1st UPSIFS National Moot Court Competition 2026 at Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, Lucknow (Cash Prizes Worth Rs 71,000)

The Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science (UPSIFS), Lucknow is a government institution affiliated with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar and functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Institute follows a “Law-with-Labs” approach that combines legal education with practical forensic training, and is led by Prof. (Dr.) G. K. Goswami, Founding Director.

Its School of Law, Forensic Justice & Policy Studies runs the B.Sc., LL.B. (Hons.), the LL.M. in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Administration and the LL.M. in Cyber Law and Cyber Crime Investigation, and works at the intersection of law, forensic science, technology and public policy.

The Moot Court Committee of the School of Law, Forensic Justice and Policy Studies presents the 1st UPSIFS National Moot Court Competition, 2026, organised in association with G. Giri & Partners LLP, a counsel-led boutique law firm founded in 1987 and headquartered in New Delhi. The Competition brings together law students from across India to engage in legal research, memorial drafting and oral advocacy, and follows the Committee’s earlier initiatives including the 1st Justice J.S. Verma National Blog Competition and two editions of its Intra-Institute Moot Court Competition.

• Open to all students enrolled in a three-year LL.B. programme or a five-year integrated law programme.
• Students enrolled exclusively in postgraduate or diploma programmes are not eligible.
• Multiple teams from the same institution may participate, provided each team submits a duly filled and signed No Objection Certificate in the prescribed format, printed on the official letterhead of the institution and issued by its competent authority.

• Each team shall have a minimum of two and a maximum of three members.
• A three-member team comprises two Speakers and one Researcher; a two-member team comprises two Speakers, one of whom also serves as the Researcher.
• Names and designations of team members must be specified at the time of registration and ordinarily remain unchanged throughout the Competition.
• No substitution or alteration of team composition is permitted after registration closes, except in exceptional circumstances with the prior written approval of the Organising Committee.

The Competition runs in two phases. The Preliminary Rounds are held online over Microsoft Teams on 15 and 16 October 2026, where each team argues twice, once as Petitioner and once as Respondent, in rounds of 30 minutes each. Qualification to the Quarter-Finals is decided on the aggregate of Speaker Scores and the Memorial Score, and the top eight teams advance.

The Researcher’s Test, Quarter-Final and Semi-Final Rounds are conducted offline at UPSIFS, Lucknow on 30 October 2026, and the Final Round and Valedictory Ceremony on 31 October 2026. The Researcher’s Test consists of 50 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 30 minutes by the Researcher of each quarter-finalist team. Quarter-Finals run 60 minutes, Semi-Finals 90 minutes and the Final 120 minutes, all on a knockout basis decided solely on aggregate Speaker Scores, with sides allotted by draw of lots.

English is the official language of the Competition; all memorials, oral pleadings, written submissions and official communications must be in English. Participants must appear in formal court attire: male participants in a white shirt, black trousers, black tie, black blazer and black formal shoes; female participants in a white shirt with black trousers or skirt, or a white salwar suit, with a black blazer and black formal footwear.

The registration fee is Rs 3,000 per team, covering participation in the Online Preliminary Rounds. Each participant among the top eight teams advancing to the offline phase pays an additional Accommodation and Hospitality Fee of Rs 1,000 per person, inclusive of accommodation and meals during that phase. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Payment is made by bank transfer to Account Name: UPSIFS, HDFC Bank, Account Number 50100713046350, IFSC HDFC0005440, or by UPI to vyapar.170439687948@hdfcbank. After registration and verification of payment, the Primary Contact Person receives a confirmation email with the allotted Team Code, which is used for all official communication with the Organising Committee.

Register through the official Google Form linked in the brochure on or before 5 October 2026, after making the payment. The Moot Proposition, Official Rulebook and the No Objection Certificate format are available in the official Google Drive folder. Participants are required to read the Official Rulebook, which sets out the memorial guidelines and formatting, evaluation and scoring criteria, oral round procedures, the Researcher’s Test, code of conduct, scouting and penalties, before registering, and are deemed to have accepted its rules on registration. Where the brochure and the Rulebook conflict, the Rulebook prevails.

Apart from the cash awards, the Winner, Runner-Up, Best Researcher, Best Speaker and Best Memorial each receive a paid internship with Mr. Aditya Giri, Advocate-on-Record, Supreme Court of India. The Winning Team also receives three one-year complimentary academic subscriptions to the SCC Online Web Edition, stated by the organisers to be worth Rs 96,000. E-certificates of participation are provided to all registered participants.