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    Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK)

    Partly verified · checked 13 September 2026

    Cross-checked against the organisation's own site and at least one independent source. Some details could not be located in public sources; what is shown is what the cited sources state.

    Headquarters
    Dehradun, Uttarakhand
    Founded
    Not on record
    Registration type
    Registered society
    Registered
    1989
    Reach
    1 state

    What they do

    Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) is a Dehradun-based society, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 since 1989, that grew out of activism dating to the late 1970s by a group of young people working with tribal hill communities. It works on public interest litigation and legal aid, forest rights and adult literacy for the nomadic Van Gujjar community, abolition of bonded labour, and women's empowerment and leadership training. Its litigation is credited with contributing to India's Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, Environment Protection Act 1986, and narcotics-control legislation. Avdhash Kaushal headed the organisation for decades until his death in 2022; its board is now chaired by Ms Pratima Menon.

    Human rightsTribal welfareWomenEducation

    Where they work

    Uttarakhand: Dehradun

    People