Mr VENKATESH NAYAK is associated with CHRI in various capacities since April 2000. Before appointment as Director, CHRI India office, he was Programme Head of our Access to Information Programme since 2005 and was officiating as Director-in-Charge since December 2021.
Mr. Nayak completed his Masters and M.Phil degree in History from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He was also a doctoral research fellow at JNU.
He has authored public education documents on the basic structure of the Indian Constitution, issues of social justice, electoral reforms, efficacy of public audit mechanisms, citizens’ right to information and fact finding mission reports on human rights violations. Mr. Nayak was closely associated with the public education process and the lobbying of Members of Parliament for the Right to Information Act, 2005. He is a Co-Convenor of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information since 2011.
Mr. Nayak has designed and conducted training programmes for implementing the RTI Act 2005 for senior and middle level officers of government serving in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and West Bengal. He has been a workshop designer and resource person at training workshops organised by the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management, Delhi for Public Information Officers (PIOs) and RTI Trainers designated by the Government of India. He has been invited by the National Institute of Administration and Research of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics, the National Academy for Training and Research in Social Security, the Institute of Government Accounts and Finances, the National Academy of Direct Taxes, the Postal Staff College and the Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute as a resource person for training PIOs and senior government officers. Till date he has sensitised and trained more than 7,750 government officers in various jurisdictions.
Mr. Nayak was a member of the Sub-Committee appointed by the Policy Advisory group of SCOPE (Standing Conference of Public Enterprises) to advise Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for implementing the RTI Act. He has been a resource person at in-house training workshops organized by PSUs such as the Food Corporation of India, the National Buildings Construction Corporation of India, the Power Grid Corporation of India, the Oriental Insurance Company Ltd., and other agencies like the Punjab State Electricity Board, the West Bengal State Electricity Board, the Employees State Insurance Corporation Ltd., Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Airports Authority of India and the National Capital Region Planning Board. Till date he has trained more than 800 executives and managers of various Central and State level Public Sector Enterprises for implementing the RTI Act.
He has also developed templates for proactive disclosure of information at the level of police stations. In 2011 he convened a sub-group of the Task Force set up by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, to develop guidelines for improving proactive disclosure of information by public authorities under the RTI Act. DoPT has issued these guidelines in April and November 2013. He was a member of the committee established by the DoPT to monitor the implementation of these guidelines across public authorities. Mr. Nayak was also a member of the Task Force set up by India’s National Informatics Centre (NIC) in 2012 to monitor and advise the implementation of the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy.
The World Bank has commissioned him to undertake scoping studies and provide technical advice for implementing information access laws at various levels of government in Bangladesh and Nepal. The Constitution Commission of Fiji commissioned him in 2012 to develop a background paper on information access legislation based on comparative law. In 2016 he was commissioned by the UNDP Sri Lanka to provide technical assistance and advice based on comparative best practices for the effective implementation of the RTI Act. He also presented a paper on the status of implementation of the RTI Act in India at the 10th World Conference of the International Ombudsman Institute at Wellington, New Zealand in November 2012.
Till date he has provided technical support to governments and CSOs engaged in drafting or reforming RTI laws in Afghanistan. Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zambia. He has designed and conducted capacity building workshops on RTI for Members of Parliament, Information Commissioners, senior government officers, civil society and media representatives in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in Africa; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Jordan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam in Asia; Dominica in the Caribbean and Fiji in the Pacific.
Mr. Nayak is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Human Rights Programme of the University of Arizona.
D. Mohan Sundaram is Manager Administration of CHRI. He has a degree in Psychology and has several years of experience in governmental and non-governmental organisations. Proud to be the Guard and the Gardner of CHRI, Mohan loves to do every little thing in CHRI. Fighting all forms of hegemony and being a voice for the marginalized defines everything Mohan does. A percussion enthusiast and great of fan of Ilayaraja. He can be reached at mohan@humanrightsinitiative.org
Vinu Sampath Kumar, is Head, Strategic Planning and Collaborations, in the Director's Office, and works closely with the Director and programme teams on a variety of organisational matters, including funding, grants management, donor relations, governance and coordination between offices. She also coordinates recruitment and internships. She has a PhD in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and has many years of experience in the non-profit sector. She loves words, numbers, and a good laugh in equal measure! She can be reached at vinu@humanrightsinitiative.org.
MADHURIMA DHANUKA - ACCESS TO JUSTICE, NEW DELHI OFFICE
Madhurima Dhanuka is the Programme Lead of the Prison Reforms Programme. She is a lawyer with an LL.M. in Criminal Justice from the University of Nottingham, UK. Prior to joining CHRI she was practicing in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh. She has been associated with CHRI since 2008, and has published numerous studies, reports and resource materials on issues relating to prisoners and the criminal justice system. The primary focus area of her work has been to target unnecessary and prolonged detention of undertrials and work towards systemic interventions to prevent it. In addition to working towards ensuring effective access to legal aid for persons in custody, she has also been at the helm of a number of public interest litigations on repatriation of foreign national prisoners, detention of juveniles in prisons and ensuring physical production of accused persons in court. She has contributed to a couple of UNODC publications on legal aid and was a part of the working group who drafted the Johannesburg Principles on Access to Legal Aid in 2014. There is hardly a moment you wont find her working, in case you do, she would be cooking or reading a book. She can be reached at madhurima@humanrightsinitiative.org.
Prakhya CV is a Consultant in the Prison Reforms Programme. She is a law graduate from Jindal Global Law School. Prior to joining CHRI, she was practicing in trial courts and the High Court of Karnataka, in Bengaluru and has experience in defending children in conflict with the law. She is passionate about marginalised groups' access to justice within the criminal justice system. At CHRI, she works on documenting conditions of prisons across India, liaising with prison authorities and state legal service authorities, and advocating for refugees and asylum seekers' rights. Some of their previous work experience has been with Alternative Law Forum, Parichay: the NRC Legal Aid Clinic, and Daksh. Outside of work, you can find her playing football and playing the ukulele.
Gautam Krishna Deka is a prominent advocate at the Gauhati High Court, known for his profound legal acumen and commitment to justice. As the legal retainer for the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), he plays a pivotal role in advancing human rights in the region. His academic journey, marked by a BALLB from National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam, and an LLM from The Energy and Research Institute, New Delhi, laid a strong foundation for his legal career.
Deka's work with UNICEF in Assam, where he led capacity-building programs and child rights seminars, underscores his dedication to social justice. His practice at the Gauhati High Court is diverse, with a primary focus on constitutional, company, and civil matters, while also handling complex criminal cases and preventive detention matters. His earlier experience at the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court has enriched his legal expertise, allowing him to approach cases with a nuanced perspective.
Since joining CHRI in July 2022, Deka has been actively involved in engaging with Assam State Legal Services Authority, Gauhati High Court and its subordinate courts, District Legal Services Authorities and Prison Authorities across Assam, advocating for systemic reforms and better legal access for the marginalized. His work is characterized by a deep sense of responsibility towards upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is accessible to all. Through his multifaceted roles, Gautam Krishna Deka continues to make a significant impact on the legal and human rights.
Dolphy D’souza is the Project Lead – Mumbai, in the Police Reforms Programme of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative [CHRI]. He oversees the CHRI initiated City Core Group (CCG) formed in 2018, which is a Mumbai-based network of civil society organisations, lawyers and activists aimed at mobilising around, and improving the response of relevant state institutions to, violence against women and children including Domestic Violence.
In addition, under the Chhelbhai Dave Police Reforms project, Dolphy works with CHRI and CCG partners to monitor compliance with various Supreme Court directives on police reforms at police stations in Mumbai.
Dolphy D’souza has spent more than 25 years in the private sector before moving into the NGO sector.
Dolphy has always been interested in social activism, communal harmony campaigns and human rights since his college days. His journey with CHRI began in 2008 as a volunteer supporting the Police Reforms initiatives of CHRI in Mumbai.
PK Prasad is Manger Accounts (In charge) and Sr. Accounts Officer, having 18 years’ experience in the field. Previously, he worked with the Accounts Department of a Distributor of M/s. Reliance Industries Ltd. He completed his Bachelors’ degree from SN College , University of Kerala . He can be reached at prasad@humanrightsinitiative.org.
Mr. Subhash Kumar Patra: Office Assistant, renders his priceless help to all office staff in routine works. He mainly handles the photocopy section of the office.
Mr. P. Ajay Babu: Office Assistant, renders his invaluable help to all office staff in all routine works. He is responsible for CHRI’s library and maintaining records of publications, assisting programme staff during conferences and handles postage and courier department of the office.
Ms. R. Rajeshwari: Office Help, who looks after hygiene and cleanliness of the office and ensures good hospitality to the visitors.
