About the Project

NLSIU is undertaking research projects which involve empirical analysis of criminal justice issues. The projects will use public legal data to study the process and decision-making of judicial institutions. One of the projects will utilise natural language processing tools to mine data embedded in judgements and orders, addressing major research questions related to criminal justice system outcomes in India.

In particular, the study will examine sentencing patterns, undertrial incarceration, bail decisions, and the influence of social groups and regional disparities on these outcomes.  By creating a new, publicly accessible dataset that includes the full text of case decisions and hearings, the project aims to facilitate a broad spectrum of research on various legal and social issues, potentially benefiting a wide range of stakeholders interested in legal reforms in India.

Role Description

The Researcher will work under the supervision of faculty members leading these projects – Prof. Mrinal Satish, Prof. Aparna Chandra, Prof. Rahul Hemrajani and Prof. Nikita Ahalyan. The projects involve desk, as well as field research and will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Navigate the eCourts platform to identify and document important structural elements of the Indian legal system.
• Hand-code cases from the eCourts website to develop a robust training dataset.
• Analyse judicial decisions to extract and synthesise data.
• Assist in the development of the legal database and open data portal.
• Conduct detailed research on judicial performance metrics, including sentencing patterns and bail decisions.
• Help prepare documentation, reports, and presentations for dissemination among legal scholars and policy-makers.
• Engage in regular project meetings with the team and collaborate across different segments of the project.
• Handling administrative responsibilities under the project.
• Working with project leads in writing reports/papers relating to the project.

Eligibility

Essential

• LL.B degree OR Masters Degree in an allied discipline, with demonstrated training and experience in coding and analysing large government datasets.

Desirable

• Candidates with relevant research experience will be preferred.
• Candidates who have experience in undertaking empirical research will be preferred.
• Prior experience with coding or statistical analysis is desirable.

Experience

Essential

• 0-5 years of work experience in an academic or professional setting with demonstrable evidence of research and writing ability.

How to Apply?

Please use the Google form (attached at the end of the post), and include the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV
• A statement of purpose indicating, for instance, why you have applied for this role, how it fits in your career trajectory, and why you are a good fit for the role (not more than 500 words)
• Contact details and designation of two referees
• A sole-authored writing sample (published or unpublished)

Compensation

Salary will be commensurate with qualification and experience and will be in the range of Rs. 50,000-Rs.80,000 per month.

Deadline

The last date for submission of applications is January 9, 2026.

Contact

For any queries, please write to recruitment@nls.ac.in

Click here to apply.

Click here for the official notification.