The Gandhi Mandela Foundation is an initiative of the Interactive Forum on Indian Economy (a Govt. of India-recognized 80G, 12A, 8A-compliant), which is based in New Delhi. The Foundation instituted the Gandhi Mandela Awards during the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji to celebrate those who have carried forward the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The Chairman of the Foundation is India’s hindu spiritual leader Swami Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj (President of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, a Board Member of World Council of Religious Leaders). The Jury committee includes Chairman Justice K.G. Balakrishna (former Chief Justice & former Chairman NHRC), Vice-Chairman Justice Dipak Misra (former Chief Justice India), Justice Gyan Sudha Misra (former Supreme Court Judge, India), Justice Kedarnath Upadhyay (former Chief Justice of Nepal and former Chairman NHRC, Nepal), and Justice Tafazzul Islam (former Chief Justice of Bangladesh).