By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, July 31, 2023: Jose Abraham, a lawyer of the Supreme Court of India, has been awarded by the State Department of the United States of America for his remarkable work in his field.
The US department announced the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Impact Award on July 29 recognizing Abraham’s efforts to empower minorities in India.
The award carries US$5,000 (411,000 rupees).
Reacting to the news, Abraham said the award “is indeed a great honour and motivation” for him as it is from the US government. “I will continue with one of my missions related to empowerment of minority communities in India legally,” he told Matters India on July 31.
Abraham released this year a book on Minority Empowerment Law along with Justice Narendra Kumar.
As a lawyer, Abraham has represented more than 7,000 educational institutions in India – a record –to get their minority status certificate that protects them under Article 30(1) of the Constitution of India which is a record.
The IVLP is the U S Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Through short-term visits to the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields experience America firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts.
Professional meetings reflect the participants’ professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States, a statement says.
Each year, nearly 5,000 international visitors come to the US on the International Visitor Leadership Program. More than 200,000 international visitors have engaged with Americans through the IVLP, including more than 500 current or former chiefs of state or heads of government.
Abraham is an Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme Court of India, a lawyer entitled to act as well as to plead for a party in the country’s apex court. According to the rules, no advocate other than an advocate on record are entitled to file an appearance or act for a party in the Supreme Court of India. No advocate other than an advocate on record can appear and plead in any matter unless he is instructed by an advocate-on-record.
Abraham is the founding President of Pravasi Legal Cell, an NGO working to provide pro-bono (without charge) legal aid to the weaker sections from the migrant community.
He also serves as chairman, Paideia Institute for Training and Research in Social Sciences, New Delhi.
He is consultant and legal advisor to many NGOs and Educational Institutions.
Abraham has postgraduate degrees in both Law and Political Science and currently works on Indian migration laws as part of his doctoral research.
He is the author of six books — Indians and Emigration: Laws, Concerns, and Remedies (2016), Safe Emigration (2018), Right to Information: Key to Open Democracy (2019), Sexual Abuse of Children: A Guide for Caring Adults (2019), Minority Rights (2021) & Empowerment of Minorities: Educational Rights & NEP 2020 (2022).
Congratulations sir
Well deserved. Congratulations