In April 2025, the entire team from Project 39A transitioned from the National Law University, Delhi to establish The Square Circle Clinic at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. This new criminal justice initiative continues our deep commitment to the constitutional ideal of equal access to justice. Building on our foundational work in pro bono criminal defense, forensics, death penalty litigation, mental health, and punishment, the Clinic will now expand its scope to include wrongful convictions, the criminalisation of poverty, and the role of science and technology in the criminal justice system.
The Clinic’s pro bono representation of death row prisoners has led to 33 acquittals and 53 commutations. Notable contributions also include involvement in landmark Supreme Court cases that have shaped criminal law jurisprudence such as Manoj and ors. V. State of Madhya Pradesh (May 2022), In re: human conditions in 1382 prisons (December 2018), Accused X v. State of Maharashtra (April 2019), and Rahul and ors. v. State of NCT of Delhi (November 2022). Through the Fair Trial Programme in collaboration with the Maharashtra government, we have secured the release of over 1,625 undertrials from Pune and Nagpur Central Prisons since 2019.
Over the past decade, we have produced pioneering research, most notably the Death Penalty India Report (2016), which provided insights into the socio-economic backgrounds of death row prisoners. Our annual statistics on the death penalty remain the most comprehensive in India. Our other major publications include Deathworthy (2021), a study on the mental health of death row prisoners; the Forensic Science India Report (2023); and Magistrates and Constitutional Protection (2024), reflecting a commitment to interdisciplinary approaches.
Our work has been widely recognised and cited by the Supreme Court of India, Law Commission, UN bodies, and global psychiatric and legal institutions. Accolades include commendations from the World Psychiatric Association and the New York Legal Aid Society, as well as the “Award for Research” at the 8th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Berlin (2022).
As The Square Circle Clinic, with offices in Delhi, Hyderabad, Nagpur, and Pune, we continue our mission to generate critical perspectives on the Indian criminal justice system.
The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR 