The Lokpal of India Internship Scheme

What is the Lokpal of India Internship Scheme?

The Lokpal of India Internship Scheme is the student-internship programme run by the Lokpal of India, the statutory anti-corruption ombudsman set up under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. Through this scheme the Lokpal gives students practical exposure to anti-corruption law, governance frameworks, institutional accountability and policy mechanisms by having them work at the Lokpal's office in New Delhi under the guidance of its officers.

According to the scheme details, the internship is short and structured. It runs for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks, is conducted offline at the Lokpal office, and carries a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month paid on successful completion. The Lokpal provides workspace and internet, but interns must bring their own laptop. The programme is aimed at serious students of law and public affairs who want to understand how a constitutional-level integrity institution actually works.

During the internship, interns are typically attached to officers and asked to assist with research and reference work: reading anti-corruption statutes and case law, summarising material, and helping prepare notes on governance and accountability questions. Because the Lokpal handles sensitive complaints against public functionaries, interns are expected to maintain confidentiality and follow the office's conduct requirements throughout their term. The experience is therefore closer to a supervised research attachment inside a statutory body than to a general office placement.

Who is eligible for the Lokpal of India Internship Scheme?

A student can apply if they:

• Are pursuing a regular undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Law, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, Management, Economics or Human Rights.
• Secured at least 75% (or equivalent) in Class 12.
• If an undergraduate, have completed at least two years of the course with the required aggregate in the years completed.
• If a postgraduate, have the required aggregate in their undergraduate degree.
• Can attend in person at the New Delhi office and bring their own laptop.

A candidate cannot apply and is not eligible if they:

• Are studying a subject outside the listed disciplines.
• Do not meet the minimum marks at Class 12 or degree level.
• Cannot obtain a recommendation from their HOD, Dean or Principal.
• Cannot attend the internship offline in New Delhi.

Note that the exact undergraduate and postgraduate aggregate cut-offs have been stated slightly differently across the Lokpal's internship notifications, so confirm the marks required against the current notification before applying.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Lokpal of India Internship Scheme

The scheme has no online self-application. Applications are routed through the applicant's institution to the Lokpal office.

1. Download the prescribed application form in the annexed format from the Lokpal internship notification on lokpal.gov.in.
2. Get it recommended by the head of department, Dean or Principal of your college or university.
3. Attach the supporting documents: the institutional recommendation, Class 12 and higher mark sheets, and a self-attested Aadhaar card.
4. Send the application to the Under Secretary (Establishment), Lokpal of India, 6 Vasant Kunj Institutional Area Phase-II, New Delhi 110070, so that it reaches at least three months before the proposed start date.
5. If selected, report in person with the original documents for verification and complete the 6 to 12 week internship; the Rs 10,000 per month stipend is paid on successful completion.

How much benefit does the scheme provide?

The scheme pays a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month, released on successful completion of the internship. Beyond the stipend, the real value is the experience of working inside the country's apex anti-corruption body and the internship certificate that follows.

Help and where to check

The Lokpal does not publish a dedicated internship helpline. Applications and queries go to the Under Secretary (Establishment), Lokpal of India at the New Delhi address above, and the current notification, form and eligibility cut-offs should be confirmed on lokpal.gov.in before applying.

How to check your application status

The Lokpal of India Internship Scheme has no online portal, dashboard or tracking ID, so there is no login-based way to check status. Since applications move entirely on paper through the Under Secretary (Establishment), follow-up has to be done the same way.

1. Wait out the lead time first. Because applications must reach the office at least three months before the proposed start date, do not expect a response in the first few weeks. Give the office reasonable time to process the batch of applications received for that intake period before following up.
2. Confirm delivery of your application. If you sent the form by post or courier, keep the tracking number or acknowledgement receipt. This is the only proof you have that your application reached the Lokpal office, since there is no acknowledgement email or SMS.
3. Follow up in writing. Since there is no public helpline number for the internship desk, send a written query (by post, or through your institution) addressed to the Under Secretary (Establishment), Lokpal of India, 6 Vasant Kunj Institutional Area Phase-II, New Delhi 110070, referencing the date your application was sent and the internship period applied for.
4. Route follow-up through your college where possible. Because the original application was routed through your HOD, Dean or Principal, a follow-up from the institution often gets a faster response than an individual student writing in directly.
5. Treat silence as the default outcome. Given the volume of applications the office receives against a small number of internship slots, many applicants never get an explicit rejection letter. If you have not heard back reasonably close to your proposed start date, it is safe to assume that intake did not select you and to apply again for a later window if you still meet the eligibility criteria.
6. Check lokpal.gov.in for fresh notifications. Since each internship cycle is announced through a fresh notification on the official site, checking there periodically is the most reliable way to know whether a new intake is open, rather than waiting on a response to an old application.

Common reasons for rejection

Because the scheme is manually screened against a fixed set of academic and procedural conditions, most rejections trace back to a small number of avoidable gaps rather than the merit of the applicant.

• Studying a subject outside the eligible list. Only Law, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, Management, Economics and Human Rights qualify. Applicants from Engineering, Commerce, pure Science or other streams are screened out regardless of academic strength. Fix: confirm your specific degree and specialisation is genuinely covered before applying, not just broadly "arts" or "social science".
• Missing the Class 12 marks threshold. The scheme requires at least 75% (or equivalent) in Class 12. Applications with marks below this cut-off, or with an unclear conversion from a grading system to a percentage, are rejected on this ground alone. Fix: attach a clear percentage-equivalent calculation if your board uses grades or CGPA, so the scrutiny does not default to rejecting an ambiguous figure.
• Undergraduates applying too early. Since undergraduates must have completed at least two years of their course, first-year and early second-year students who apply before completing that period are not eligible yet. Fix: wait until you have actually finished two full years before submitting, rather than applying speculatively.
• No recommendation from the HOD, Dean or Principal. The prescribed form requires an institutional recommendation, not just the student's own signature. An application without this endorsement, or with a recommendation from someone not authorised to sign (such as a subject teacher instead of the HOD or Principal), is treated as incomplete. Fix: get the recommendation from the correct designated authority at your institution before sending the form.
• Sent too close to the proposed start date. Since applications must reach the office at least three months in advance, forms submitted late for the internship period requested are turned down purely on timing, even if the applicant is otherwise fully eligible. Fix: calculate the three-month window backward from your intended start date and post the application well within it, accounting for postal delay.
• Incomplete or missing supporting documents. An application without the Class 12 and higher mark sheets, or without a self-attested Aadhaar card, is typically not processed further, since these establish both eligibility and identity. Fix: attach every listed document with the form itself rather than assuming it can be sent later.
• Unable to commit to the in-person, offline format. Since the internship is conducted only at the New Delhi office and requires the intern to bring a personal laptop, applicants who cannot relocate to Delhi for the full 6 to 12 week duration, or who cannot arrange their own laptop, are not viable candidates even if selected on paper. Fix: confirm you can actually attend on-site for the full period, and arrange your own laptop and accommodation, before applying.