Internship at the Centre for Research and Planning, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi (Rolling; Unpaid; Minimum 4 Weeks)

The Centre for Research and Planning (CRP), established in 2015, is the dedicated policy centre of the Supreme Court of India. It works on judicial reform initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and sustainability of the justice delivery system, the development of jurisprudence, and the quality of judicial data collection using modern technology.

The CRP is staffed by officers and professionals with expertise in legal research, planning and judicial systems, and functions as a bridge between research and academia, legal and judicial education, and judicial administration. Its work includes policy and planning papers on critical justice delivery issues, research assigned by the Chief Justice of India, Judges and Committees of the Supreme Court, orientation and training modules in research methodology for new Law Clerks of the Supreme Court, and papers explaining key decisions of the Court.

Under the revised Scheme for the Centre for Research and Planning dated 6 August 2021, the CRP may hire up to 10 interns on a rolling basis throughout the year. The scheme notified on 22 January 2024 sets out the eligibility criteria, the application procedure and the conditions of engagement of interns at the CRP, and is the internship notice currently listed on the Supreme Court of India website.

• All applicants must be enrolled in a law degree programme recognised by the Bar Council of India.
• All applicants must be either in the 4th or 5th year of a five-year law programme, or in the 3rd year of a three-year law programme, on the dates on which they seek to intern at the CRP.
• Candidates must be below the age of 28.

All applicants must fill out the online application form available at the link given in the official scheme. The form requires applicants to submit:

• A copy of their curriculum vitae, not more than 2 pages.
• A statement of purpose of 350 to 500 words explaining why the applicant wishes to intern at the CRP and how this internship fits into their career goals.
• A writing sample of 1,500 to 3,000 words. The writing sample may be an extract of a longer written piece. It does not have to be from a published article, but should showcase the applicant’s writing proficiency and ability to analyse a legal issue.

The CRP may, if it deems it appropriate in any given case, conduct a telephonic interview of an applicant.

• The minimum duration of an internship shall be four weeks.
• All interns are required to be physically present and to work out of the offices of the CRP at the Supreme Court in New Delhi for the duration of the internship.
• The office hours of the CRP are 10:00 am to 5:30 pm from Monday to Friday, and 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays.
• All interns are expected to maintain the highest standard of confidentiality, integrity and professionalism throughout the internship.
• No intern shall accept or participate in any other assignment, whether part-time or full-time, for any other lawyer or organisation during the course of the internship.
• No intern shall disclose or publish any information, document or other thing that comes to their knowledge on account of their work at the CRP, during or even after the completion of the internship, unless such disclosure is required by law.
• All interns work under the supervision and administrative authority of the Director, Centre for Research and Planning, Supreme Court of India.

The scheme states in terms that the Supreme Court does not offer any remuneration to interns. This is an unpaid internship, and applicants should plan for travel and stay in New Delhi at their own cost.

There is no fixed closing date. The CRP hires interns on a rolling basis throughout the year, so applications may be submitted at any time for the period during which the applicant wishes to intern. Applying well in advance of the intended internship dates is advisable, since the Centre takes only up to ten interns at a time.