The collection contains the records of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), a civil society organisation based at the School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand. It includes memoranda and other documents on political trials, conscientious objection, detentions, repression, records relating to the ANC Constitutional Committee and administrative documentation.

The collection consists of a microfilm of cases CA 283/60 and L173/60.

Trial records are all cases of alleged murder of husbands by wives who had suffered domestic abuse and violence.

The records include petitions for clemency because of the abuse suffered by the perpetrators prior to the crime.

Records of various trials and similar material.

Reference is made to collections AD1718 Glenn Moss and Four others, Political trial; and A3333 Glenn Moss Papers.

Ahmed Timol, a teacher from Roodepoort, was a student activist and later became a member of the South African Communist Party. He went to London in 1967, where he took up a teaching post, supporting his family in South Africa. He also met with former comrades and friends from the Communist Party and the ANC who selected Ahmed Timol to attend the International Lenin School in Moscow from February to October 1969. Back in London, and before leaving to go back to South Africa, he received training in underground political work. He returned to South Africa in February 1970, resuming his teaching post in Roodepoort.
Ahmed Timol was arrested at a roadblock in October 1971, together with Salim Essop, and subsequently taken to the John Vorster Square police station. He was severly tortured by the security police and died in police custody on the 27 October 1971, by falling from the 10th floor to his death.
An Inquest was opened on 1 December 1971 at the Johannesburg Magistrate by J.J.L. de Villiers, with D.W. Rothwell and A.L.T. Beukes as Public Prosecutors, and Advocate I.A. Maisels QC and Advocate G. Bizos, and instructing attorneys M.S.H. Cachalia and M.A. Loonat presenting the Timol family. The hearing had to be adjourned due to Advocate Maisels request to access documents in the case. After lengthy interventions hearings were resumed in April 1972. The post mortem was carried out by the pathologist Dr Nicolaas Schepers, assisted by Dr J. Gluckman at the request of the Timol family.
The Magistrate announced his findings on the 22 June 1972, saying that Ahmed Timol had committed suicide whilst in police custody, and that nobody was to be blamed for his death.

Published book entitled "Journal of a Visitation of the Diocese of Natal in 1864 by the Right Rev. Robert Gray, Lord Bishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan."