Bypassing funds crunch: Top Ahmedabad NGO to go all-India with its new business model for social cause

Gagan Sethi, Madhava Menon, Rajendra Joshi

By A Representative
In an apparent move to bypass foreign funding dilemma, a top Ahmedabad-based NGO, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), working in the arena of social justice lawyering, has decided to go all-India with its Nyayika experiment, operating as a non-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. The Act allows setting up private limited companies to “promote” commerce, art, science, charity or any other “useful” activities on a no-profit-no-loss basis. Currently, Nyayika operates from eight centres in Gujarat -- Ahwa, Modasa, Mandvi, Bharuch, Palanpur, Amreli, Vadodara and Ahmedabad – providing affordable legal services to vulnerable sections.
A high-level seminar at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, Chanakyapuri, Delhi, sponsored by CSJ, was told, over the next five years, Nyayika envisages setting up new centres in Gujarat but also expanding to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab. In all 30 centres will be opened, it was pointed out at the seminar, adding, they will work within the framework of combining the business model of a law firm and the NGO model of empowering vulnerable sections through outreach programmes.
Critical of “voluntary organization-run free legal aid centres” which Nyayika said face issues of “poor accountability towards clients and lack of continued funding, making them unsustainable over a long period of time”, a book showcasing Nayika insisted, “As a result of this, people seeking legal services are left with no option but to face exploitation in the hands of mainstream lawyers who often charge fees arbitrarily and offer mediocre services.”
While the decision to take the Nyayika experiment all-India comes amidst shrinking scope for foreign funding to NGOs in the recent past, first during the UPA regime and now under the NDA, a demonstration at the seminar was made before senior lawyers, social activists and experts suggested how the model of providing legal services at affordable fees from clients to sustain its operations could actually become viable.

The Nyayika book titled “Setting up Social Justice Law Firms: Experiences of Nyayika” released on November 9 at the seminar said the Nyayika experiment in Gujarat was based on a “business model with its own revenue generation and expenditure plans and which is dependent on collection of fees for services provided for its sustainability and growth.” It added, Nyayika provides “quality professional legal services charging affordable fee in order to subsidize those who cannot pay”.
Called “National Meet of Social Justice Lawyers”, the Nyayika seminar saw release of the book by top legal luminary Prof Madhava Menon, currently chancellor, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Chhattisgarh. Participants included Nyayika founders Rajendra Joshi of the SAATH Charitable Trust, Ahmedabad; Gagan Sethi, chairman of Janvikas, Ahmedabad; Nupur Sinha, executive director of Centre for Social Justice, Ahmedabad; and Satyajeet Majumdar, CEO, Nyayika.
The book, which points towards how Nyayika has functioned ever since it was founded in October 2013, says the organization is based on a revenue sharing model where 70 per cent of the earnings are used to meet recurring expenditure of those who enter into agreement with Nyayika as associates to provide legal services, and 30 per cent are taken by the company to meet its expenses. At the same time, Nyayika promotes a franchise model, under which overall operations are planned, coordinated and monitored by a central team, and the local operators are responsibility of the franchisee. The company invests in fixed costs while the recurring costs are borne by the franchisee.
The total number of cases handled so far by Nyayika is 1,217, the book informs, adding, Nyayika centres “provided legal advice, assisted entitlement holders to apply for benefits under government schemes, and carried out conciliation and filed court cases on behalf of the clients, all of which is included in this figure. The cases handled mostly comprised of cases of violence against women (193 cases), cases of workmen’s rights (59 cases) and land rights (301 cases).” It also took up “consumer disputes, cases of fraud, dishonor of cheques and property disputes.”

Comments

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

As India logs historic emissions drop, expert warns govt against 'policy blunders'

By A Representative In a significant development that underscores the rapid transformation of India's energy landscape, new data reveals the country recorded its largest drop in power sector emissions in 2025. However, a top power sector analyst has urged the Union Government to view this "silver lining" as a stark warning against continuing to invest in new coal, large hydro, and nuclear projects, which he argues could become "redundant" stranded assets.

Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque under siege: A test of Muslim solidarity and Palestine’s future

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* In the cacophony of Israel’s and the United States’ attack on Iran, one piece of news has been buried under the debris of war: Israel has closed the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to Palestinian worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan. The closure, announced as indefinite, affects the third most revered mosque in the Islamic world.

Fresh citizenship framework suggested amidst electoral roll concerns

By Kathyayini Chamaraj The ongoing exercise of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has raised serious concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of large numbers of citizens. In many instances, people are being asked to produce retrospective documents to establish their citizenship—documents that many genuine citizens are unable to provide. The challenge before policymakers is to identify prospective amendments to the Citizenship Act that would ensure that no legitimate citizen is excluded either from citizenship or from the electoral roll.

NGO Arunoday’s journey of support and struggle: Standing firm with the distressed

By Bharat Dogra It was a situation of acute distress. Nearly ten thousand people returning to their villages during the COVID-19 pandemic had gathered at the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh near Kanha. Exhausted after walking long distances with little or no food, they were desperate for relief. Yet entry could not be granted without completing essential records and complying with pandemic rules.

How wars are undermining climate promises even as accelerating global warming

By N.S. Venkataraman* Since 1995, global climate conferences have convened annually, with the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) held in November 2024. These gatherings attract world leaders and generate extensive media coverage, raising hopes of decisive strategies to address the climate emergency. Yet, despite lofty promises and ambitious targets, the crisis remains unabated.

Search This Blog