Case Explained: The State of the System – Legal Perspective

Naveed Mehmood Ahmad (Senior Resident Fellow and Lead, Crime and Punishment)

Naveed is Senior Resident Fellow and Lead with the Crime and Punishment Team at Vidhi. His work focuses on decriminalisation of India’s legislative landscape and reimagining India’s approach towards Crime & Punishment. Previously, Naveed has worked on criminalisation of drug use and evaluated the government response to increasing violence against women. Naveed holds an undergraduate degree in law from National University of Law, Punjab and a Masters in Law from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Ayushi Sharma (Senior Resident Fellow)

Ayushi is a Senior Resident Fellow with the Crime & Punishment Team at Vidhi. Her work focuses on mapping of India’s criminal law landscape and developing a framework for principle based criminal law making. Prior to joining Vidhi, she worked at Nirma University and National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar. She writes regularly for various national media outlets like Times of India, the Deccan Herald, Economic and Political Weekly etc. She graduated from National University of Law, Punjab (RGNUL) and obtained her Masters from the Indian Law Institute, Delhi. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at National Law Institute University, Bhopal, where her research is focused on violence against sexual minorities.

Aashna Mansata (Research Fellow)

Aashna is a Research Fellow with the Criminal Justice team at Vidhi. Having recently completed their B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) from Symbiosis Law School, Pune, they are keenly interested in Constitutional, Administrative, and Criminal Law. Outside of professional engagements, Aashna finds their greatest joy in animals and food, and also enjoys music, competitive parliamentary debate, and political and historical fiction.

Sriyanshi Bhatt (Research Fellow)

Sriyanshi is a Research Fellow with the Criminal Justice Team at Vidhi. She has recently graduated from Jindal Global Law School with a BA LLB (Hons.). Before joining Vidhi, she briefly worked with Centre for Social Justice which provided her the opportunity to work in close collaboration with various stakeholders operating within Human Rights delivery framework(s). As a law student, she has interned with the Centre of Law, Justice and Society, People’s Union of Civil Liberties (Delhi), and Alternative Law Forum, focusing on the interaction of vulnerable groups with the law.

Ishaan Bamba (Senior Resident Fellow)

Ishaan Bamba is a Senior Resident Fellow with the Crime & Punishment Team at Vidhi. Ishaan graduated from Amity Law School, Delhi, with a B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) and completed his Master’s in Public Policy at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. Prior to joining Vidhi, he worked as a Senior Policy Analyst at Swaniti Initiative, a Child Rights Fellow with the Delhi Government, and a Young Professional at NITI Aayog. At Swaniti, he provided research and technical support to Members of Parliament (MPs) and civil society organisations on issues of human trafficking, bonded labour, and child labour. As a Child Rights Fellow with the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), Government of NCT of Delhi, he worked directly on the implementation and monitoring of various child-related policies, impacting both institutions and beneficiaries. Thereafter, at NITI Aayog, his work focused on revitalising the Planning Departments across States and Union Territories, as well as on implementing the State Support Mission, a Central Sector Scheme.

Shailee Basu (Research Fellow)

Shailee recently graduated with B.A. LL.B. (Hons) from National Law University Odisha. During the course of their law school, Shailee has worked with the Chief Justice of India, Dr Justice DY Chandrachud, public policy clinics, and law firms among others. Their passion for exploring the nuances of environmental law, animal rights, and policy has defined their professional trajectory. Beyond this, Shailee’s interests extend to gender justice and data protection laws, reflecting both a professional calling and a deeply personal commitment. In their free time, you would find them cozy with a book, petting their paw-friends, or baking