2nd VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES INTERNATIONAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION
NOVEMBER 07- NOVEMBER 09, 2014
“Individual commitment to a group effort that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi
Simulation is one of the ways of learning by doing; essentially beyond the classroom. Mooting is one such exercise in clinical legal education which prepares students for lawyering in such a manner that the apprenticeship is minimized and often parted with. To inculcate this spirit of team work and practical experience amongst the law students across the country, Vivekananda Law School (VLS) under the auspices of Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS) organized its 2nd edition of International Moot Court Competition (VIPS IMC) from 7th to 9th November, 2014 giving a unique opportunity to students seeking to gain experience in development of arguments in the field of law. It was a three-day event, which commenced on November 07, 2014 with registration of participants and concluded on the November 09, 2014 with the winning team taking the laurels away.
DAY 1- 7th November
The much awaited day 7th November, 2014 witnessed a grand opening of VIPS IMC, 2014. The dream entered the realm of reality right in early morning when we saw a calm quiet campus turn into the busiest hustle hub of sheer enthusiasm. Posters being to put to display, making of rangoli decorated with eye catching colours, escorts suiting up in black and white, meetings going on in every second room, thousands of lists transferring hands, setting up of cameras and laptops, registration procedures on the cliff of commencement, all this added to the zeal of one of the biggest moot competitions in this country about to start in a couple of hours.
LIGHTING OF LAMPS MARKING THE KICK-OFF OF THE COMPETITION
Marking the kick off with the legacy of remembering Goddess Saraswati through lighting lamps, the gathering was addressed by Dr. Rajni Malhotra Dhingra, Dean Law School along with our Chief Guest Dr. Justice Arijit Pasayat (Former Judge of Supreme Court of India) , highlighted that the moot proposition of this Moot Court Competition was aimed at deliberating the contours of emerging environmental scenario and to foster a better understanding of the issues confronting this area of law today. Our Principal Advisor Mr. Coutinho then addressed the august gathering acknowledging the need for international law and the developmental changes of public law. Our Principal Advisor Mr. Coutinho then addressed the august gathering acknowledging the need for international law and the developmental changes of public law.
All the teams were greeted with a warm traditional welcome by our volunteers who then headed to the Auditorium for the auspicious Inaugural Ceremony. Marking the kick off with the legacy of remembering GoddessSaraswati through light lamping, the gathering was addressed by Dr.Rajni Malhotra, Dean Law School. Completely honoured and overwhelmed by the presence of our Chief Guest Dr.Justice Arijit Pasayat (Former Judge of Supreme Court of India), she called him upon the stage to share some words of wisdom. We were awed by his wonderful speech which not only emphasized the importance of mooting for law students, but also multi-disciplinary studies that add to the various aspects of human life. He supported this importance by stating the reason behind incompetence of most lawyer’s in today’s world as the increasing complexity of dynamic law.
He further pointed about the need of ideals and values and how urgent it is to fill the gaps between expression and action through law. Stating the example of Ethiopia, he moved on to the environmental effects and the need to conserve water with special reference to our moot problem. Signing off with best wishes to all the participants, he encouraged them to carry out their professional duties with dedication, hard work and sincerity which are far more important than winning the competition. Our Principal Advisor Mr. Coutinho then addressed the enlightened audience acknowledging the need for international law and the developmental changes of public law. Bringing to the audience’s notice the role played by various international organizations in building of a legal system, he challenged the students to make them aware of their roles in the society. He then moved on to the indispensable role played by mooting in the preparation of being a good lawyer. Ending with how the volunteers had burnt midnight oils to make the event a success, he wished all the participants luck and thanked Justice Arijit Pasayat for his deemed presence.
BREAKING THE ICE- INTERACTION FUN
After the inauguration, participants moved to CIA Hall where a lot of fun awaited the serious mooters. Unexpected “Breaking the Ice” session diverted from the boring customary introductory session surprised the participants as well those who weren’t behind the mike.
Activities like “Hand-shakes”, “Mirror”, “I belong to You”, “Jumping Circle” and “crazy zig-zag not only relieved the participants of long standing stress of the competition, but did break “the ice” indeed. We saw everyone laughing and interacting as a result of the above group activities. This closed the day on a highly positive and cheerful note.
Day 2- 8th November
After a pleasant warm welcome on the first day, the teams geared up for some real competition. With piles of cases marked in coloured flags coupled with smart black suits, all reflected the immense hard work and efforts put in for months. The two preliminary rounds took place in total 17 court rooms, each carrying an aura of professionalism defined by the heat of extensive arguments. The results announced post lunch brought huge smiles of pride on the faces of the following 8 teams:
- INSTITUTE OF LAW, NIRMA UNIVERSITY
- NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL
- SCHOOL OF LAW, CHRIST UNIVERISTY
- SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, NOIDA
- TAMIL NADU NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL
- UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LEGAL STUDIES, PUNJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH
- UNIVERSITY LAW COLLEGE, BANGALORE
- CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
However this precious moment of celebration was short lived as the selected teams pulled up their socks for the Quarter-Finals. The quality of arguments improved on one hand and the difficulty of challenge increased on the other. The Quarter-Finals results finally closed the day. We would like to congratulate the following teams and wish them luck for the Semi-Finals:
- CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
- SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, NOIDA
- INSTITUTE OF LAW, NIRMA UNIVERSITY
- TAMIL NADU NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL
DAY 3- 9th November
The last day of the competition witnessed a huge chronology of happenings starting from the Semi-Finals, then the much awaited Finals, followed by the best part- the Cultural Closing Ceremony. The competition was bigger and the teams better. The following teams through their consistent efforts and sincere hard work made it to the Finals:
- INSTITUTE OF LAW, NIRMA UNIVERSITY
- CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
With the biggest literary bonanza of the year on the verge of its end, the finalists crossed all their boundaries to reach their goals. The distance dared to squeeze when they came so well prepared with their highly convincing arguments. The Finals took place in the Auditorium with more than 100 people experiencing just a small fraction of the participants’ excitement lying on the cold ice berg of nervousness. Yes, it did make them shiver!
Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, Judge, High Court of Delhi and Mr. Maninder Singh, Additional Solicitor General graced the event with their presence on the bench. The inquisitive judges, thorough substantiated arguments and the confident teams, all added to the beautiful flavors of mooting. Furthermore, the extensive grilling coupled with inter-disciplinary questions put forward by the judges acted as a cherry on the icing. Both the teams performed brilliantly arguing on numerous issues such as International Human Rights, International Environmental Law, Intervention, Internal Armed Conflicts, Status of Foreign Refugees, Termination of International Treaties etc.
After the aggressive arguments and grilling, both the teams very impressively proposed solutions of conciliation which not only depicted their knowledge but also their sensitivity towards each other as two opposing countries which are aware about the practical conditions and circumstances existing in the real world.
WINNERS – VIPSIMC, 2014
Prapti Patel, SoumyaVaishy & Shahrukh Khan- Institute of Law, Nirma University
Congratulations! To Institute of Law, Nirma University bagged the first prize followed by Chanakya National Law University.They were awarded with a beautiful trophy, cash prize and various other awards offered by our extremely supportive sponsors.
Blend Of Culture- Closing Ceremony
It was now time for some lights, cameras and real action! VIPSIMC 2014 was given a grand farewell by our highly talented students through a classic cultural event showcasing a fantastic fusion of Indian Tradition and Western Syndrome. The ceremony started with an Indian Solo Song performance. It was followed by hitting of the chords by both our Western and Indian Bands in their professional performances. The “Jabawakees” awed the audience with their superb dancing skills. The evening finally ended with a Bollywood performance through which our college girls radiated energy and enthusiasm.
Advocates' Legion 