Ajit Isaac Foundation,
3/3/2 Bellandur Gate, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru 560103,
Karnataka, India
Criminal Justice Reforms: Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
| Grantee | Grant ( ₹ Cr) |
Description | Start Date | End Date |
| Vidhi Legal | 0.5 | Roadmap for decriminalisation of petty offences | Oct-2022 | Dec-2024 |
Introduction:
Ajit Isaac Foundation is proud to partner with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in their crucial endeavor titled “Crime & Punishment.” This visionary project seeks to address critical issues within India’s criminal justice system, particularly focusing on overcriminalization, penalization, and the urgent need for reforms.
Purpose:
The primary purpose of this partnership is to support Vidhi in creating a comprehensive roadmap for reforming India’s criminal justice system. Key objectives include the decriminalization of minor offenses, rationalizing punishments, exploring alternative forms of penalties, and reshaping the perception of what constitutes a crime. By addressing these issues, the project aims to tackle systemic challenges such as illegal arrests, judicial delays, and substandard prison conditions.
Project Focus:
The project is structured around several key areas of focus:
Building a Crime & Punishment Collective of India: Vidhi is leading a collaborative effort, bringing together individuals and organizations dedicated to criminal justice reform and related fields. This collective will work in tandem with Vidhi to drive research, disseminate findings, and advocate for meaningful change.
Mapping Criminal Provisions: Vidhi is conducting an extensive top-down analysis of criminal provisions within over nine hundred union laws. This research aims to unveil the extent of overcriminalization in India and identify areas for reform.
Documenting Enforcement of Criminal Laws: Through a bottom-up approach, Vidhi is analyzing arrest and trial court data from over 75,000 cases in the NCT of Delhi. This data will help identify the most frequently used laws and enforcement gaps, shedding light on areas that require attention.
Advocating for Change: Vidhi will engage in public discourse, conduct events, contribute to mainstream media, share compelling stories, explore alternatives to imprisonment, and survey international best practices. These efforts aim to inform and influence public opinion on the vital topic of Crime & Punishment.
Engagement for Reform: Vidhi will actively collaborate with relevant ministries in the central and state governments. The focus will be on the decriminalization of minor offenses, rationalization of punishments, the introduction of alternative penalty models, and the adoption of principle-based approaches for future criminal law development.