LPU’s School of Law conducted three-day 5th National Moot Court competition

Jalandhar, March 27, 2024: Lovely Professional University (LPU) organized its 5th Gavelled Moot Court Competition, titled “Gavelled”, at its School of Law and Shanti Devi Mittal Auditorium. The event saw participation of 300 law students from 52 prominent law institutions across 15 Indian States and UTs. The competition aimed to bring forth a vast platform for law students to showcase their advocacy skills and practical knowledge of the law.

This year’s moot problem was delved upon as a “socio-criminal issue faced by innocent people living in the society”. The competition was spread over three days, during which the participants were required to argue their cases in front of a panel comprising eminent judges and advocates who served as the jury. The students presented their arguments and counter-arguments, cross-examine witnesses, and provided evidence to support their cases.

On the valedictory day, the final round of the competition was judged by Hon’ble Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati of the Rajasthan High Court; Permanent Judge of the Bombay High Court Hon’ble Justice Nitin R. Borkar; and, Hon’ble Justice Makarand Subhash Karnik also of the Bombay High Court. The jury members were impressed with the quality of the arguments put forward by the students. LPU’s Pro Chancellor Mrs Rashmi Mittal was the Guest of Honour of the day.

Permanent Judge of the High Court of Delhi, Hon’ble Justice Talwant Singh inaugurated the competition; where,  Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) & LPU Chancellor Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal, who himself is an advocate also, shared that such competitions are to provide students with great experience of the legal profession in a real-world setting. Here, students can apply the knowledge that they have gained and further develop skills as budding lawyers.

Participating students won prizes of Rs one lakh under different categories. Team of Christ University Bangalore got the winning prize; and, Punjab University (Regional Campus) Ludhiana declared runner-up. Shreyash Dubey of Dr B R Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat, got Best Researcher Award; Symbiosis Law School of Pune won Best Memorial Award; and, Best Speaker Award was received by Jasmeen Kaur of St. Soldier Law College (Jalandhar).

Hon’ble Justices also interacted with the law students and came to know their opinions for issues prevalent in the society including same sex marriage, adolescents’ relations, transgender status and more. The competition proved to be a great learning experience, as students learnt from the top judiciary. This competition stands as the flagship event of LPU’s School of Law, which fosters a heightened awareness for the pressing contemporary issues and ever-evolving field of criminal jurisprudence.

The Moot Court Society (MCS) at LPU’s School of Law takes hands-on measures to foster the growth of moot court activities. The MCS is also entrusted with the responsibility of arranging intra-moot court competitions, inter-university moot court contests, as well as trial advocacy competitions on both the national and international levels.