NITI Aayog ex-employee PhD student dies in London cycling crash
London (PTI): A former NITI Aayog employee pursuing her PhD at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) died in a tragic road accident as she was hit by a truck while cycling back home from the university here.
Cheistha Kochhar, 33, was a Doctoral Candidate studying behavioural research since she moved to London from Gurugram, Haryana, last year.
While tributes have been pouring in for the "bright, brilliant and brave" student after her father shared the news of her death online, the Metropolitan Police are yet to officially name the victim and have appealed for witnesses to the "fatal collision."
The accident took place on Clerkenwell Road, near the junction with Farringdon Road, on March 19 evening.
"Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service. A 33-year-old woman was found seriously injured. Despite the efforts of emergency services, she died at the scene. Her next of kin has been informed," the Met Police statement said.
"The lorry, believed to be a refuse vehicle, stopped at the scene and the driver is helping police with their enquiries. There has been no arrest and enquiries into the circumstances continue," the statement said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or road users with dashcam footage which may have captured the events have been asked to contact the Met Police.
"Cheistha Kochhar worked with me on the #LIFE [Lifestyle for the Environment] programme in NITI Aayog," Amitabh Kant, former NITI Aayog CEO said in a post on X.
"She was in the #Nudge unit and had gone to do her PhD in behavioural science at LSE. Passed away in a terrible traffic incident while cycling in London. She was bright, brilliant & brave and always full of life. Gone away too early. RIP," he said.
Kochhar served as Senior Advisor at the National Behavioural Insights Unit of India for nearly two years until April last year, before moving to London with her software engineer husband Prashant Gautam.
"I am still in London trying to collect the remains of my daughter, Cheistha Kochhar. She was run over by a truck on 19 March while cycling back from LSE, where she was doing her PhD," her father Lieutenant General Dr S P Kochhar, Director General at the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said in an emotional post on LinkedIn.
"It has devastated us and her large circle of friends," he said, along with a link to an online memorial page created in her memory.
The memorial page opens with a quote from Cheistha, which reads: "What we create should last longer than we do," and is followed by several moving tributes posted by friends and family.
"A fantastic student and an amazing person. While our interaction was too brief, Cheistha left a lasting impression. Be it her research acumen combined with practical relevance, uncanny foresight and high-level thinking combined with down-to-earth humility and helping nature, she was one of a kind, and always will be. Om Shanthi," read one.
The Bareilly-born Behavioural Strategist earned her Masters from the University of Chicago after studying at Ashoka University and Delhi University and completing her schooling in Delhi and various Army schools around India.
"She made her mark in all these institutions and is still remembered very fondly for her creativeness, spontaneity, compassion, helpfulness, smiling demeanour and yet excelling in academics and co-curricular activities like debating, drawing and dramatics," shared her father in his tribute to Cheistha.
"Her heart was at obtaining a doctorate in behavioural science under Org Behaviour from LSE. She got selected with a full scholarship and joined in Sep '23. She was the only student to be selected for this programme and was working under Prof. Sosa," he said, describing her sudden death in the road crash on March 19 as a "black day for us and the society".
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Deep societal faultlines persist despite 75 years of independence: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Judge cites denial of home to Muslim girl, opposition to Dalit women cooking mid-day meals
Hyderabad, February 23, 2026: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said that despite repeated affirmations of constitutional morality by courts, deep societal faultlines rooted in caste and religious discrimination continue to shape everyday realities in India.
Speaking at a seminar on “Constitutional Morality and the Role of District Judiciary” organised by the Telangana Judges Association and the Telangana State Judicial Academy in Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan reflected on the gap between constitutional ideals and social practices.
He cited a recent instance involving his daughter’s friend, a PhD scholar at a private university in Noida, who was denied accommodation in South Delhi after her surname revealed her Muslim identity. According to Justice Bhuyan, the landlady bluntly informed her that no accommodation was available once her religious background became known.
In another example from Odisha, he referred to resistance by some parents to the government’s mid-day meal programme because the food was prepared by Dalit women employed as cooks. He noted that some parents had objected aggressively and refused to allow their children to consume meals cooked by members of the Scheduled Caste community.
Describing these incidents as “the tip of the iceberg,” Justice Bhuyan said they reveal how far society remains from the benchmark of constitutional morality even 75 years into the Republic. He observed that while the Constitution lays down standards of equality and dignity, the morality practised within homes and communities often diverges sharply from those values.
He emphasised that constitutional morality requires governance through the rule of law rather than the rule of popular opinion. Referring to the evolution of the doctrine through judicial decisions, he cited Naz Foundation v Union of India, in which the Delhi High Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that popular morality cannot restrict fundamental rights under Article 21. Though the judgment was later overturned in Suresh Kumar Koushal v Naz Foundation, the Supreme Court ultimately restored and expanded the principle in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India, affirming that constitutional morality must prevail over majoritarian views.
“In our constitutional scheme, it is the constitutionality of the issue before the court that is relevant, not the dominant or popular view,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also addressed the functioning of the district judiciary, underlining that trial courts are the first point of contact for most litigants and form the foundation of the justice delivery system. He stressed that due importance must be given to the recording of evidence and adjudication of bail matters.
Highlighting the role of High Courts, he said their supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution is intended as a shield to correct grave jurisdictional errors, not as a mechanism to substitute the discretion or factual appreciation of trial judges.
He recalled that several distinguished judges, including Justice H R Khanna, Justice A M Ahmadi, and Justice Fathima Beevi, began their careers in the district judiciary.
On representation within the judicial system, Justice Bhuyan noted that Telangana has made significant strides in gender inclusion. Out of a sanctioned strength of 655 judicial officers in the Telangana Judicial Service, 478 are currently serving, of whom 283 are women, exceeding 50 per cent representation. He added that members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority communities, and persons with disabilities are also represented in the state’s judiciary.
He observed that greater representation of women, marginalised communities, persons with disabilities, and sexual minorities would help make the judiciary more inclusive and reflective of India’s diversity. “The judiciary must represent all the colours of the rainbow and become a rainbow institution,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also referred to the recent restoration by the Supreme Court of the requirement of a minimum three years of practice at the Bar for entry-level judicial posts. While acknowledging that the requirement ensures practical exposure, he cautioned that its impact on women aspirants, especially those from rural or small-town backgrounds facing social and financial constraints, would need to be carefully observed over time.
Concluding his address, he reiterated that the justice system must strive to bridge the gap between constitutional ideals and lived realities, ensuring that the rule of law remains paramount.
