Biography
Rishika was an integral part of the Death Penalty Research Project at NLU Delhi, the first-ever attempt in India at an empirical study of the administration of the death penalty. Rishika interviewed prisoners on death row across India, and their families, to document the inherent structural violence in the criminal justice system inflicted on the most marginalised sections. During her internship with the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group (Bastar) she contributed towards improving access to justice for indigenous communities in the heart of the conflict zone in Central India. In the final year of her law degree, Rishika was a teaching assistant for the course on Constitutional Law, and assisted in writing a chapter for the 'Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution'. As convener of the Student Welfare Committee, she strived towards addressing issues of caste, gender and sexuality on campus. After graduating, Rishika has clerked at the Supreme Court with the Chief Justice of India. At Oxford, Rishika will focus on rights adjudication and constitutional law.