The Society for Democratic Rights (SDR) is a collective of lawyers and other like-minded individuals who are involved in the strengthening of democratic and civil rights. SDR is initiated by a group of lawyers of Indian origin who studied at the Georgetown Law University, Washington DC. It creates a platform for discussion and spearheads legal action in public domain when necessitated. The endeavour of the collective is to shape just and non-discriminatory policies and laws that are evidence driven and respect humanitarian values in modern democracies.
The first initiative of SDR was the BringIndiansHome (BIH) Initiative espousing the cause of the distressed Indian citizens stranded in USA due to the closure of Indian Airspace in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Through some members, the BringIndiansHome Initiative filed a petition in public interest in the Supreme Court of India to direct the Indian government to assist stranded Indian citizens to return to India, emphasising the right of citizens to travel to their home country. The BIH Initiative also assisted Indian citizens in distress to petition the Indian government and enlist for evacuation flights which were finally organised under the Vande Bharat Mission from April 2020 onwards.
The collective strives to engage in areas of civil and political rights, with special focus on human rights, fair treatment of immigrants, privacy rights, and health law and policy.
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