In a proud moment for Indian legal academia, the Centre for Legal Aid Programme (CLAP) at the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi, has clinched the second spot in the globally prestigious MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship 2025. Awarded by the Talloires Network of Engaged Universities—an alliance of over 400 institutions across 92 countries—this recognition comes with a $7,500 grant and global applause for CLAP’s relentless pursuit of community justice and civic empowerment.
The award doesn’t just spotlight a university—it celebrates a movement. CLAP has embedded itself deep within Jharkhand’s social fabric, working hand-in-hand with local institutions like the District Legal Services Authority and Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority, as well as grassroots NGOs. Their mission? To empower the voiceless, support the forgotten, and rebuild trust in the promise of justice.
From mentoring prisoners under Project Saarthi to running legal literacy drives in tribal belts and adopting villages to extend social welfare, CLAP isn’t dabbling in charity—it’s building a blueprint for systemic change. Senior citizens, undertrial prisoners, schoolchildren, rural families—no voice is too quiet, no cause too distant.
What sets CLAP apart is its refusal to confine legal education to classrooms and courtrooms. Instead, it merges law with empathy—offering speed mentoring, legal counselling camps, sensitisation drives in government schools, and academic forums that blend rigorous debate with grassroots insight. The Centre has also won national acclaim, securing consecutive National Legal Awards from Knowledge Steez and honours at NLSIU’s Prof. V.S. Mallar Memorial Competition.
The only other National Law University to previously achieve this MacJannet milestone was NLSIU Bengaluru in 2014—making NUSRL’s rise all the more remarkable.
Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Ashok R. Patil summed it up: “This award reaffirms that law must serve people, not power. CLAP is proof that when students lead with conscience, they leave behind institutions—they build legacies.”
Behind CLAP’s growing legacy stands a core team blending guidance and grit—faculty convenors Dr. Mrityunjay Mayank and Dr. Shweta Mohan, student convenor Anannaya K Sangra, secretary Aman Ayush, treasurer Vaishnavi Bhardwaj, advisors Harsh Anmol and Dewanshi Agarwal, and senior members Sejal, Akash Kachhap, and Vishrut Veerendra.
Their message is clear: legal aid isn’t just about knowing the law—it’s about remembering why it exists.
