(Held from 3rd March, 2023 to 6th March, 2023)
Starting with a magnificent opening ceremony and a grandeur-filled Kolkata tour on March 3rd, 2023, the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) has successfully hosted the West and South Asia Regional Rounds of the 21st edition of the esteemed John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition. This historic event marked the first time that the competition has taken place in India, and NUJS was honoured to be entrusted with its organization. It was the unwavering support of the European Law Students' Association (ELSA) and its esteemed members and representatives, Mr. Machiej Łodziński and Ms. Linnéa Regnell that NUJS was able to successfully discharge its duties in organizing the event.
Representing their nations, twenty-one teams hailing from India, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan converged on the campus of the University to display their legal skills and prowess over the course of three intense days. A prestigious panel of judges, including judges from the Indian court, academics, and lawyers, adjudicated the tournament, attesting to the competition's illustrious repute.
Following an engaging opening ceremony and city tour, the preliminary rounds of the competition commenced on the second day and continued through to the third day , during which each team presented their arguments with the aim of advancing to the emerging semi-finals. Each team ensured to put forward their best legal front as they vied for a chance to advance through the progressive stages of the competition. The exceptional brilliance and the undefeatable legal acumen of the various teams participating was testamentary to the fact that the judges faced difficulty as they made the choices of the teams going forward.
From the twenty-one teams facing each other in the prelims, the teams representing the Lloyd Law College, Jindal Global Law School, National Law Institute University and our NUJS university team made the cut to the semis. To cool-off from the intense rounds of the past two days, a social event was organized for the participants where they got a chance to interact with each other.
Following rigorous rounds of questioning from the esteemed panel of judges, two teams, namely NLIU, Bhopal and NUJS, Kolkata emerged victorious and progressed to the finals. The teams engaged in a closely contested battle, vying for the ultimate prize, in front of a distinguished panel of judges comprising Ms. Natalie Carlson (Legal Analyst, World Trade Organization), Dr. Srikant Parthasarathy (Trade Law Practitioner), Mr. James J. Nedumpara (Head of Centre for Trade and Investment Law), Mr. Amit Randev (Practitioner SBA Consultant), Dr.Vg Hegde (Professor Trade Law, Jawaharlal National University), and Dr. Santanu Mukherjee (World Trade Institute alumnus and Practitioner), who posed challenging inquiries testing the application of law and facts.
It was a moment of immense pride and honour as NUJS university team consisting of Nimesh Singh (Batch of 2026), Akash Nath (Batch of 2026), Tanay Khanna (Batch of 2026), and Manuj Gupta (Batch of 2027) emerged victorious, securing the final prize and clinching the title of Winners of the West and South Asia Regional Rounds, enhancing the joy of organization of the event. The competition ended with a cultural event showcasing Indian dance and music a sponsors’ fair.
In the organization of the event, we would firstly like to thank the European Law Student Association and our sponsors Centre for Trade and Investment Law (Gold and Knowledge Partner), India Pharmaceutical Alliance (Silver Partner), and LiveLaw (Media Partner). It was because of the immense cooperation and resources provided that the smooth flow of the event was ensured. We would also like to express our gratitude to the West Bengal Transport Corporation and Mr. Rajanvir Singh Kapur for facilitating the tour and helping the participants secure the experience of ferry ride and tram museum visit on the first day.
We especially thank our Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) N. K. Chakrabarty, Mr. Machiej Łodziński and Ms. Linnéa Regnell (ELSA members and representatives) for the relationship and coordination between NUJS and ELSA. Additionally, we want to thank Dr. Paramita Dasgupta, our faculty advisor, whose invaluable guidance made it possible to conduct the competition smoothly. The event came into existence due to the efforts of all those involved in its organization. Hence, we thank the members of the Moot Court Society and the Organizing Committee for their hard work and efforts in the competition. While this was the first collaboration between NUJS and ELSA for the organization of regional rounds, we look forward to continuing this relationship for many more years to come.
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