New Delhi, India

Organized Crime and Corruption Project Fellow

Jha, 30, is a member of The Reporters Collective established in India in 2021.  The group of investigative reporters  collaborate to produce in-depth multimedia projects in multiple languages that “put the spotlight on those in power.”

Jha will work at the Los Angeles Times during his fellowship.

He previously worked for BloombergQuint and in early 2021 wrote a four-part investigative series called The Privatisation Files that examined hundreds of documents obtained through the transparency law.

At the Business Standard, Jha received several awards for his reporting on the politics of statistics in India — the government was hiding a rise in the unemployment rate and a drop in consumer confidence.

The series won awards, was picked up by international newspapers and compelled over 200 economists to write an open letter demanding autonomy over India’s statistical institutions.

Friendly Fellow Samarth Bansal calls Somesh “a fantastic reporter.”


Al Jazeera published Jha’s investigative series on India’s monetary policy.

India sought probe into ex-RBI gov Rajan for helping ‘white man’ | Business and Economy News | Al Jazeera