14th Annual Adv. B. P. Apte Memorial National Mock Trial, Moot Court and Judgment Writing Competition, 2026 at Adv. Balasaheb Apte College of Law, Mumbai (Cash Prizes Rs 45,000)

People's Education Society's Adv. Balasaheb Apte College of Law is hosting The 14th Annual Adv. B. P. Apte Memorial National Mock Trial, Moot Court and Judgment Writing Competition, 2026 from 9 to 11 October 2026 at its campus in Dadar (West), Mumbai.

The annual event is hosted in the memory of Late Shri Balwant Parshuram Apte, widely known as Adv. Balasaheb Apte, a legal luminary and parliamentarian who facilitated and mentored the establishment of the college. The competition carries forward his aim of drawing students of law and young advocates towards the actual practice of advocacy.

The college is affiliated to the University of Mumbai, approved by the Bar Council of India and recognised by the Government of Maharashtra. People's Education Society was established in 1933.

This year the premise of the competition is based on the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 read with the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999. The organisers note that the moot proposition is based on a fictitious case.

The competition is not confined to the proceedings of a single forum. Participants experience the proceedings of a Trial Court and of the High Court:

• The Preliminary Round is in the nature of a Mock Trial, in which no facts are admitted and the facts must be proved before the Trial Court
• The Semi-Final and Final Rounds are a Moot Court arising out of a writ petition before the High Court, argued on the issues set out in the Paperbook
• A separate Judgment Writing Competition is held, in which participants step into the robes of a judge

The language of the competition is English. The dress code is advocate's attire, with a black blazer compulsory for all participants and a black tie compulsory for gentlemen. Advocate's gowns and white bands are prohibited.

• Bona fide LL.B. students pursuing three-year or five-year LL.B. degree courses during the academic year 2026-27 are eligible
• Students must be deputed by their respective colleges
• Students above the age of 25 years are not permitted to participate
• Each participating college or university shall send only one team
• Each team shall consist of a maximum of two members, and this number cannot be modified under any circumstances
• Each team is given a unique team code by draw of lots during the Orientation Ceremony

Preliminary Round (10 October 2026): Divided into two rounds, with each team leading evidence for the Prosecution in one and for the Defence in the other. Each side gets thirty minutes to brief its witnesses. The Prosecution team gets forty minutes and the Defence team fifty minutes, inclusive of the opening statement, examination-in-chief, cross examination and closing statement, with up to five minutes reservable for the closing statement. One top scoring team from each courtroom, four teams in all, proceeds to the Semi-Final.

Semi-Final Round (11 October 2026): A Moot Court on the issues in the Paperbook. Thirty minutes per team, with no speaker exceeding eighteen minutes and up to five minutes reservable for rebuttal.

Final Round (11 October 2026): The highest scoring team from each Semi-Final courtroom qualifies. Forty minutes per team, with no speaker exceeding twenty-three minutes and up to five minutes reservable for rebuttal.

Preliminary marking is on presentation and courtroom etiquette (10), understanding of facts (20), understanding of procedure (20), witness examination (30) and skill of oral arguments and logical reasoning (20). Semi-Final and Final marking is on presentation and courtroom etiquette (05), understanding and clarity of legal principles (10), flow and structure of arguments (10), reference to case laws (10), response to the judge's questions (10) and reference to written submissions (05).

There are no memorial submissions for the Preliminary Round. All teams must submit memorials for the subject matter of the Semi-Final and Final Rounds, and four hard copies (two for the Petitioner and two for the Respondent) at the time of registration on Orientation Day. Memorials carry 50 marks, which are added to the cumulative total of both speakers in the Semi-Final Round.

• Cover page blue for the Petitioner and red for the Respondent, carrying the title of the case and the side in bold, with an empty white box at the top right for the team code
• Times New Roman 12 point, 10 point for footnotes; line spacing 1.5 for the body and 1.0 for footnotes
• A4 page size with 2.54 cm margins, a double lined page border on all pages, and page numbers at the bottom
• Header on every page reading the full name of the competition
• No word limit, but arguments advanced shall not exceed 25 pages
• Contents: cover page, index, index of authorities, issues, arguments advanced and prayers
• The identity of the participating college or participants must not be disclosed

The use of Artificial Intelligence tools in making memorials is strictly prohibited and memorials undergo scrutiny for it; violation results in disqualification. Soft copies of memorials and the e-compendium must be emailed in PDF only to mootabacl@gmail.com on or before 28 September 2026, 11:59 pm, with the subject line "Mock Trial 2026 - Written Submissions of name of College / Institution".

Only 24 teams are allowed to participate. The registration form is annexed at the end of the Rulebook.

• Provisional registration: email the duly filled and scanned registration form (soft copy) from the college's official email id to mootabacl@gmail.com on or before 29 August 2026. Teams receive an acknowledgement on successful submission
• Registration fee: Rs. 3,000/- per team, payable by UPI to the UPI ID "abacl@jsb" or by bank transfer to Adv. Balasaheb Apte College of Law, Janata Sahakari Bank Ltd., Dadar (W) branch, savings account number 017220100041377, IFSC JSBP0000017
• Accommodation: lodging and boarding for outstation participants only, at an additional Rs. 5,000/- per team, from 9 October (check-in 6:00 pm) to 11 October 2026 (check-out 8:00 am), with separate accommodation for male and female participants. A duly filled scanned accommodation form and proof of payment are required
• Teams must send the payment acknowledgement with the registration form, after which the college verifies and confirms participation
• No change in participants' names is permitted after receipt of the registration form except at the organisers' sole discretion, and there is no refund on cancellation

The last date to complete the registration process and payment of fees is 7 September 2026. The college does not provide travelling expenses, but breakfast, lunch and high tea are provided to all participants; dinner is provided only to participants availing accommodation.

Download the Rulebook, fill in the registration form annexed to it, and email the duly filled and scanned form from your college's official email id to mootabacl@gmail.com by 29 August 2026 for provisional registration. Complete the payment and send the acknowledgement along with the registration form so that the registration is confirmed by 7 September 2026. Clarifications on the proposition or the Rulebook are to be emailed to the same address with the subject line "Mock Trial 2026 - Clarifications".