People Type: Researchers

Abhilasha Chattopadhyay has over seven years of experience in research, project management, and policy analysis with a focus on gender justice, social inequality, and public health.

Abhilasha holds a BA in Sociology from Hindu College, Delhi University, and MA in Sociology and a PhD in Sociology from Ambedkar University, Delhi.  Her doctoral research centered on matrimonial mediation within the Delhi High Court – where her ethnographic study of over 150 disputes highlighted the complex legal frameworks and systemic challenges faced by women in family dispute resolution.

Throughout her career, Abhilasha has worked alongside distinguished scholars and organizations to drive research-based policy initiatives aimed at addressing social issues. Her experience spans managing multi-stakeholder projects, facilitating gender advocacy, and contributing to impactful discourse on women’s rights and social justice.

Outside of her professional commitments, Abhilasha is a dedicated sports enthusiast who enjoys basketball, frisbee, and board games.

Publications

• Chattopadhyay, A. (2024, September 25). The myth of overworking: Reducing workload and hours actually improves productivity, research shows. Scroll.in.
• Chattopadhyay, A. (2024, July 5). Can a law end gig workers’ troubles in Karnataka? The Wire.
• Chattopadhyay, A. (2021). Steering through complicated adoption laws amidst the storm of Covid-19. In Caring for children, responding to vulnerability. Centre for Publishing, Ambedkar University Delhi.
• Chattopadhyay, A. (2021, December 26). Age at marriage debate: A band-aid to bullet hole. Indian Cultural Forum.
• Chattopadhyay, A. (2020, August 13). There’s no place like home and yet there’s no place at home. Indian Cultural Forum.
• Chattopadhyay, A. (2019, March 2). Why reading Harsh Mander’s Partitions of the Heart is the need of the hour? Indian Cultural Forum.
• Chattopadhyay, A. (2019, January 28). Justice Lokur, a people’s judge: Indira Jaising. Indian Cultural Forum.
• Chattopadhyay, A., & Chowdhury, S. (2018, October 10). Can the (married) woman speak? Indian Cultural Forum.

Abhishek has been involved in various independent and collaborative research engagements that primarily focussed on the questions of the functioning of state institutions, state processes, and their interaction with and accountability towards citizens. He is a founding member of the Uttarakhand Research Group.

He was awarded the Girish Sant Memorial Young Researcher Fellowship in 2018-19 to evaluate the Social Impact Assessment framework in India with a focus on a proposed hydropower project in the Indo-Nepal border. He also looked into the questions of accountability in environmental governance under this research fellowship.

Abhishek holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Governance.

Publications

Research Reports/Chapters

• ‘Reflections on Social Impact Assessment in Indian Context: An Engagement with SIA report of Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project’, GSM Fellowship, Prayas Energy Group. (March 2020, available here).
• ‘CAG Audit Reports and Hydropower Projects: A Commentary’, GSM Fellowship, Prayas Energy Group. (March 2020, available here).
• Book Chapter: Himanshu U.&Abhishek Punetha, ‘Inordinate delays in the Tabling of Audit Reports in Legislatures’, Government Audit and Governance, Institute of Public Auditors of India, New Delhi (2020).

Articles

Articles in The Caravan, The Wire, Deccan Herald, Scroll, Citizen Matters, The Wire Hindi

Aditi joined NLSIU as a Research Assistant – Legal at the Centre for Child and the Law in February 2025, and is currently part of the Centre’s ‘Right to Food’ team.

She has previously worked on child rights issues across various districts of Bihar. She has also served as a Legal Consultant for FaMeTN (MSME Department, Government of Tamil Nadu).

Aditi received her B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) from National Law Institute University, Bhopal, in 2021. She completed her LLM in Law and Development from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, in 2024.

She enjoys reading and is fond of colourful things.

Akshaya (she/her) joined NLSIU as a Research Assistant in ‘Right to Food’ team at the Centre for Child and the Law in February 2025.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender politics, labour economics, social justice, and social inclusion. She is passionate about exploring how gender and caste identities interact with labour market forces that shape the economy.

Akshaya is also profoundly interested in feminist and queer social activism. She regularly engages with movements that advocate for the rights of marginalised communities. She has also contributed to research projects that deal with the challenges and opportunities around social security for unorganised sector workers.

Akshaya holds an integrated MA in Development Studies from IIT Madras. She also holds a Junior Research Fellowship in Sociology (UGC).

Amaidhi Devaraj completed her BA.LLB at University law College and Diploma in Human Rights at National Law School. She has over 18 years of experience in various disciplines from theatre, law, counselling, activism etc all directed towards social change. She has participated in a number of international conferences with topics ranging from international peace and cooperation, child rights, health and nutrition, women’s rights, gender empowerment in various countries such as the UK, USA, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Serbia, Morocco, Turkey.

She has worked in national and international organisations in the field of education, lifeskills, mentoring, health and hygiene, and public health playing roles of Manager, HR, Operation Head and Director.

She has joined CCL as the Project Director, Enabling Justice to Children in the Juvenile Justice System. She will be working with a team of lawyers and social workers to ensure children at the Observation Home have access to psycho-socio-legal services and providing necessary skill and capacity building training for all the stakeholders who work with children in conflict with law.

Amaidhi has always been passionate about social change, and she actively seeks out opportunities in both her personal and professional life to contribute towards the holistic development of society.

Publications

Akanksha Natesan, Amaidhi Devaraj, Riddhi Dsouza, Vani Sharma, ‘”Not This Week, Maybe Next”: Understanding the Working of Legal Services Provided to Children in Conflict with the Law’ in Asha Bajpai, David W. Tushaus and Mandava Rama Krishna Prasad (eds), Human Rights and Legal Services for Children and Youth: Global Perspectives (Springer 2023), pp. 41-64.

Anusha George holds a Master’s degree in Labour Studies and Social Protection from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati. She also completed her Bachelor’s in Social Sciences from the same institution. She is passionate about working toward creating a more inclusive and equitable society.

With over two years of experience in the NGO sector, she has contributed to projects that focus on community empowerment, capability building, and social inclusion.

She is eager to continue pursuing opportunities that allow her to contribute to sustainable development and social protection efforts, working toward a future where every individual has access to the opportunities they deserve.

Anushka earned her degree in law from National Law University, Delhi in 2021. After graduating, she began practising in the trial courts of Delhi as well as in the Delhi High Court, handling a variety of civil and criminal matters. She is keenly interested in issues of criminal justice, privacy and surveillance, gender and the law, and constitutional interpretation, and hopes to further the research in these areas through her work.

She has joined NLSIU as a Research Associate, and is currently working on two criminal justice research projects being undertaken by the University with the support of the Thakur Foundation: a project on Pre-Trial Processes in India, and a project on Preventive Detention in Karnataka.

Asif joined the Centre for Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI) at NLSIU in March 2018. He has work experience of over 12 years and has previously worked at United India Marketing Pvt. Ltd. and as an Area Sales Manager for Nokia and Jio.

Asif holds a Diploma in Electrical ITI.

Bharati completed her M.com in costing from Karnataka University, Dharwad and B.com from Gogate College of Commerce, Karnataka University, Dharwad. Prior to joining CCL in 2015 she was working with K.L.E. Society’s Law College, Bengaluru as Office In-charge-cum-Accountant (2009-2015).