The Faculty of Law (FOL) hosted the Novice Moot Court Competition 2024-25 for first-year students of Five-Year Integrated B.A. LL.B., Five-Year Integrated B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) and Three-Year LL.B. (Hons.) programs to develop their mooting skills. The competition witnessed participation of more than fifty teams and all teams went through the preliminary round screening. Finally, eight teams qualified for the final round competitions. All argued on a hypothetical consumer protection case.
Judging the competition Mr. Punit Juneja, Advocate, High Court of Gujarat, underscored the importance of adhering to courtroom standards in their submissions and urged the students to maintain a focus on the merits and facts of the case during rebuttals. Highlighting the solemn responsibility that comes with representing clients—whether individuals or acting in public interest—he advised the budding advocates that their legal research was not limited to the fact sheet but extended to encompass all relevant statutes and principles.
In a similar vein, Advocate Vikas Nair, Advocate, High Court of Gujarat, counselled participants to anticipate even the most obscure queries from the bench and thoroughly analyse the fact sheet, identifying any potential loopholes that could emerge during arguments.
The winging competitors received awards under several categories. The triumphant team of Parv Lodha, Aakarsha Shrivastava, and Pearl Dave clinched the title of Winners, while the team of Preet Patel, Payal Sirvi, and Arya Yadav secured the First Runners-Up position. The Second Runners-Up honours went to Riddhi Panchal, Priti Tarani, and Henil Kadia. Special awards followed, with Arya Yadav winning Best Memorial Appellant (Researcher), Pearl Dave securing Best Memorial Respondent (Researcher), Payal Sirvi being named as Best Advocate (Appellant) and Parv Lodha won the title of Best Advocate (Respondent). Trophies and certificates were awarded in recognition of their outstanding achievements,
The judges endorsed initiatives of FOL in equipping law students with advocacy skills, legal research and acquaintance with the courtroom decorum. Further, this early exposure is instrumental in fostering critical thinking, collaboration and eloquent communication, laying a robust foundation for their future legal careers.