Utkarsh Jain is an advocate from India. He grew up in the city of Dharamshala in the lap of the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas, and is deeply committed to giving back to these mountain communities and landscapes.

Since 2016, he has assisted communities in various lawsuits involving issues of mining (of sand, stone, asbestos and coal), encroachment (of riverbeds, forests and wetlands), and construction (of dams, highways, airports and townships). Many of these issues arose in the Ganga, Mahanadi, Ken-Betwa and Netravati river basins of India.

In the process, he learnt and used key principles to enhance access to environmental justice, including public consultation and environmental & social impact assessment. He has also been part of policy advocacy efforts for fairer biological diversity laws in India, and in raising issues of backtracking on existing environmental laws and regulations. Internationally, he has been part of litigation efforts to hold big (and bankrupt) coal companies responsible for reclamation of mined land in Kentucky, United States.

His work in the field of environmental law prompted him to begin working from the field and closer to impacted communities. In 2021, Utkarsh decided to make that transition, and founded Himalayan Advocacy Center in Dharamshala – a public interest environmental law firm based on the principles of community lawyering.

In the past, Utkarsh has been associated with Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, Appalachian Citizens Law Center, and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. He holds a BA.,LL.B (Hons.) from Jindal Law School, India, a Post Graduate Diploma in International Environmental Law from Indian Society for International Law, India, and an LL.M from Cornell Law School, United States. He is an avid writer and hosts a YouTube channel on environmental issues in India.