On the morning of May 5, 2026, more than 200 workers queued outside the Ram Gopal Foundation's community centre in Gurugram, each carrying a paper — a wage slip dispute, a wrongful termination letter, a contractor's broken promise. By the end of the day, every one of them had spoken to a qualified legal professional, free of charge.
The free legal aid camp, organized as part of the Foundation's ongoing commitment to worker empowerment, brought together eight volunteer lawyers, four paralegals, and twelve field workers to provide on-the-spot legal consultations, complaint drafting assistance, and guidance on government grievance portals.
What Services Were Provided?
The camp was structured around the most common legal issues faced by workers in the Gurugram region. Each worker was first triaged by a paralegal volunteer who assessed their situation and directed them to the appropriate expert station:
Wage Disputes
Guidance on filing complaints with the Labour Commissioner for unpaid or under-paid wages.
PF & ESIC Claims
Help navigating the EPFO portal and initiating claims for provident fund and medical benefits.
Wrongful Termination
Legal advice on challenging illegal dismissals under the Industrial Disputes Act.
Workplace Injury
Filing applications for compensation under the Employees' Compensation Act.
Contractor Fraud
Documentation and complaint filing against labour contractors for non-payment and misrepresentation.
Document Help
Drafting formal complaints, demand letters, and legal notices on behalf of workers.
"Access to legal help should not depend on how much money you have. Today we proved that with enough will and enough volunteers, it doesn't have to."
A Worker's Story
Among the hundreds who attended was Kavita, a 34-year-old garment worker from Bihar who had been working for a factory in Gurugram's industrial area for three years. Her employer had been deducting PF from her salary but never depositing it with the EPFO — meaning she was losing money every month with nothing to show for it.
I had been trying to understand the EPFO website for months but it was too complicated. At the camp, a volunteer sat with me for an hour, checked my UAN account, and we discovered that ₹38,000 had never been deposited over the past two years. They helped me file a complaint the same day.
Kavita's case is far from unusual. Our lawyers estimate that in over 60% of the cases seen at the camp, the employer had been making illegal deductions or failing to deposit statutory contributions — often for years.
How to Access Free Legal Aid
Ram Gopal Foundation provides free legal aid to all workers who approach us, not just at camps. Here is how you can access support throughout the year:
- 1Call our helpline — Dial 9996607555 (Monday to Saturday, 9AM–6PM) to speak with a trained volunteer about your situation.
- 2File an online complaint — Visit our complaint portal at complaint.html to submit your case with supporting documents.
- 3Visit our office — Walk in to our Gurugram office during working hours for a face-to-face consultation with our team.
- 4Attend our next camp — Follow our blog and social media for announcements of upcoming free legal aid camps in your area.
What's Next?
Following the success of the Gurugram camp, Ram Gopal Foundation is planning similar events in Faridabad, Sonipat, and Rewari over the next three months. Each camp will be tailored to the specific labour challenges faced by workers in that region.
If you are a lawyer, law student, or HR professional interested in volunteering at a future camp, please reach out to us at ramgopalfoundation@gmail.com — your skills could change someone's life.