17th CNLU National Parliamentary Debate 2026

The Debating Society of Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna presents the 17th edition of its flagship national debating tournament, the CNLU National Parliamentary Debate 2026 (XVII CNLU PD). Scheduled for 11th to 13th September 2026, the three-day competition is held offline on the CNLU campus in Patna and brings together debaters and adjudicators from across the country to contest one of the oldest and most respected parliamentary debating circuits in Indian law schools.

The tournament follows the 3-versus-3 Asian Parliamentary Debate (APD) format, with teams representing either the Government or the Opposition bench. Each round comprises preliminary rounds followed by outrounds leading to the finals.

• Preparation time is 30 minutes per round, split into 5 minutes for motion ranking and 25 minutes for case preparation.
• Use of the internet and online resources is strictly prohibited during preparation.
• The tournament operates an N=N adjudicator policy, requiring one adjudicator per team registered.

Registration is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from recognised institutions. The tournament is also open to participants who are not presently enrolled in any university or college, making it accessible to both institutional teams and independent debaters.

Registration is conducted through the official CNLU Debating Society Linktree hub, which hosts separate Google Forms for the different categories of participants:

• Teams and Adjudicators registration.
• Independent Adjudicators registration.
• Institutional Adjudicator (IA) and Swing Adjudicator (SA) registration.

The tournament is capped at a maximum of 34 teams, and registration remains open on a rolling basis until the cap is filled, so early registration is advised.

The registration fee is Rs. 3,000 per participant. The fee is inclusive and covers hotel accommodation, station and airport transportation, and meals for all three days of the tournament.

• 11 September 2026: Inaugural ceremony, briefings, and preliminary Rounds 1 and 2.
• 12 September 2026: Preliminary Rounds 3 to 5, break announcement, and break night.
• 13 September 2026: Outrounds, finals, and the valedictory ceremony.

The tournament carries a total prize pool of Rs. 2,64,000, distributed across winning and finalist teams as well as individual speaker, adjudicator and novice categories. Participants and adjudicators receive certificates of participation.