11/11/2025
Story Behind the Picture : How Our Internship Became One of the Most Successful in Any State Information Commission across Country
When I joined the Madhya Pradesh State Information Commission, I faced two realities, 15000 pending cases and almost no manpower. I had only one reader and one typist to manage this huge workload.
The Commission already had an internship programme, but it was a typical sarkari format: students roaming from one courtroom to another, and a quick lecture with no real learning. One day, during a hearing, I asked a group of interns what they had understood. They said, "Sir, kuch samajh nahi aaya." That moment made it clear that we needed a meaningful structure.
Around this time, a young advocate from Jabalpur High Court, Abhay Jain (NLU Odisha), approached me. Together, we created a practical, intensive internship model focused on real learning. Each intern was given complete ownership of one case. I used to tell them: "For this case, you are the Information Commissioner."
Interns had to analyse documents, decide whether information should be given or denied, and justify if an officer should be penalised or not. They also had to prepare what questions to ask during hearings. This simple-looking exercise demanded deep reasoning and became the heart of the programme.
Initially, the biggest challenge was perception. Many law students, especially from NLUs, looked down upon State Commissions.
Considering the old internship structure, I didn't blame them. So the first few batches had very few applicants. I personally interviewed every student and told them clearly: "If you only want a certificate, please do not join."
We even removed one intern who was not serious. That sent a message across the office and student community, this was a professional programme inside a government setup.
Slowly, things changed.
Students who completed the internship began sharing their experience. Word-of-mouth spread across law schools. What started with 10 seats a month soon received around 200 applications, including from top law universities across India.
All this happened without stipend, as no funds were available. Yet students travelled on their own expense, stayed in hostels, and worked hard because the learning was unique, practical, and rare to find in a government institution.
A dull office slowly became a vibrant space full of discussions, research, arguments, and fresh energy. I too learned immensely from the interns. Their questions pushed me to think deeper, prepare better, and constantly update myself.
Today, when I look at this picture with my interns, I feel proud and grateful. To every student who spent their time and contributed their ideas thank you.
Together, we turned a small experiment into one of the most successful internship programmes any State Information Commission has ever seen.
And yes... no need to tell, but the entire programme was shut down once my tenure ended. Another bitter truth of the sarkari system.
Source of Information : https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rahull-singh-090654a6_story-behind-the-picture-how-our-internship-activity-7393947980426280960-V736?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAFK-MFYBOz14XUVZNCh7t_mPbaPSIMc01vw
