of their objective, the Sahyog web portal has been launched to scale up the initiative and widen its reach to a larger cross section of legal professionals and students.
  • Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, Odisha’s Advocate General Ashok Parija, and senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan were among those who joined the e-inauguration.
  • –IANS
  • New Delhi Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul has inaugurated a web portal which is aimed at furthering access to justice by providing a platform connecting students research assistant with lawyers and organisations taking up pro bono cases.
  • SAHYOG was founded By Adya Jha and Dakshita Chopra , alumni of West Bengal National University of Juridical science
  • Speaking of the occasion Kaul said “to no one will sell, to no one will we deny access to justice”

A glimpse of the functioning of the SAHYOG Web Portal. The portal will enable pro bono lawyers to submit research propositions for students to work on. Through this, we aim to scale up our initiative and streamline our work process. This will also encourage a hassle-free process of connecting lawyers and organisations doing pro bono work with students who are keen on assisting in the research for the same

About SAHYOG
  • SAHYOG is a first-of-its-kind idea in an Indian law school that aims to further the constitutional goal of access to justice by providing a platform that connects student research assistants to lawyers and organizations who have taken up pro bono cases.
  • Adya Jha and Dakshita Chopra, alumni of West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata, founded this project in 2019. A chance conversation led them to realize that most law students are not exposed to pro bono work until much later on in their careers, more so for those who choose to tread on the corporate path.
  • Therefore, they developed the idea of starting SAHYOG which would be the ideal platform to not only give fellow students the opportunity to delve into the world of pro bono work at such an early stage in their lives but to also satisfy their desire to channel their learning towards a greater social cause.
  • Since its inception in September 2019, SAHYOG has collaborated with several organizations and lawyers, contributing over 2500 pro bono hours.
  • The founding principle of this initiative has been to provide a platform where students can be personally involved in cases from the beginning to the end, unlike an internship where one only works on some legal issues for a few weeks.
  • What started as a 32 member team has now expanded to comprise almost 85 students of WBNUJS at present. SAHYOG’s work has spanned across a wide variety of areas including constitutional law, criminal law, labor law, land law, human trafficking law, POSH, and POCSO, and has encompassed issues of migrant workers, slum dwellers, tribal communities, and human trafficking among others.
Lawyers & Organizations that have Worked with SAHYOG
  • Mr. Arvind Datar – Research for PIL challenging constitutional validity of the 2020 Tribunal Rules
  • Mr. Yug Chaudhury – Research on unlawful activity, bail provisions, and terrorist activity under UAPA
  • Mr. Gopal Sankaranaryan – Research on Governor’s power to grant mercy pleas
  • Mr. Simon Benjamin – Research for a bail application
  • International Justice Mission – Tracker of labor measures enacted during COVID-19 lockdown & analysis of orders with respect to Labour Codes, International Labour Conventions & Case Law
  • Centre for Social Justice – Research on unnatural deaths, dowry deaths and honor killings
Appreciation for SAHYOG’s Work

SAHYOG has also received appreciation from several renowned legal personalities who have applauded the vision behind the initiative. Justice Pratibha Singh, Ms. Indira Jaising, Mr. Arvind Datar among others have the following to say about SAHYOG:

  • Sahyog – a platform for providing legal assistance is a commendable initiative by students of NUJS. Such platforms enable students and young lawyers to contribute to Society and train themselves in the nuances of law. Involvement in research helps legal policy makers, lawyers and judges alike. – Justice Pratibha Singh – Justice Pratibha Singh

    • This is a much needed initiative from students. Our law students are the lawyer of tomorrow and these efforts will give then the training they need to serve people who are in need to legal services more particularly in the field of human rights. – Ms. Indira Jaising

    SAHYOG is a unique and remarkable effort of students from NUJS, Kolkata. In almost every important case in the Supreme Court, High Courts or trial courts, research assistance is not only necessary but can also make all the difference to the outcome of the case. Even more important, thorough research not only helps the arguing counsel but enables the judges to reach the proper conclusion, thus leading to the development of the law. -Mr. Arvind Datar

Launch of Online Portal
  • SAHYOG has been successful in building a community of public-spirited students who work tirelessly to aid lawyers who are working towards furthering the constitutional ethos of access to justice. Although the current team is restricted only to the students of NUJS, Kolkata, setting up chapters of SAHYOG in other law schools is also in the pipeline. The organization has already received requests from students in other parts of the country and is working out the modalities to facilitate such an expansion. In an attempt to scale up the organization and facilitate a seamless allocation process that would help lawyers and students to communicate efficiently SAHYOG has also launched their own web portal accessible through their website- www.sahyogprobono.com.
Contact Details

They can also be reached via email at sahyog.probono[at]gmail.com

  • More information about SAHYOG and the work that they do can be found on their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn handle.
  • Bhubaneswar: Mr. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India on March 23, 2021 (Tuesday) inaugurated the SAHYOG Web Portal (https://www.sahyogprobono.org/) which is a step towards enhancing access to justice in the country. SAHYOG- A Pro Bono Research Project is a first-of-its-kind idea in an Indian law school, which aims to further the constitutional goal of access to justice, by providing a platform that connects student research assistants to lawyers and organizations who have taken up pro bono cases. Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairman, Bar Council of India, Prof. (Dr.) NK Chakrabarti, Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences along with Mr. Ashok Parija, Advocate General, Government of Odisha were the Guests of Honour for the event. The Guest Speakers included two of SAHYOG’s collaborators, Mr. Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Senior Advocate and Ms. Kriti Awasthi, National Director, Justice Ventures International (India) Project.
  • While addressing the gathering, Justice Kaul said, “I congratulate the team of students at NUJS and the legal aid clinic for this initiative meant at helping law practitioners and the underprivileged citizens by facilitating pro bono legal services through the Sahayog portal. This initiative is of great significance in there trying times of COVID. I wish this initiative and the team behind it great success”.
  • SAHYOG was founded by Adya Jha and Dakshita Chopra, alumni of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, who started this project with the hope of aiding those who are not able to bear the expenses that the dispensation of justice unfortunately demands.
  • Since its inception in September 2019, SAHYOG has contributed over 2500 pro bono hours while collaborating with several lawyers such as Arvind Datar, Yug Chaudhry, Gopal Sankaranarayan, Simon Benjamin, Aditya Wadhwa and organizations such as International Justice Mission, Centre for Social Justice and Justice Ventures International. Their work has encompassed issues of labour law, slum dwellers, tribal communities, and human trafficking victims among others.
  • In furtherance of their objective, the SAHYOG web portal has been launched to scale up the initiative and widen its reach to a larger cross section of legal professionals and students. This event was conducted in association with the Legal Aid Society, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences.