1st All India Maharaja Surajmal Moot Court Competition 2026 at MSI, New Delhi [Hybrid; 2-4 Nov Online, 13-14 Nov Offline; Winner Rs 21,000]: Register by 15 Oct

Aequitas, the Moot Court Society of the Department of Law, Maharaja Surajmal Institute (MSI), New Delhi, is organising the 1st All India Maharaja Surajmal Moot Court Competition 2026. MSI, established in 1999, is affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), is NAAC A grade accredited, approved by the Bar Council of India and AICTE, and recognised under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act. The Department of Law offers B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) and B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.).

The inaugural edition is a hybrid competition: the researcher's test, preliminary round and quarter-final round are held online on 2, 3 and 4 November 2026, and the semi-final and final rounds are held offline at the Institute on 13 and 14 November 2026. SCC Online is the knowledge partner and SCC Online Times the media partner.

The proposition is a criminal appeal before the Supreme Court of Bharatvarsha arising from a murder case built on circumstantial evidence (a property dispute, a last-seen circumstance, recovery of a chain and a knife, fingerprint and forensic reports). The Trial Court acquitted all four accused; the High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted them, including one accused who was declared a proclaimed offender and tried in absentia under Section 356 of the Bharatvarsha Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. The laws of Bharatvarsha are pari materia with the Constitution of India, the BNS, the BNSS and the BSA, 2023.

• Issue 1: Whether the circumstances relied upon by the prosecution form a complete chain of evidence sufficient to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
• Issue 2: Whether the High Court was justified in reversing the Trial Court's acquittal and convicting all the accused on the evidence on record.
• Issue 3: Whether Section 356 of the BNSS, 2023, permitting trial in absentia of a declared proclaimed offender, is constitutionally valid.

Clarifications on the proposition may be sought by email to mcs.msilaw@msijanakpuri.com until 19 October 2026 (11:59 PM IST); they will be released on 20 October 2026 and form part of the moot problem.

• Open to students of 3-year or 5-year LL.B. programmes at institutes, colleges and universities recognised by the Bar Council of India.
• Each team has three members: Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and a Researcher, all from the same institution. The Researcher's presence is mandatory throughout the competition. No additional members are permitted.
• A maximum of 3 teams per institution may register.
• No substitution of team members after the registration deadline, except in exceptional circumstances with prior approval of the Organising Committee.
• A No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Director, Head of Department or Faculty Convenor is required (format linked below) and is uploaded with the registration form along with college ID cards of all three members.

• Researcher's Test (online, 2 November 2026): 50 MCQs in 30 minutes via Google Form, 2 marks each with 0.25 negative marking; camera and microphone must stay on. Scores are used only for tie-breaking.
• SCC Online workshop (online, 2 November 2026, after the test): a one-hour training session; attendance of all team members is mandatory and failure to attend disqualifies the whole team.
• Preliminary Round (online, 3 November 2026): 15 minutes per team, minimum 5 minutes per speaker, maximum 2 minutes rebuttal. The top 8 teams qualify for the quarter-finals.
• Quarter-Final Round (online, 4 November 2026): 30 minutes per team, minimum 12 minutes per speaker, maximum 5 minutes rebuttal.
• Semi-Final Round (offline, 13 November 2026): top 4 teams, 45 minutes per team, minimum 15 minutes per speaker, maximum 5 minutes rebuttal.
• Final Round (offline, 14 November 2026): 45 minutes per team, no speaker may reserve more than 25 minutes, no more than 10 minutes for rebuttal and sur-rebuttal.
• Sides are determined by draw of lots for every round. Teams are identified by team code only and must not disclose their institution. A team not appearing within the first 10 minutes may be proceeded against ex parte.

• Memorials for both sides must be submitted in PDF and Word format by email to mcs.msilaw@msijanakpuri.com with the subject 'Submission of Memorial' on or before 25 October 2026 (11:59 PM IST). Files are named by team code, for example 'TC1/Appellant'. No revisions after submission; late submissions attract penalties (a delay beyond 24 hours costs 1 mark per additional day).
• Components in order: Cover Page, Table of Contents, List of Abbreviations, Index of Authorities, Statement of Facts, Statement of Jurisdiction, Issues, Summary of Arguments, Arguments Advanced, Prayer. The sections from Statement of Facts to Prayer must not exceed 35 pages.
• Formatting: Times New Roman, 12 pt main text and 10 pt footnotes, 1.5 line spacing (1.0 for footnotes), 1 inch margins, ILI citation style, English only. Cover page blue for the Appellant and red for the Respondent, with the team code at the top right.
• Plagiarism and AI-generated content must not exceed 10 per cent. No identifying marks anywhere in the memorial.
• Teams must bring 3 hard-bound copies of the memorial for each side for the offline rounds. Compendiums, if any, may be emailed with the title 'Compendium' by 1 November 2026, and 2 physical copies must be brought for the advanced rounds.
• Memorials are marked out of 100 (original thought, knowledge of law and facts, analysis, structure and citation, extent of research, 20 each). Oral rounds are also marked out of 100 (knowledge and application of law and facts, ingenuity in answering questions, style and demeanour, organisation of arguments, rebuttal, 20 each).

The registration fee is Rs 2,000 per team, non-refundable under any circumstances. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to eligibility and availability of slots, and is complete only when the form has been submitted and the fee paid. Payment is by bank transfer or QR code; the bank details and the payment QR are in the official brochure and in the registration form. The proof of payment must be uploaded with the form and also emailed to mcs.msilaw@msijanakpuri.com.

Cash prizes: Winner Rs 21,000, Runner-up Rs 11,000, Best Speaker Rs 5,000, Best Memorial Rs 5,000 and Best Researcher Rs 5,000. The brochure also shows SCC Online subscriptions for the winning team (stated as Rs 33,500 x 3, Rs 1,00,500 in all) alongside the winner's cash prize. Every participant receives one month's access to the SCC Online Web Edition, stated to be worth Rs 3,100 per participant.

Formal wear is mandatory for online and offline rounds: white shirt, black trousers, black blazer and black formal shoes, or white kurta and black churidar. Mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices are prohibited in the courtroom during the advanced rounds. Scouting, misbehaviour or disrespect towards judges, participants or the host institution leads to disqualification. The Organising Committee's decisions on rules and results are final.

Fill in the Google registration form (linked below) with the institution's details, the three team members' names, contact numbers, email IDs and college ID cards, the transaction reference number, proof of payment and the NOC from the Director, Head of Department or Faculty Convenor. Registration closes on 15 October 2026. The rulebook, moot proposition and NOC format are linked below. Queries on the proposition, registration, payment or participation go to mcs.msilaw@msijanakpuri.com or the student convenors listed in the contact section.