Latest at IDIA
IDIA Kerala Chapter Visits Kattunayakan Tribe in Wayanad
IDIA Kerala Chapter went to Wayanad to meet IDIA Scholar Radhika and her tribe - Kattunayakan (chiefs of the forest). We are exploring a long term engagement Read more..
IDIA Scholars crack various law entrance examinations 2020
Around 20 IDIA Scholars have gained admission to various law colleges. All India Ranks 3, 5 and 48 in CLAT 2020 are IDIA Scholars. We are proud of all of them! Read more..
IDIA Scholar Yamuna bags 18 gold medals
Yamuna graduated from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore in September 2020 with 18 gold medals, highest in NLSIU's history. She has decided to pursue her post graduate studies from Trinity College at Cambridge University. Read more..
IDIA’s Response to COVID19
IDIA is reaching out to its trainees, scholars and other beneficiaries as well as their families to help them during these tough times. All our scholars have been sent home urgently. All of us are working from home. Read More..
Accessibility Lab
IDIA ties up with NUJS to inaugurate Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer Accessibility Lab in the college. IDIA funded many state-of-the-art equipments in the lab. Read More..
Lexathon
Lexathon 2020" - the charity marathon by the IDIA Tamil Nadu Chapter had more than 600 registrations! Participants included senior counsels, lawyers and law students. Read More..
Who we are
IDIA started out as a student run movement in 2010. Today, IDIA Charitable Trust is a registered trust, comprising the following trustees: Justice Ruma Pal (a former Supreme Court judge); Prof. (Dr.) M.P. Singh (a leading legal scholar); and Mr. Shishira Rudrappa (Director, Spire Capital).
It was started by late Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer, the founder and the brain behind IDIA. Our operations team comprises an Executive Vice President and a team of Directors; and a strong network of more than 600 student volunteers across 20 different states of India. We are also guided by a strong body of advisors and partners, comprising leading names from the legal profession, academia, industry, civil society and government.
What we do
Sensitisations
IDIA runs on the backbone of its 600+ student volunteers, drawn from leading law universities across India. These student volunteers travel across the length and breadth of India (from the Sunderbans in West Bengal to Baramulla in Jammu & Kashmir) to identify and sensitise underprivileged students to the power of the law, and the diverse range of career options that await them.
Training
Interested students are screened through a basic aptitude test (carefully designed to test logical reasoning and critical thinking abilities). They are then put through a rigorous training schedule for up to 2 years, including classroom coaching from India’s leading law entrance (Common Law Admission Test or CLAT) coaching centres and trainers.
Scholarships
Once an IDIA trainee is admitted into a law school, IDIA arranges for scholarships to support their education.
Creating CHAMPS
IDIA’s job does not end with merely facilitating law school admissions for underprivileged children. Rather, the ultimate goal is to produce leading lawyers and community advocates who are “creative, holistic, altruistic and maverick problem solvers” (CHAMPS). To this end, IDIA has conceptualised a rigorous training and mentorship programme to help each IDIA Scholar to blossom to their fullest potential.
Our Impact
We’ve had some modest success over the years. While it is impossible to reduce our transformative work into mere numbers, here are some of the “data driven” highlights:
