33rd M. C. Chagla Memorial Government Law College National Moot Court Competition 2026, Mumbai (Hybrid; Best Team Rs 18,000; Register by Aug 20)

Government Law College, Mumbai, established in 1855 and the oldest law college in Asia, presents the 33rd M. C. Chagla Memorial Government Law College National Moot Court Competition, 2026, organised in association with the Chief Justice M. C. Chagla Memorial Trust. The late Mr M. C. Chagla was the first Indian Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, and later Ambassador to the USA, High Commissioner to England, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bombay and Union Minister for Education; he also taught Constitutional Law at the College.

The Competition began as a city-level contest and was elevated to state and then national level as participation grew; it has been hosted on a national platform since its 18th edition. A maximum of 16 teams participate, and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Eminent lawyers, sitting and former Judges, academicians and experts in Indian constitutional law adjudicate the rounds.

The 2026 proposition is set in the fictional Republic of Indica and turns on the independence of the Election Commission. It traces the Supreme Court of Indica's Constitution Bench ruling in Dr Kavita Rao v. Union of Indica, which held that free and fair elections form part of the basic structure and directed that, until Parliament legislates under Article 324(2), the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners be appointed on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice, and then the Parliament's subsequent Election Commission (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.

The dispute is filed in the Supreme Court of Indica as Foundation for Electoral Integrity & Anr. v. Union of Indica & Ors. The full proposition is available in the official PDF linked below.

• Participation is restricted to bona fide law students enrolled in either the three-year LL.B. course or the five-year integrated law course, studying in India.
• Each team must comprise exactly three members: two speakers and one researcher.
• Only one team per College or University is permitted; cross-college or cross-university teams are strictly prohibited.
• English is the official language of the Competition, including memorials and compendiums.

The Competition is conducted in hybrid mode. It comprises two Preliminary Rounds, one Quarter-Final Round, one Semi-Final Round and the Final Round.

• Preliminary and Quarter-Final Rounds are held online via Zoom on 26 September 2026.
• In the Preliminary Rounds each team argues both sides, appearing as Petitioner in one round and Respondent in the other.
• Eight teams advance to the Quarter-Final Round, which is a knock-out round; four teams advance to the Semi-Final Round, paired by draw of lots; two teams reach the Final Round.
• Semi-Final and Final Rounds are argued offline at Government Law College, Mumbai, on 10 October 2026. Teams qualifying from the Quarter-Finals get a twelve-day gap before appearing offline.
• Each team has a maximum of 30 minutes to present oral submissions.

All interested Colleges must first provisionally register by sending an e-mail to mcchagla.glc@gmail.com on or before 20 August 2026, 11:59 p.m. IST. Only after the provisional registration is confirmed will a Google Form link and NEFT payment details be shared; confirmed registration (form plus payment) must be completed by 25 August 2026.

The registration fee is Rs 2,500 per team, payable via NEFT. The fee is inclusive of accommodation for teams qualifying for the Semi-Final Round who reside outside Mumbai. A team backing out less than two weeks before the oral rounds is not eligible for a refund. Every registered team is assigned a team code that must be used in all correspondence and in memorial submissions.

Soft copies of memorials are due by 18 September 2026 and compendiums by 20 September 2026, both e-mailed to mcchagla.glc@gmail.com. Qualifying teams must submit hard copies of memorials and compendiums by 4 October 2026.

Anonymity is strictly enforced: neither the team members' names nor the name of the institution may appear on memorials, compendiums or any material shown to the Bench, and teams must maintain anonymity while screen sharing in the virtual rounds. Screen-shared memorials must be identical to those e-mailed. Breach attracts negative marking, penalisation or disqualification at the Organisers' discretion.

Accommodation is provided by the Organisers only to teams qualifying for the Semi-Final Round and residing outside Mumbai, for a maximum of two nights (9 and 10 October 2026), and is not extended to a fourth team member, coach, professor or family member. Details are notified by e-mail about a week before the Competition.

The dress code for all rounds is black and white formals, with a tie mandatory for gentlemen and Western or Indian formals for ladies; a blazer is mandatory for all participants.

A Panel Discussion accompanies the moot and is held offline at Government Law College, Mumbai, on 9 October 2026, featuring eminent voices in Indian constitutional law. All interested persons are invited to attend.

Requests for interpretation of the case study and the Rules must be addressed to the General Secretary of the Moot Court Association and e-mailed to mcchagla.glc@gmail.com with the subject line "Request for Interpretation". The last date to seek clarifications to the moot proposition is 27 August 2026, and corrections and clarifications are anticipated to be released on 2 September 2026.