IMCC Report

29-05-2025

The Indian Institute of Legal Studies hosted an International Moot Court Competition on the 9th, 10th and 11th of May, 2025. The first day of the event was commenced with the Researcher’s Test followed by a grand inaugural ceremony attended by an esteemed panel of dignitaries.

The event was graced by Hon'ble Justice Shri Arindam Mukherjee, of the Hon’ble High Court at Calcutta, as the Chief Guest. The ceremony was inaugurated by Hon'ble Shri Goutam Deb, Mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The event was also graced by Shri Joyjit Choudhury, Founder and Chairman of Indian Institute of Legal Studies and Ld. Additional Advocate General, Government of West Bengal, as the Patron-in-Chief of the competition.

Among other distinguished guests were Shri Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, Professor at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences; Shri Pradeep Singhal, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (North Bengal Zone); Mr. Karan Singh Jain, President of the Tax Association; and Mr. Karan Agarwal, along with several esteemed members of the media and press.

The day was wrapped up with the national anthem, followed by the preliminary rounds among 18 participating teams judged by various legal luminaries. The top 8 teams proceeded to the quarterfinals, scheduled for the next day.

On the 10th of May, the day started with breakfast of the participants and draw of lots and memorial exchange for the Quarter-Finals amongst the eight teams The segment started from 11:30 am with the participants nervous and curious as to what is ahead of then.

We had four court rooms filled with high profile dignitaries as our judges for the same. We had. Shri Sudipto Majumdar, Deputy Solicitor General, Govt. of India, Capt. Carolin Susan Johnson, Asst Adjudicate General, HQ 111 sub area: Adv. Aundam Mitra; Adv. An?rban Bhattacharjee; Adv Shivam Jaiswal, Adv Shabbaz Ahmed, Adv. Priya Darshini Pandit and Shri Rajan Kumar Raj Deputy JAG, Frontier HQ, SSB, Siliguri

Once the Quarter-Finals began, it felt like that the dignitaries left their individual identities and were completely submerged in the simulation of the moot court. They tried to create a challenging time for the participants but the much determinant participants were so promising to their role, understanding the cause of the moot problem and upholding the legal fidelity. After the end of the quarters, the top 4 teams qualified to the Semi-Finals

For the semis, we had 2 different courtrooms, judged by Adv Amar Lama, Darjeeling District Court, Adv. Shahbaz Ahmed, Darjeeling District Court, Shri Rajan Kumar Raj. Deputy JAG, Frontier HQ, SSB, Siliguri, and Shri Sudipto Majumdar, Deputy Solicitor General, Govt of India

The judges tried to make a difficult atmosphere for the participants but they reverted back with positive and satisfying answers. The second phase marked the beginning of Semi-Finals starting at 3:30 p.m. The judges were very impressed by the enthusiastic participants, praised them for their arguments advanced also correcting their minor flaws and advised them to be a good speaker as well as a good listener. The participants took their feedback sincerely. And were very tired by mooting for the entire day so the session was ended with a high tea break.

The final round of the International Moot Court Competition on May 11, 2025. The panel of judges included Hon'ble Justice Arindam Mukherjee, esteemed representative of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, Shri Shantanu Jha, Ld. District and Sessions Judge of Hoogly and Prof. Sharafarz Ahmed Khan, Prof. at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences.

Teams presented arguments in the case of Kingdom of Rongton vs Republic of Wakanda, debating issues of human rights, cultural heritage, and state sovereignty. The judges posed insightful questions, challenging the teams to think critically.

The competition demonstrated the participants' exceptional skills and knowledge, providing a valuable learning experience. The institute successfully concluded the International Moot Court Competition 2025 with a valedictory session. The ceremony was graced by esteemed guests, including Hon'ble Shri Justice Biswanath Samadder, Chief Justice of the Hon’ble High Court of Sikkim, as the Chief Guest, Hon'ble Shri Justice Arindam Sinha of the Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, Hon'ble Shri Justice Arindam Mukherjee of the Hon’ble High Court at Calcutta, Shri Joyjit Choudhury, Additional Advocate General, Government of West Bengal and Founder-Chairman of the Indian Institute of Legal Studies, and Shri Santhanu Jha, Ld. District and Sessions Judge of Hoogly.

The dignitaries highlighted the significance of law in shaping society, the value of moot court competitions in developing advocacy, research, and teamwork skills, and the importance of research and problem-solving skills. They also appreciated the efforts of the institute in organizing the event.

The winner of the competition was National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam comprising Ian Xavier Pereira, Aroni Dipto Swami, and Anchal Singh, who received a cash prize of ?1 lakh. The runners-up, Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur, consisting of Dev Mohile, Kasturi Warbhe, and Palak Sharma, were awarded ?50,000.

Additionally, awards were given for Best Speaker (Kasturi Warbhe, NLU Maharashtra, ?15,000), Best Researcher (Mohit Singh, Assam University, ?15,000), and Best Memorial (VISTAS, Tamil Nadu, ?10,000).

A watch-worth cultural program was also organised by the institute which consisted of different cultural dance forms of the various states of India. The event concluded on a positive note, with appreciation for the participants and organizers for making the event a success.