Call for Applications: Criminal Justice Media Fellowship

Published On:
25 Aug 2026

About The Square Circle Clinic

The Square Circle Clinic is a criminal justice initiative at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, with offices in Delhi, Pune and Nagpur. It was established in April 2025 by the team that built and led Project 39A from 2013 to 2025. Our work is driven by a commitment to securing fairness for those entangled in the criminal justice system while imagining and working towards a fairer system for tomorrow. Our pro bono criminal defence work involves representing prisoners sentenced to death and undertrials. Research at The Square Circle Clinic looks at a wide range of criminal justice issues including the death penalty, forensics, mental health and criminal justice, wrongful convictions, criminalisation and punishment, prevention of torture, and the use of science and technology in criminal justice.

About the Media Fellowship

The Square Circle Clinic is offering a four-month Media Fellowship to early-career journalists to undertake projects on India’s criminal justice system. The Fellowship will take place between December 2026 – March 2027. Moving beyond conventional media narratives, the Fellowship seeks to centre the lives of persons in conflict with the law towards building a new language and perspective.

Over the course of the Fellowship, the Fellows will be exposed to workshops by acclaimed journalists, the Fellowship alumni and members of The Square Circle Clinic, to engage with various aspects of criminal justice reporting. The Fellows are expected to immerse themselves in extensive fieldwork with the aim of producing a publication-ready piece of long-form writing or a photo story by the end of four months.

What the Fellowship Offers

Through its extensive work on research and litigation, the Clinic has recognised the critical role that investigative, informed and sensitive journalism plays in informing discourse on the criminal justice system.

To further this aim, the Fellowship seeks to encourage journalists to explore, investigate, pitch and publish long-form/photo journalistic pieces on the Indian criminal justice system. To facilitate their reporting, the Fellows will have the opportunity to:

  1. Gain familiarity with interdisciplinary perspectives on India’s criminal justice landscape.
  2. Access The Square Circle Clinic’s extensive body of work on pro bono legal defence, research and storytelling.
  3. Gain insights into the intricacies of the criminal justice system through case discussions.
  4. Interact with criminal law experts.
  5. Build capacity to navigate legal documents like case records, medico-legal reports, FIRs, chargesheets, forensic reports, etc.
  6. Get published with prominent digital media platforms, magazines and national dailies.
  7. Participate in workshops led by acclaimed journalists, legal experts and the Fellowship alumni.

About the Workshops

As part of this Fellowship, the Clinic will organise at least three exclusive webinars / in-person workshops with acclaimed journalists and Fellowship alumni to familiarise the incoming Fellows to the ethics and nuances of criminal justice reporting in India.

What is expected from you?

  1. Towards developing one long-form written piece or photo story, conduct in-depth field reporting on a mutually agreed issue of criminal justice in India.
  2. Read case documents, access media reports and brainstorm for special stories.
  3. Where required and possible, conduct interviews with lawyers, researchers and other stakeholders of the case, including family members and incarcerated persons.
  4. Conduct on-ground investigation, interviews and anything else that might be required for the successful completion of the Fellowship.
  5. A minimum of one long-form written piece/photo story is required for the fulfilment of the Fellowship. Any other outputs, including but not limited to podcasts and video interviews, will be decided in consultation with The Square Circle Clinic team at the time of finalising the award of the Fellowship.
  6. The length of the long-form piece must range from 3000 to 4000 words, strongly reflecting the research conducted as part of the fellowship.
  7. The photo story must contain no less than 10 photographs accompanied by writing (1500-2000 words).
  8. The long-form written piece/writing accompanying the photographs must be in English.
  9. Before the commencement of the Fellowship, NALSAR University of Law and the Fellow will enter into a legally binding contract detailing the assignment of rights and obligations.

Fellowship Grant

The Fellowship grant will be a consolidated sum of INR 1,60,000 for a period of four months.

No additional costs towards the completion of the fieldwork, research, or developing the long-form written piece or photo story will be borne by The Square Circle Clinic.

Eligibility

  1. 2-5 years of demonstrable journalism experience either as a full-time employee with a news organisation or as a freelancer. However, the applicant must not be a full-time employee with any organisation during the course of the Fellowship.
  2. A minimum of two relevant publications in any reputed print or online media (copies to be provided).
  3. Demonstrable field reporting experience is desirable.
  4. Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Indian languages as per project requirements is desirable.
  5. Prior experience of working on rights-based stories is preferable.

Application Process and Deadline

Applications are accepted only through the online application form. Through the online application form, candidates will be required to upload the following:

  1. Resumé.
  2. Two relevant publications.
  3. Portfolio/Professional Website
  4. A Statement of Purpose (not exceeding 1000 words) explaining the challenges to criminal justice reporting in the current media landscape and their interest in criminal justice journalism centred around the defence.

Click Here to Apply

 

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an online interview and The Square Circle Clinic reserves the right to conduct further rounds of assessment.

Due to the volume of applications we are likely to receive, we are unable to reply to individual queries about the status of applications. Only applicants shortlisted for interviews will be contacted.

If you do not hear from us within two weeks after the deadline, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

Deadline: Applications must be submitted no later than 11:00 PM on 25 September 2026. Interview dates will be notified separately to shortlisted candidates. The selection process will be completed by 30th October 2026.

Pieces Published by the Previous Cohort

Seven murders, one confession and missing evidence: The ‘Ripper’ story
Nidheesh MK in The News Minute

Unsound bind: An inmate’s ordeal reveals the mental-health crisis in India’s prisons
Artika Raj in The Caravan

Year After Dalit Cook’s Death In Tamil Nadu Police Custody, Family Faces Penury, As State Lapses Into Familiar Silence
Smitha TK in Article 14

Note

  • NALSAR University of Law is an equal opportunity employer.
  • NALSAR University of Law reserves the right to not fill the position or vary the number of positions vacant for this call or to conduct additional rounds of selection.
  • The Square Circle Clinic works on behalf of all prisoners sentenced to death and undertrials, regardless of the offence involved.
  • If you have any queries, please write to us at squarecirclerecruitment@nalsar.ac.in. However, please note that we cannot provide application status updates.