Maja Daruwala: Prisons are the dumping ground for all the dysfunctions in the justice system

Maja Daruwala has been an advocate for human rights and social justice for over four decades. Born in 1945, as the second daughter of Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw, Maja grew up in the cantonments of India, where her early syncretic experiences impressed upon her the fraternal and plural nature of India, then still a young nation. Maja Daruwala went on to study law in England and became a Barrister at Lincoln’s Inn. Her interests have always lain in protecting civil liberties, gender equality and systemic reform. For over twenty years, Ms. Daruwala was the director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an international NGO that advocates for the protection of human rights across the Commonwealth with a special focus on prison reform. In more recent years she has been the Convenor and the Chief Editor of the India Justice Reports. These reports are the first of their kind - reports that measures the standards of the Indian Justice System - the police and prison systems, the judiciary and legal aid system in India. The report leverages a comprehensive data set to see how the system has shifted - for better or worse - over time. Maja Daruwala is in conversation with Gautam John, a fellow lawyer and CEO of the Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. In this free wheeling conversation they discuss Maja’s early inspirations, her work in law, and her important contributions to reforming and improving upon India’s mammoth justice system. Grassroot Nation is a podcast from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and has been produced by Vaaka Media. For more information, including additional resources please go to www.rohininilekaniphilanthropies.org. AUDIO USED: Black July Protest in Downing Street | tgte protest by Lanka Media News The CHRI JOURNEY: IN OUR OWN WORDS | CHRI by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Legal awareness material 'Apnar Legal Aid' A Play on the Right to Legal Aid of Indian Prisoners by CHRI India Justice Report: An Explainer by Tata Trusts