Justice J.S. Verma Fellowship – Call for Applications Supreme Court Lawyers Welfare Trust (SCLWT)

One of the Trust’s core objectives is to encourage and assist diligent young advocates aspiring to practise before the Supreme Court. The Justice J.S. Verma Fellowships were instituted in furtherance of this objective and have previously been awarded to several meritorious young practitioners.

The Trust was earlier chaired by Late Justice J.S. Verma and Justice Mukul Mudgal. The current Chairperson is Justice Aftab Alam (Retd.), former Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Board of Trustees

The Trust is administered by a distinguished panel of Trustees, including:

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

Fellowship Benefits

The Justice J.S. Verma Fellowship offers the following support:

* Monthly stipend of ₹30,000 for a period of two years

* One-time SCCOnline® subscription in the Fellow’s name

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

* Must be enrolled with any State Bar Council in India

* **Preference will be given to candidates with 2–5 years of active court practice

* Experience in law firms, clerkships, academia, or other non-litigation roles will not be considered as court practice

* Candidates with 2–5 years of genuine court practice who also have limited non-litigation experience may apply, provided they clearly demonstrate a commitment to practising before the Supreme Court

* Applicants must be willing to commit to at least two years of practice before the Supreme Court of India

Application Process

Interested candidates must submit the following documents on or before 20 December 2025 to:

???? [scwelfaretrust@gmail.com](mailto:scwelfaretrust@gmail.com)

Required Documents:

1. Updated Curriculum Vitae

2. A 1,000-word essay on any case the applicant has worked on or followed closely

3. A 300-word statement of purpose explaining why the applicant deserves the fellowship (candidates may highlight their socio-economic background and personal circumstances, where relevant)

Selection Process

* All applications will be reviewed by a panel of Trustees

* 15 candidates will be shortlisted for the final round

* Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews in January 2026, to be conducted by **Justice Aftab Alam (Retd.), along with selected Trustees

* Three candidates will be selected for award of the Justice J.S. Verma Fellowship

* The Fellowship shall commence from the date of award

* All shortlisted applicants will be notified via email regarding further steps

If you wish, I can also:

* Prepare a shortened version for Bar & Bench / LinkedIn,

* Draft a formal PDF brochure, or

* Convert this into a call-for-applications notice format

Just let me know.