All members of Project 39A at National Law University Delhi (NLU Delhi) are set to move to the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad (NALSAR)..From March 31, 2025, the team will continue their work under a new banner, The Square Circle Clinic, which will have offices in Delhi, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Pune.This will mark the end of more than a decade-long association with NLU Delhi, where Project 39A was first established.In an official statement, the clinic also expressed gratitude to NLU Delhi,“We thank National Law University Delhi for supporting our work at Project 39A over the years. Our research, pro bono legal representation, and public discourse has been driven by our commitment to the constitutional vision of equal access to justice for all. At our new home, The Square Circle Clinic, we will expand our leading work in the criminal justice space, and the diverse body of work we have built including on mental health, incarceration, forensics, sentencing, legal aid, capital punishment, custodial violence, prison art education, and storytelling initiatives.”.Project 39A was set up around 2014 as a criminal justice research and legal aid program as part of NLU Delhi. Inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, its activities include extending free legal assistance to death row prisoners and research into criminal justice issues like the death penalty, torture, legal aid, mental health and forensics.Project 39A’s past work has resulted in 26 acquittals and 50 commutations, the latest press announcement noted. In collaboration with the District Legal Services Authorities, the initiative’s work on representing undertrial prisoners in Pune and Nagpur Central Prisons is also said to have led to the release of 1,625 individuals..Commenting on the decision to move to NALSAR as The Square Circle Clinic, it added,“We are excited about this new chapter and the opportunities that it presents. We look forward to strengthening existing relationships and forging new partnerships as we embark on this journey. As The Square Circle Clinic at NALSAR Hyderabad we will further our vision of equal access to justice for all.”
