Supreme Court Lawyers Welfare Trust opens applications for Justice JS Verma Fellowships

The Supreme Court Lawyers Welfare Trust (SCLWT) is now accepting applications for the Justice JS Verma Fellowship, a program designed to support three young advocates who are committed to developing a career in the Supreme Court of India.

The SCLWT was created in 2008 with a large donation from a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court. The Trust works to help lawyers who practice in the Supreme Court by creating professional opportunities and welfare programs.

One of the Trust’s main goals is to support hardworking young lawyers who want to practice before the Supreme Court. The Justice JS Verma Fellowships were started to meet this goal and have earlier been awarded to talented young advocates.

The Trust was earlier chaired by the late Justice JS Verma and Justice Mukul Mudgal. The current Chairperson is retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Aftab Alam.

The Trustees include prominent lawyers, namely Chander Uday Singh, Mamata Kachwaha, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Raghenth Basant, Rahul Narayan, Vrinda Bhandari, Pallav Mongia, Nikhil Singhvi, Jaikriti S Jadeja, and Adit S Pujari.

Details about the fellowship:

What the fellowship offers:

• A monthly stipend of ₹30,000 for two years.

• A one-time subscription to SCCOnline® in their name.

Eligibility criteria:

• Must be enrolled with any State Bar Council in India.

• Preference will be given to those with 2 to 5 years of court practice.

• Work in law firms, clerkships, teaching, or other non-litigation roles will not count as court practice. However, if the applicant has 2–5 years of real court experience and also has some extra non-litigation work experience, they can still apply as long as they clearly plan to practice in the Supreme Court.

• Applicants must be ready to commit to at least two years of practice at the Supreme Court.

How to apply:

Send the following documents to scwelfaretrust@gmail.com before December 20, 2025:

• Your updated CV.

• A 1000-word essay on any case you have worked on or followed closely.

• A 300-word statement on why you deserve the fellowship. Applicants may focus on their socio-economic background and personal circumstances to justify their candidature.

All applications will first be reviewed by a group of Trustees, who will shortlist 15 candidates for the final round. These shortlisted applicants will then be invited for interviews, which will be conducted in January 2026 by the Chairperson, Justice Aftab Alam, along with a few Trustees.

After the interviews, three candidates will be selected for the Justice JS Verma Fellowship. The fellowship will begin from the date it is awarded. All shortlisted applicants will receive an email notification regarding the next steps.