By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 2 May: The 5th Law College Dehradun National Moot Court Competition was held here successfully. Former Chief Justice of India, Justice KG Balakrishnan was the presiding Judge during the final round and Chief Guest at the Valedictory Session, while Additional Solicitor General of India Aishwarya Bhati; Abhishek Anand, Advocate of Delhi High Court; Amit George; and Dean of Law College Dehradun Dr Rajesh Bahuguna were the judges. All judges as well as participants joined online for this competition.
Dean of Law College Dehradun stated that the Competition was declared open at the National Level on 1 March. During two months, participants took part in different levels of the competition and, finally, 18 teams qualified for the final round. As many as 37 Judges from amongst the top Academicians, Advocates and Judges adjudicated the competition in a total of 16 courts.
The organisers had framed 7 points to be determined by the Supreme Court. The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and Biodiversity Rules 2004 were challenged before the ‘Supreme Court of India’. There were hot arguments on Herbal Medicinal Plants, Research, Traditional knowledge of Tribes and Profit Sharing. Participants put forward strong arguments regarding Violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, while participants arguing for government claimed sovereign immunity.
After a neck to neck contest, the following were declared winners by the judges – First – Aarav, Lolita and Aniket, School of Law, Christ University, Bangalore;
Runners Up – Kishan, Ashish and Sakshi, Central University of South Bihar, Patna; Best Oralist, Male – ICFAI University, Dehradun; Best Oralist, Female – Nayan Saini, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Delhi; Best Researcher – Shambhavi Singh, Chanakya National Law University, Patna; and Best Memorial – Tanveer, Ananya and Saumya, Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Punjab.
Winners were awarded Rs 60,000 in cash.
“Participation in Moot Court Competitions has brought about a Paradigm Change in the Legal Profession,” said Justice KG Balakrishnan. He added that Legal Research, Pleading and Arguments put forward by the finalists were not less than that of real advocates. He congratulated Law College Dehradun of Uttaranchal University for organising the Competition despite unfavourable conditions prevailing in the country. He advised all the colleges and universities, including Law College Dehradun, to organise Mock Trials of District Level Courts.
Additional Solicitor General of India Aishwarya Bhati stated that latest technologies in legal research. Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Devendra Pathak, Abhishek Anand and Dr Amit George also addressed the students. Dr Poonam Rawat, Head of Law College Dehradun, proposed the vote of thanks.
