Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

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Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is a legal think-tank and policy research organisation with offices in New Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. [1] [2] [3] Vidhi conducts research, assists in drafting legislation and policy reports, and provides advisory support to governments, regulators and other stakeholders on law and governance, with work in areas such as constitutional law, data protection, health, technology regulation, and criminal justice reform. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

History

Vidhi was founded in 2013 by Arghya Sengupta, Alok Prasanna Kumar, Debanshu Mukherjee, and Dhvani Mehta. [7] The organisation is registered in India as a not-for-profit entity and maintains an internal board of directors and a team of researchers led by its founding research director, Sengupta.

Sengupta began his career in 2010 by advising the government on the Nuclear Liability Bill. [8]

Work

Vidhi’s work comprises independent research reports, legislative and regulatory drafting assistance, impact assessments, and public engagement (seminars, workshops and briefs). [9] [10] It publishes research on topics including digital regulation and data protection, Aadhaar and identity systems, public health law (including analysis related to the Aarogya Setu contact-tracing app), criminal justice reform, and welfare/state capacity topics. [2] Vidhi’s outputs include policy briefs, longer reports, explainers and model laws intended to be practical inputs for legislators and policymakers.

Vidhi has been cited as an adviser to or participant in several government consultations and expert committees, and its researchers have served on governmental and quasi-governmental panels addressing data protection and technology policy. [11] Vidhi also partners with philanthropic foundations and educational institutions for research and capacity building. Media profiles and business registries note Vidhi’s increasing role in national policy debates since its founding. [12]

Controversies and criticisms

Vidhi’s involvement in government technology projects and data-policy work has attracted public scrutiny and criticism from journalists and commentators. Reporting in outlets such as The Caravan has questioned potential conflicts of interest where a policy research body both advises governments and undertakes paid consultancy work for agencies affected by the policies it helps design. [3] Vidhi’s role in the development and explanation of the Aarogya Setu data-access protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic has been specifically reported and debated in the press. [13] Vidhi and its leadership have responded in public forums describing their work and the intent of their contributions.

References

  1. ↑ Ananth, Venkat; Narayanan, Dinesh. "Vidhi: inside India's most influential legal think tank". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  2. 1 2 Agarwal, Surabhi; Rautray, Samanwaya (2018-01-04). "From net neutrality to IBC & Aadhaar, how Vidhi is framing key government legislation". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  3. 1 2 "From Aadhaar to Aarogya Setu, Vidhi's questionable role in technology-related policy making". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  4. ↑ "'Overcriminalising is slowing the path of justice in India'". The Week. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  5. ↑ Sharma, Prathma (2019-12-03). "'Open Data' policy can make Indian judiciary more accessible, accountable: Report". mint. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  6. ↑ Bench, Bar & (2025-04-25). "Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy launches criminal law database". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  7. ↑ Choudhury, Sonya Dutta (2013-11-01). "Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy | The law for the layman". mint. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  8. ↑ Bhuyan, Avantika (2019-05-30). "Tender Loving Counsel". Open Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  9. ↑ Narayanan, Dinesh; Ananth, Venkat. "Vidhi and the making of India's data protection law". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  10. ↑ Marik, Priyam. "How Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is shaping laws in India". The Telegraph India .{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ MK, Mithun (2020-05-12). "'Who is accountable for data breach?': Retd Justice Srikrishna to TNM on Aarogya Setu". The News Minute. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  12. ↑ Talwar, Sanya (2024-02-28). "The Vidhi-GOI Paradox". lawbeat.in. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  13. ↑ "Aadhaar's mixing of public risk and private profit". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
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