25th Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition 2026, India National Rounds, New Delhi (No Registration Fee)

The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have announced the 25th Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law, the Silver Jubilee edition, to be held in physical mode from 20 November to 22 November 2026 at ISIL, New Delhi.

The competition was started in 2001 by the ICRC Regional Delegation for South Asia to build awareness of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) among law students at universities throughout India. It is named in memory of Henry Dunant, co-founder of the ICRC and of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 1863. The national rounds have grown to include more than 60 teams representing universities from across the country.

Participation involves thorough research and detailed study of IHL treaties, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols, and the rules of customary international law applicable to this area. The moot problem is normally based on contemporary issues of, and challenges to, IHL. The winning team of the national rounds is entitled to participate in the Asia Pacific round in Hong Kong.

The Indian Society of International Law was founded in 1959 and inaugurated the same year by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India. Its principal objective is to foster nationwide the study and development of International Law and to encourage comparative study of the application of International Law in other States. ISIL publishes the Indian Journal of International Law and the ISIL Yearbook on Humanitarian and Refugee Laws, and runs post graduate diploma courses on International Law and Diplomacy, Human Rights, International Humanitarian and Refugee Laws, International Environment Law, Intellectual Property Laws, and International Trade and Business Laws. It has collaborated with the ICRC on the Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court since 2001.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private, independent humanitarian organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with a mandate from the international community to protect and assist persons affected by armed conflict. That mandate includes the promotion and development of IHL, including in times of peace, through university curricula, teacher training programmes and events such as this competition.

The 2026 problem is titled Situation in the Republic of Pallavon, Prosecutor v. General Thorn. The hearing takes place in the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court at the confirmation of charges stage under Article 61 of the 1998 Rome Statute. At this stage the Prosecutor must support each charge with sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed the crime charged, and the accused may object to the charges and challenge the evidence presented.

The charges released for the national rounds are:

• Count 1: the war crime of torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, under Article 8(2)(a)(ii) of the Rome Statute, in relation to the injections of Jaku administered to Titan soldiers between 2 and 10 April 2025, on the basis of individual criminal responsibility for aiding, abetting or otherwise assisting under Article 25(3)(c).
• Count 2: the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is objects which are not military objectives, under Article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute, in relation to the missile airstrike on the schools on 22 July 2025, on the basis of individual criminal responsibility for ordering, soliciting or inducing under Article 25(3)(b).

The case is entirely fictional. Teams must confine themselves to the facts supplied and neither side may introduce new evidence or facts at the hearing, though teams may draw reasonable inferences and may question the credibility or weight of the evidence. Counsel may address issues of conflict classification or gravity where relevant, and other questions of jurisdiction, admissibility and procedure should be ignored apart from the rights of the accused under Articles 66 and 67 of the Rome Statute. The problem carries annexes setting out the charges, the treaties applicable to the fictional States of Damaroi, Pallavon and Bhumara, and a map.

• All universities, colleges and institutions imparting legal education on a regular or evening basis in a programme of study leading to a Bachelor's degree in law (LL.B or BL) or a Master's degree in law (LL.M or ML) are eligible to participate.
• All students enrolled on a full time or evening basis in a programme of study leading to, or equivalent to, an LL.B, BL, LL.M or ML are eligible to participate.
• Students who have participated in this Moot Court competition on a previous occasion are not eligible to participate again.
• Each participating university, college or institute may nominate only one team.
• Each team must consist of three student members. The three member composition is mandatory for participating in the competition.
• It is optional for a team to be accompanied by a coach from the faculty of the institution it represents.
• The official working language of the competition is English.

There is no registration fee for the competition. Registrations opened on 16 July 2026 and the completed registration form must reach ISIL by 17 August 2026, either by post or by email at isilhdmootcourt@gmail.com. Any clarifications sought on the moot problem must also reach the organisers by the same date, 17 August 2026.

The registration form asks for the university or college name in capital letters, the postal address, telephone or mobile number, email address, and the signature of the Head, Principal or Moot Court Coordinator. Forms sent by post should be addressed to the Indian Society of International Law, V.K. Krishna Menon Bhawan, 9, Bhagwan Dass Road, New Delhi 110001.

Registered teams receive their team codes by email on 31 August 2026, when the clarifications on the moot problem are also released. The notification, rules and guidelines, registration form and moot problem are all available on the ISIL website at www.isil-aca.org.

Each participating team must prepare both memorials and counter memorials in English. Memorials and counter memorials are to be submitted online by midnight on 24 September 2026 by email at isilhdmootcourt@gmail.com. Failure to submit by the deadline results in disqualification from the competition, and late submission attracts a penalty of 3 marks deducted from the total marks allocated for memorials for each day of delay.

Format specifications are as follows:

• A memorial or counter memorial shall not be more than 25 typed pages.
• Memorials must be typed and submitted on standard A4 size paper.
• The font and size of the text of all parts of the memorial, excluding footnotes, must be the same and must be either Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11.
• The text of all parts of each memorial must be double spaced, with a one inch margin on both sides.
• The text of footnotes and headings may be single spaced. The font size of footnotes must be 2 points less than the text font.
• There must be double spacing between separate footnotes and between each heading and the body text of the memorial.
• Quotations of fifty words or more from sources outside the memorial must be block quoted and single spaced.
• The Table of Contents, Index of Authorities and Case Title are not included in the 25 page limit.

Each memorial must contain a Table of Contents, an Index of Authorities with corresponding page numbers, a Statement of Jurisdiction, an Identification of Issues, a Statement of Facts, a Summary of Pleadings, and the Pleadings including the Conclusion or Prayer for Relief.

Teams that qualify for the oral rounds must submit four hard copies of each memorial and counter memorial to the organising committee at registration for the oral rounds in Delhi. Copies submitted to the organising committee will not be returned under any circumstances, and there will be an exchange of memorials between teams during the competition. Disclosure of a team's institutional affiliation on the memorial results in disqualification, and the organising committee allocates a code number to each team to maintain anonymity throughout the competition.

Written submissions are evaluated by experts appointed by the organising committee out of a maximum of 100 marks, distributed as follows:

• Knowledge of law and facts: 30 marks
• Proper and articulate analysis: 30 marks
• Extent of research: 20 marks
• Clarity and organisation: 10 marks
• Style, grammar and citation: 10 marks

All research, writing and editing of the written memorials must be the exclusive product of the team members. Faculty members, coaches and team advisers may render only external assistance, and consultation with coaches is strictly prohibited during oral presentations.

For 2026 there will no longer be preliminary rounds in the oral pleadings. The top 16 teams, selected on the basis of the total scores obtained on their Prosecution and Defence memorials combined, will be invited to the oral rounds at ISIL in New Delhi, which begin directly with the quarter final rounds.

• Quarter finals: the 16 qualifying teams are divided into four groups, Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D. The team with the highest written score competes against the team with the ninth highest score, the second against the tenth, the third against the eleventh, and so on down to the eighth against the sixteenth. Written memorial marks are counted along with the marks awarded by judges at this stage. Two minutes per team are permitted for rebuttal.
• Semi finals: the top four teams from the quarter finals advance. Written memorial marks are not taken into consideration here, only the marks awarded by judges during the oral presentation. Three minutes per team are allowed for rebuttal.
• Final round: the top two teams from the semi finals compete. The sides to be argued are decided by a draw of lots before the round begins. There are two rounds of arguments with a break in between, after which the team that argued for the prosecution must argue for the defence and vice versa. Each team may speak for a total of 20 minutes in the final round, with a warning bell at 15 minutes and a final bell at the end of the allotted time, plus up to 5 extra minutes as necessary to respond to questions from the judges and three minutes for rebuttal in each round. Winners are selected on the basis of oral performance in the final round alone.

There will be a full bench of three judges for every session, drawn from academicians, legal advisers to the Government, armed forces or diplomats, serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court or a High Court, or senior advocates of the Supreme Court or a High Court. A fresh team of judges is appointed for the final round. Faculty advisers, team coaches, ICRC staff members and students may not act as judges at any level. Judges are encouraged to give teams direct feedback at the end of a round.

• Qualified teams are expected to self arrange their travel to Delhi.
• The organising committee will provide accommodation and meals to members of the 16 qualifying teams for the duration of the competition where it is required, and ISIL is responsible for coordinating travel, accommodation and meals for the qualifying teams. Details of the stay arrangements will be shared in due course.
• Teams must carry the study and reference materials they need for their own use during the oral rounds. Laptops, tablets and similar electronic equipment may be used solely to refer to reference materials saved on the device. No right to access wifi or the internet will be granted to source information or answers to questions posed by the bench, and any team found violating this rule would be disqualified.
• Scouting is permitted in all rounds of the competition.
• Teams are expected to maintain the proper decorum of the courtroom during the proceedings and to conduct themselves in a manner befitting the legal profession.
• The organising committee reserves the exclusive right to use the memorials submitted to it as it deems appropriate, and holds sole discretion on whether to publish the scores of any oral round or memorial.
• The organising committee's decision on the interpretation of these rules, or on any other matter related to the competition, is final and binding, and it may amend, modify or repeal any rule with adequate notice to participating teams. It is not responsible for any loss or non delivery of memorials.
• Formal complaints or suggestions for improvement should be addressed in writing to the ICRC or ISIL.