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Socio-Legal Information Centre

Website:

slic.org.in/
Type:

Legal Representation Group
Location:

576-a, Masjid Road

New Delhi, India
Formation:

1989
Founder:

Colin Gonsalves

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Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC) is a legal group based in India that uses legal action in courts across the country and at all levels of legal influence to change the country’s legal and cultural norms on matters ranging from justice for acid attack victims to supporting legalized abortion. It also engages in cultural engagement, issues reports, and partners with outside groups to create other changes in Indian law and customs. 1

SLIC has faced controversy inside India because it has received significant financial assistance from the Open Society Foundations, the principal advocacy-philanthropic vehicle of left-of-center activist billionaire George Soros, and it has been accused of association with controversial protests and other activities. 2 3

Unlike many legal groups, SLIC will not provide legal assistance to large groups of people based upon their cultural identity or sex. It will not represent men accused of sexual abuse or people “from a majority community” who are accused of “communal hatred.”  4

Background

The Socio-Legal Information Centre was founded in 1989 as India’s legal infrastructure was undergoing major changes. It engages in cases across most of India’s states and claims that a 2000 conference with 1,400 attendees – including legal figures from other continents – was a turning point for its influence. 5

Its legal work is wide-ranging, including defending rights of individuals to be safe from police brutality, seeking legal recognition of transgender individuals as a “third gender,” and securing the right of a raped teenager to have an abortion. 6 7 8 Refugees also receive legal representation from SLIC and its affiliated Human Rights Law Network (HRLN). 9

SLIC’s also provides a lawyer training program, works with outside groups, and publishes fact-finding reports about government meetings, actions against disadvantaged groups, and the statuses of disadvantaged groups. 10 11 12 13

Initiatives

The Socio-Legal Information Centre’s primary initiative is its legal work. It seeks legal remedies for clients and client groups in courts ranging from local courts to the Indian Supreme Court, which it says is part of a long-term strategy to create accountability for changes that would not trickle down if only decided and implemented at national courts. 14

Its major subsidiary organization is the Human Rights Law Network. Also founded in 1989, HRLN engages in similar legal work, with a major focus on legal protections for women. Those protections range from promoting legalized abortion to stopping child marriages. 15   

Both SLIC and HRLN have faced major legal pressures related to their work as well as significant funding from the George Soros-affiliated Open Society Foundations. Their licenses to receive foreign contributions were revoked in part due to their work on behalf of Christian minorities, legal work on behalf of people involved in various protests and riots, and their alleged violations of funding laws because they receive money from foreign church groups. 16

One of the individuals the groups defended, and who was used as evidence for pulling their licenses, was Catholic priest Stan Swamy. He was arrested for alleged involvement in riots and accused of insurrectionist activities. Swamy died in prison in 2021, and a United Nations agency later stated the government should not have detained him. 17  In 2023, the Indian government was accused of planting evidence against Swamy prior to his arrest. 18

Another event that led to the license revocation of SILC and HRLN was a series of riots which resulted in violence between citizens and against police as well as burning buildings. Government authorities claim that these “Delhi Riots” were the result of inflammatory speeches by those opposed to a religious litmus test for citizenship. HRLN and other legal advocacy groups said no evidence existed to back these claims. 19  Media and other reports indicated that government officials, especially police, interfered with medical aid and engaged in unnecessary violence against citizens. 20

The government also accused both SILC and HRLN of improperly supporting Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar. The United Nations reports that 21,000 Rohingya entered India after Myanmar’s 2021 coup, and describes these religious minorities as the world’s most persecuted minority. 21 They are considered stateless, since India does not recognize refugees from other countries. 22 SLIC and HRLN founder Colin Gonsalves has accused the Indian government of not recognizing the refugees for “racist” and “anti-Muslim” reasons. 23

Leadership

The Socio-Legal Information Centre’s board includes major figures across Indian law and culture. Its chair is former Supreme Court judge Deepak Verma. 24 Verma is widely recognized for his legal opinions outside of India and sits on the boards of many educational institutions in the country. He has given expert opinions before INTERPOL, European courts, American federal courts, and elsewhere. Verma began in the legal profession due to his high-profile attorney father and rose up through the ranks of judicial appointments, ultimately sitting on India’s Supreme Court from 2008 to 2019. Since then, he has continued to be a highly sought-after consultant, including for sports issues. 25

Colin Gonsalves founded SLIC. He has received numerous awards for his work, including by abortion advocacy groups. 26 His work has created major changes in Indian law on both politically controversial and apolitical matters. For example, a 2001 court victory created a right to food in India, which resulted in government-funded school meals for children and food provision to a reported 400 million people living below the poverty line. 27

Gonsalves also won cases in 2016 and 2017 that ended military immunity from criminal prosecution. 28 One of those decisions was issued after a commission found that a sample of six people out of over 1,500 killed by the military were innocent civilians, not part of militant forces. 29

Funding

The Socio-Legal Information Centre receives major funding from international left-of-center foundations. The MacArthur Foundation, one of America’s largest left-of-center foundations, has given millions of dollars since 2000 for matters ranging from reducing child marriages to improving maternal care to creating legalized abortion. 30 31   

Open Society Foundations funding has provided funding for improving the overall legal system, especially representation for “indigent criminal defendants.” 32 33

SLIC has received donations from foreign groups ranging from banks to the European Commission. 34  Another sample showed money received from the State Bank of India and international aid group Bread for the World. 35

References

  1. Who we are. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/about_page/who-we-are
  2. “Home Ministry Cancels FCRA Registration Of NGO ‘SLIC’ Headed By Justice Deepak Verma.” Verdictum. November 25, 2022. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.verdictum.in/news/socio-legal-information-centre-slic-fcra-1449889
  3. “FCRA License Of Church-Funded Controversial NGO Cancelled.” The Commune. November 26, 2022. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://thecommunemag.com/fcra-license-of-church-funded-controversial-ngo-cancelled-socio-legal-information-centre-slic-human-rights-law-network-hrln/
  4. Who we are. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/about_page/who-we-are
  5. Our Journey. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/about_page/our-journey
  6. “PIL for the welfare of transgender persons of the state of Jharkhand during the nationwide lockdown.” Socio-Legal Information Centre. June 1, 2021. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://slic.org.in/litigation/pil-for-the-welfare-of-transgender-persons-of-the-state-of-jharkhand-during-the-nationwide-lockdown-60b6f630e49d7
  7. “M.P. H C order passed: police officer cannot give corporeal punishment for not properly wearing mask.” Socio-Legal Information Centre. June 2, 2021. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://slic.org.in/litigation/m-p-h-c-order-passed-police-officer-cannot-give-corporeal-punishment-for-not-properly-wearing-mask-60b748856f107
  8. “Orissa High Court Order for Medical Termination of Pregnancy.” Socio-Legal Information Centre. April 9, 2021. Accessed April 29. 2021. https://slic.org.in/litigation/orissa-high-court-order-for-medical-termination-of-pregnancy-607593456ed95
  9. Colin Gonsalves. Right Livelihood. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/colin-gonsalves/
  10. Young Lawyers Programme. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://slic.org.in/page/young-lawyers-programme
  11. Publication. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://slic.org.in/publication?publication_type=fact-finding
  12. Publication. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 20204. https://slic.org.in/publication?publication_type=report
  13. Vats, Surkitie and Chouhan, Priyansha. “How the demolition drive in Nuh went against court orders and due procedures.” Frontline. August 25, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/how-the-demolition-drive-in-nuh-went-against-court-orders-and-due-procedures/article67234495.ece
  14. Our Journey. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/about_page/our-journey
  15. Reproductive Rights Initiative. Human Rights Law Network. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://reproductiverights.hrln.org/
  16. “FCRA License Of Church-Funded Controversial NGO Cancelled.” The Commune. November 26, 2022. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://thecommunemag.com/fcra-license-of-church-funded-controversial-ngo-cancelled-socio-legal-information-centre-slic-human-rights-law-network-hrln/
  17. Stan Swamy. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/stan-swamy
  18. Akkara, Anto. “Anger and Silence Over Revelations Indicating Father Stan Swamy Was Framed.” National Catholic Register. January 4, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.ncregister.com/news/anger-and-silence-over-revelations-indicating-father-stan-swamy-was-framed
  19. Banka, Richa. “No ‘actionable evidence’ against politicians in Delhi riots: Police.” Hindustan Times. July 15, 2020. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-actionable-evidence-against-politicians-in-delhi-riots-police/story-l5JDjra4BdUS1fmYLk32FP.html
  20.  [1] “Delhi Violence 2020.” Foundation the London Story. 2020. Accessed April 29. 2024. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Religion/Islamophobia-AntiMuslim/Civil%20Society%20or%20Individuals/RitumbraM2.pdf
  21. Rohingya Refugee Crisis Explained. USA for UNHCR. August 23, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.unrefugees.org/news/rohingya-refugee-crisis-explained/
  22.  Kunj, Kalindi, Vihar, Shram, Camp, Budena,  and Camp, Chandni. “Rohingya Refugees Fact-Finding.” Human Rights Law Network. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/uploads/2018/02/Rohingya-FF-report.pdf
  23. Shankar, Priyanka. “India’s stateless babies: How lawless asylum rules leave refugees in limbo.” Al Jazeera. January 5, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/5/stateless-babies-in-northeast-india-refugee-mothers-pray-for-nationhood
  24. Trustees of SLIC. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/about_page/trustees-of-slic
  25. Justice Deepak Verma. Kovise Foundation Conflict Resolution International. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://kfcri.org/deepakverma.php
  26. Awards. Social-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.slic.org.in/about_page/awards
  27. Colin Gonsalves. Right Livelihood. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/colin-gonsalves/
  28. Colin Gonsalves. Right Livelihood. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/colin-gonsalves/
  29. “”SC’s Interim Judgment in the AFSPA Case Strikes at Impunity” – Dr. Colin Gonsalves.” PR Newswire. December 13, 2016. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/scs-interim-judgment-in-the-afspa-case-strikes-at-impunity—dr-colin-gonsalves-606242616.html
  30. [1] Socio Legal Information Centre. MacArthur Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/socio-legal-information-centre-32316/
  31. Socio Legal Information Centre. MacArthur Foundation. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/maceirecipients/2013/socio-legal-information-centre
  32. Open Society Institute. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2014. Part XV, Section 3. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/137029285/201503179349100345/IRS990PF
  33. Open Society Institute. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2015. Part XV, Section 3. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/137029285/201613199349101416/full
  34. Details of Foreign Contribution received during the period 1st January 2021 – 31st March 2021. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://slic.org.in/uploads/2021/04-April/18-Sun/FCRA-Fund-Received-Jan-21-to-Mar-21.pdf
  35.  Details of Foreign Contribution received during the period 1st July 2021 – 30th September 2021. Socio-Legal Information Centre. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://slic.org.in/uploads/2022/01-January/10-Mon/Foreign-Contribution-July-21-to-Sept-21.pdf
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