Prof. Ajay Kumar Pandey

Professor Ajay Pandey is Professor and Executive Director, Clinical Programmes at Jindal Global Law School, O. P. Jindal Global University, India. He obtained his Master of Law (LL.M.) in Clinical Legal Education at Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville, USA as a Fulbright Scholar. He also obtained Master of Philosophy (M. Phil.) in International Law from the Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India; a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Lucknow, India; and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Lucknow, India. Prof. Pandey’s areas of interest include clinical legal education; human rights; consumer rights; international law; constitutional law; legal aid to the poor; legal literacy; community empowerment; citizen participation; democracy; governance; and rule of law.

Prof. Pandey is a member of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He is a member of the steering committee of the Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE). He is a recipient of Legal Education Innovation award of the Society of Indian Law Firms and Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy Training in the year 2012 for his experiment with Clinical Legal Education in his community empowerment work. He has served as a member of the editorial board of “Kali’s Yug” (a Journal about women and law, published by Women’s Action Research and Legal Action for Women). He has edited India’s well-established monthly legal magazine, ‘Legal News and Views’, published from the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, and contributed several editorials and articles in it. His other publications include journal articles; book chapters; booklets; and newspaper articles and press releases. He also authored a puppet play for India’s National Literacy Mission. As a part of his endeavour for creating legal awareness, Prof. Pandey has done several phone-in programmes with All India Radio. Prof. Pandey initiated a consumer rights’ litigation and worked for consumer rights even before he studied law or practised as a lawyer.

He was registered as an advocate with the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh and practiced at the trial courts; initiated a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of India against smuggling of cigarettes; and represented a social- security claimant before ‘Administrative Law Judge’s Court’ in Nashville, USA. To assist the poor and needy in accessing legal aid and justice has been an intrinsic feature of Prof. Pandey’s work with different organisations. He has been associated and worked for over 25 years with non-governmental organizations on issues of human rights, consumer rights, right to information, rural governance and justice, and legal aid to the poor. He established an NGO named Antim Naagrik (the last citizen) in his hometown, Etawah, UP, India, to serve the cause of the underprivileged. He served the board of S M Sehgal Foundation as an advisor and later as its Chief Executive Officer. He is a member of the governing body of University of Delhi’s Aurobindo College and Delhi College of Arts and Commerce and charitable organisation Navjyoti India Foundation. Prof. Pandey is currently working to strengthen and promote clinical legal education and other ways to effect university community engagement. He strongly advocates inclusion of masses in educational pursuits and envisions education to be undertaken in trusteeship of the millions who are bereft of its benefits.