Presidency University Hosts First International Moot Court

Presidency University School of Law held its first International Moot Court Competition last week. The event lasted three days and was organised together with the National Human Rights Commission. The moot court by Presidency University brought a good number of law students and experienced lawyers to the campus and gave everyone a clear sense of focused legal work.

Justice Shivraj Patil, who served on the Supreme Court and later as chairperson of the NHRC, came to declare the competition open. He gave a speech in which he discussed three essential qualities in the legal field: real integrity, steady hard work, and the ability to stay humble no matter the circumstances. Several students mentioned afterwards that those particular comments stayed with them longer than the more technical parts of the programme.

Forty-four teams competed in all. The group included students from recognised law schools in India such as NLSIU in Bengaluru and NLU Jodhpur along with other National Law Universities. There were also teams from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The case the teams had to argue was put together to feel like genuine court work. It asked for solid research, proper behaviour in a courtroom setting, and quick thinking when a judge asked a difficult question. For most of the participants, this was probably the nearest thing yet to the difference between studying law and actually appearing in court.

The rounds moved through five stages. First came the preliminaries, then octafinals, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finally the concluding round which turned out to be very close. Fifty-three judges took part overall. They included senior practising lawyers, partners in well-known firms, and teachers who have judged many moots before. After each round the judges gave detailed comments to the teams, and quite a few students said those discussions were the most helpful aspect of the whole experience.

When the final arguments finished, Tamil Nadu National Law University was announced as the winner. MKPM RV Institute of Legal Studies took first runner-up place and The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University came third.

The closing ceremony rounded things off. Justice Venkatesh Naik Thavaryanaik from the Karnataka High Court spoke to the gathering. He shared some thoughts from his own starting years as an advocate and explained why competitions like this one matter as real preparation for the work lawyers eventually do in front of actual judges. His remarks gave the students a clear idea of how the skills they had been practising could carry over into professional life.

Dr Vidya Shankar Shetty, the Pro-Vice Chancellor, and Dr Saroj Sharma Bohra, Dean of the School of Law, looked after the arrangements from beginning to end. They made certain that every team, whether they won an award or not, went away with certificates, useful observations from the judges, and a few new professional contacts that will help them in the years to come.

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of the Presidency University School of Law and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.