Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms

What is the Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms?

The Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms was launched on 26 September 2013 by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice. According to the scheme details, its purpose is to promote research and studies on issues connected with the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, which the Department of Justice implements.

The scheme provides financial assistance for undertaking action research, evaluation studies, monitoring studies, capacity building, publishing reports and promoting innovative programmes in the areas of justice delivery, legal research and judicial reforms. Financial assistance is subject to an overall ceiling of Rs 25,00,000 (Rupees twenty-five lakh) per project, although the Project Sanctioning Committee may relax this ceiling in exceptional cases involving a large scope, sample size or project duration.

This is an institutional research-funding scheme, not a personal benefit. It is important to understand that from the outset: there is no application form for a citizen, a lawyer, a litigant or a student. The scheme works through invited project proposals from a defined list of institutions, and funding flows to the grantee institution, not to any individual.

Key features of the scheme

• Launched on 26 September 2013 by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.
• Supports the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms.
• Funds research, evaluation and monitoring studies, seminars and conferences, capacity building, publications, and innovative programmes.
• Financial assistance capped at Rs 25,00,000 per project, relaxable in exceptional cases.
• Open only to named institutions, by invitation, not to individuals.

Who is eligible for the Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms?

Eligible applicants are limited to specified institutions. The scheme lists the following as eligible:

• Indian Institute of Public Administration
• Administrative Staff College of India
• Indian Institutes of Management
• Indian Law Institute
• National Law Universities
• National Council of Applied Economic Research
• National Judicial Academy
• State Judicial Academies

The institution must be working in one of these fields: justice delivery; legal education and research; or judicial reforms. In addition, a government institute or organisation, or a government-aided institute or organisation, may be allowed to apply if the Project Sanctioning Committee finds it suitable for undertaking a project permissible under the scheme.

Who cannot apply: individual citizens, researchers, advocates, law students and NGOs cannot apply for a personal grant. The scheme is not an open, first-come funding line: institutions are selected and invited by the Department of Justice, so an eligible institution also cannot simply file a proposal unsolicited; it is invited to do so for an identified subject.

What the scheme funds

According to the scheme, financial assistance is extended for:

• Action research, evaluation studies and monitoring studies in justice delivery, legal research and judicial reforms.
• Seminars, conferences and workshops on relevant subjects.
• Capacity building for research and monitoring activities.
• Publication of reports or material.
• Promotion of innovative programmes or activities in justice delivery, legal research and judicial reforms.

How is the financial assistance released?

The financial assistance is given on agreed terms and conditions based on the project proposal submitted by the eligible implementing agency, and is limited strictly to the actual expenditure incurred by the grantee institution. The scheme sets out the following disbursal conditions:

• Assistance may be given in instalments.
• At least 10% of the project cost is kept for payment as the final instalment.
• The final instalment is paid only upon acceptance of the final project report by the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, Department of Justice.
• Each instalment is released only upon the approval of the Integrated Finance Division of the Ministry of Law and Justice.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms

The scheme does not follow an open application system. The process, as set out in the scheme guidelines, works entirely through invited institutional proposals:

1. Invitation for proposals, the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, Department of Justice, identifies subjects and invites selected implementing agencies (from the eligible institutions) to submit proposals.
2. Preparation and submission of the proposal — the selected institution prepares a comprehensive project proposal setting out the objectives, methodology, detailed timelines and a full breakdown of the estimated cost, and submits it to the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms.
3. Consideration by the Project Sanctioning Committee: all proposals are placed before the Project Sanctioning Committee. When the Committee considers a proposal from the Indian Law Institute or the National Judicial Academy, the Directors of those bodies recuse themselves. The Committee's decision is final and binding.
4. Financial approval and release: after the Committee's approval, the proposal goes to the Integrated Finance Division of the Ministry of Law and Justice, and the assistance is released in instalments against actual expenditure.

Help and where to check details

Because this is an institution-facing scheme run by invitation, the point of contact is the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, through its portal at doj.gov.in, and specifically the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms. Individuals looking for a personal legal-aid or research benefit should note that this scheme is not for them; free legal aid for citizens is provided separately through the Legal Services Authorities, not through this research-funding scheme. General queries about the scheme listing can be raised with the myScheme helpdesk at 011-24303714 (9:00 AM to 5:30 PM).

How to check your application status

There is no online tracking portal, application ID or dashboard for this scheme, because it does not run through a public application form. Status has to be followed up through the institution that was invited to submit a proposal, at each of the following stages:

• After submitting the proposal: the nodal officer or project coordinator at the institution should confirm receipt with the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms at the Department of Justice, rather than waiting passively for a response.
• While the proposal is with the Project Sanctioning Committee: the institution's authorised representative (typically the head of the department or the principal investigator named in the proposal) can write to the Department of Justice asking whether the Committee has taken up the proposal, and whether any clarification or revision has been sought.
• After Committee approval, during financial processing: once a proposal is approved, it moves to the Integrated Finance Division of the Ministry of Law and Justice for release of funds. Delays at this stage are common for instalment-based grants, so the grantee institution's finance or accounts office should follow up directly with the Integrated Finance Division rather than the Department of Justice.
• For an ongoing, already-funded project: status of a pending instalment is tied to submission and acceptance of interim progress reports and expenditure statements. The grantee institution should confirm these have reached the National Mission and been found in order, since an incomplete report is the most common reason an instalment is held back.
• General queries about the scheme: the myScheme helpdesk (011-24303714, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM) can clarify how the scheme listing works, but it cannot check the status of a specific institution's proposal or grant. For that, the Department of Justice at doj.gov.in, and specifically the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, is the only real point of contact.

Because everything runs on direct institutional correspondence rather than a tracking number, it helps to keep a written record (letter or email reference, date of submission, name of the official contacted) at every stage, since there is no system-generated acknowledgment to fall back on.

Common reasons for rejection

Since this scheme has no open application window, "rejection" here mainly means a proposal that is not selected by the Project Sanctioning Committee, or an instalment that is withheld. The recurring reasons are:

• The applicant institution does not fall in the named eligible list. Only the Indian Institute of Public Administration, the Administrative Staff College of India, the IIMs, the Indian Law Institute, National Law Universities, the National Council of Applied Economic Research, the National Judicial Academy and State Judicial Academies are named as eligible, along with government or government-aided institutes the Committee separately finds suitable. A proposal from a private NGO, a law firm, an unaffiliated researcher or a non-listed university is turned down on eligibility grounds alone. Fix: only a named institution, or a government/government-aided body the Committee has already accepted as suitable, should submit a proposal, and only when invited.
• The proposal was submitted without an invitation. The scheme works by the Department of Justice identifying a subject and inviting specific institutions; an unsolicited proposal from an otherwise-eligible institution can be set aside simply because it does not correspond to an identified, invited subject. Fix: institutions should route interest through the Department of Justice or the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms first, rather than submitting a complete proposal cold.
• The proposal lacks a full cost breakdown, methodology or timeline. The Committee evaluates proposals on the objectives, methodology, detailed timelines and estimated cost; a proposal that is vague on any of these, or that quotes a lump sum without justification, is weak ground for approval. Fix: itemise the estimated cost against specific activities (fieldwork, seminars, publication, personnel) and set out a realistic, stage-wise timeline.
• The requested amount is poorly justified relative to scope. Assistance is capped at Rs 25,00,000 per project, and the Committee only relaxes this for a genuinely large scope, sample size or duration. A request near or above the ceiling without a correspondingly large, well-argued scope invites reduction or rejection of the budget. Fix: size the budget to the actual scope, and if seeking a relaxation of the ceiling, explicitly justify it with the scale of the study.
• An instalment is withheld for incomplete expenditure or progress reporting. Because assistance is limited strictly to actual expenditure incurred, and at least 10% of the project cost is held back for the final instalment pending acceptance of the final report, any gap in the financial or progress reporting during the project directly delays or blocks further release. Fix: submit expenditure statements and progress reports on the agreed schedule, matched item-for-item to the approved budget heads, so the Integrated Finance Division and the National Mission have no basis to hold the payment.
• The final report is not accepted by the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms. The last instalment depends specifically on this acceptance, not merely on submission of a report. A report that does not address the original objectives, or that is submitted well past the agreed project timeline, risks non-acceptance. Fix: keep the final report closely aligned to the objectives and methodology in the originally approved proposal, and flag any deviation to the National Mission before the report is finalised, rather than after submission.