Research Fellow – Criminal Justice

The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (Vidhi) invites applications for the post of Research Fellow for its Criminal Justice team based out of its New Delhi office.

About Vidhi

The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is an independent think tank doing legal research and assisting the government in making better laws. Vidhi is committed to producing legal research of the highest standard with the aim of informing public debate and contributing to improved governance. Vidhi works with Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, as well as other public institutions, and provides research and drafting support at various stages of law-making. Vidhi also conducts and freely disseminates independent research in areas of legal reform which it believes is critical to India’s future. Vidhi is an equal opportunity employer and neither practices nor tolerates any kind of discriminatory behaviour.

Role Description

The Criminal Justice team at Vidhi works towards improving the responsiveness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system through research on criminalisation, criminal law, law enforcement, and correctional institutions in India. The team is interested in hiring a Research Fellow, who will work out of Vidhi’s New Delhi office. The Fellow will be expected to do the following:

• Undertake high quality legal, quantitative and qualitative research on issues related to crime and punishment;
• Engage with government officials, civil society, academics and relevant stakeholders on ongoing and new projects in conceptualizing reports and drafting legislation;
• Prepare quality reports, research notes and presentations;
• Organize and participate in meetings and consultations with concerned stakeholders for informing and disseminating Vidhi’s research work;
• Write articles, blogs and research papers, make explanatory videos on relevant topics, and participate in podcasts to disseminate Vidhi’s research work;
• Ideate and execute new projects including communication outputs and dissemination.

Eligibility Criteria:

Essential requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in law or an undergraduate degree in relevant fields such as social sciences;
• 1-3 years of demonstrable work experience in the domain of criminal justice or any other related field of research. A postgraduate degree will be counted as one year of work-experience; 
•  Excellent research and writing/drafting skills;
• Excellent communication/presentation skills;

Desirable requirements: 

• Postgraduate degree in law, criminology, or public policy; 
• Experience in interacting with government officials, civil society organizations and concerned communities;
• Experience in fieldwork, ethnographic and empirical research on the criminal justice system;
• Prior publications in journals and newspapers;

Location and Remuneration:

• This is a full-time position based out of Delhi;
• The Fellow will be engaged in this position for a duration of one year, and renewal shall be subject to performance;
• Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience;

Application Process

Interested candidates should apply through our online portal and must submit following documents merged in one document:

1) Latest Curriculum Vitae (CV) in not more than two A4 pages.

2) A brief statement of motivation in applying for the position, in not more than 500 words.

3) Names and contact details of two professional referees who may be contacted for references.

4) A recent writing sample of not more than 1000 words.

The deadline to submit applications is 18^th March 2024.



Queries may be sent only through email, titled ‘Vidhi Delhi – Application for Research Fellow, Criminal Justice’ addressed to careers@vidhilegalpolicy.in. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.