Online Internship with Parichay Legal Aid Clinic [4 Months]: Apply by June 15




Parichay (পৰিচয়), a legal aid clinic based out of Gauhati, Assam, is inviting applications from law students for an online internship with the organization, for a minimum duration of 4 months.

About the Organisation

Parichay (পৰিচয়, meaning ‘identity’) is a collaborative effort between law schools in India to provide legal aid to those filing appeals against their exclusion from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. The final list of the NRC, released on August 31, 2019, has been the largest citizenship determination exercise in the world, aimed at creating a definitive list of citizens for the state of Assam.

The 19,06,657 persons excluded from this list have 120 days to file appeals before the Foreigners’ Tribunals. The procedural and substantive aspects of the appeals require thorough consideration and this collaborative legal aid network aims to contribute to that process. 

Competent and adequate legal representation during this process is particularly crucial because of the severe implications. Not only may appellants lose their citizenship, but they may also be incarcerated in detention centres. At this moment, it is crucial that law schools play their part in ensuring that the NRC appeals are carried out in a fair and transparent manner.

In a process like this, constitutional guarantees of access to justice for the poor and the marginalized are extremely difficult to ensure and law schools must respond to this extraordinary challenge. Law schools are uniquely placed to help fulfill this constitutional mandate by ensuring that lawyers representing indigent persons excluded from the NRC are provided the necessary assistance to prepare effective appeals.

This collaborative legal aid effort will train and facilitate law students to assist lawyers at the Foreigners’ Tribunals in representing NRC-excluded persons in the appeals process. The clinic will be based in Assam and work in coordination with law schools across the country. Parichay will also provide an invaluable pedagogical component, by exposing law students to practical aspects of litigation in one of the most important contemporary legal processes in the country.

About the Internship Opportunity

The loss of citizenship erases the identity of an individual in the eyes of the state, and statelessness strips one of the right to have rights, including the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India. Legal aid is the last line of defence against this crisis, and Parichay (পৰিচয়) strives to ensure that no one is rendered stateless for want of effective legal representation. 

In pursuance of their work, Parichay invites applications for internship with the Clinic.

Work Description

Interns will primarily assist with the following research, drafting and training tasks:

  • Working with lawyers and paralegals to draft Appeals or Written Statements to be filed before the Foreigners’ Tribunals, based on the specific rejection orders and factual matrices of each case;
  • Conducting research on case laws and legal questions revolving around citizenship, human rights or constitutional law, for appeals before the Gauhati High Court, Supreme Court, or other strategic litigation that Parichay may assist with;
  • Engaging in data analysis to generate policy recommendations.

Eligibility

II-year and above in a 5-year LLB degree/any year in 3-year LLB degree/LL.M. students. Students with written and oral communication skills in Assamese and Bengali are encouraged.

Mode of the Internship

Online. 

Limited offline internship slots with location being Gauhati, Assam may be available for the month of June/July subject to circumstances closer to the period.  

Duration of Internship

3-5 hours per week for a minimum duration of four (4) months, extendable thereafter at the preference of the Intern.

How to Apply?

Fill in the application form through the link given at the end of this post, with your personal details and a short note on any issue of your choice related to citizenship law in not more than 300 words.

Deadline for Applications

June 15, 2022 [Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the deadline and hence applicants are encouraged to apply at the earliest]

Contact Information

For queries, please email us at contact@parichay.org.in 

Available on Social Media: Twitter – @parichayclinic  

Click here to apply for the online internship with Parichay.