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Indian students offered human rights scholarships at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, in honour of Kapila Hingorani New Delhi/Patna, May 5 th 2015: Two new scholarships are being offered by a leading modern university in England in memory of one of India's most prominent human rights lawyers. The legacy of Kapila Hingorani – known as the 'mother of public interest litigation' – has been recognised by Sheffield Hallam University with two scholarships for a masters’ course in Applied Human Rights being offered in her name. Applications for scholarships, to begin the MA Applied Human Rights course in September 2015, are welcomed from self-funding students domiciled in India. Winners of the Kapila Hingorani Postgraduate Scholarships will receive a 50% scholarship on tuition fees for MA Applied Human Rights. The course draws upon relevant disciplines in law, politics and social science and provides opportunities to gain the experience and skills needed to work with key human rights organisations. Sital Dhillon, Head of the Department of Law and Criminology at Sheffield Hallam, said: "We are honoured to be able to recognize the tremendous contribution of Kapila Hingorani to public interest litigation in India. We hope that the winners of these scholarships will be able to follow in her footsteps by continuing the global fight for human rights justice and education." Kapila Hingorani's three children, Aman, Priya and Shweta, are all practicing lawyers. Both Priya and Aman recently attended the launch of the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam, a home for its human rights and social justice programmes. Priya, Vice President of the Supreme Court Bar Association in India, said: "I think my mother would be very happy to have her name attached to these scholarships. She always wanted to encourage everyone to have access to justice and education so I am sure she would be very proud. We hope this will be the start of a partnership with Sheffield Hallam, in which professionals from the UK and from India, can gain and exchange international experience." Mrs. Hingorani, who died in December 2013, was the first Indian lawyer to issue a public interest litigation on behalf of prisoners awaiting trial for a period longer than the sentence they would serve if found guilty. In her 50 years of practice, Mrs. Hingorani and her husband Nirmal fought more than 100 cases in the Supreme Court and provided a voice, through public interest law, for underprivileged and marginalized sectors of Indian society.
