6th Justice R.K. Tankha Memorial Parliamentary Debate 2026 at DNLU Jabalpur [30 Oct - 1 Nov; Prize Pool Rs 3,80,000]

Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur was established in 2018 under the Madhya Pradesh Dharmashastra National Law University Act 24 of 2018. Its motto is “satyam vada, dharmam chara”, meaning “speak the truth and conduct in accordance with dharma”.

Shastrartha is the debating society of DNLU. It began with online editions of parliamentary debates and its members now take part as speakers and adjudicators at tournaments across the country. The Justice R.K. Tankha Memorial Parliamentary Debate (JRKTPD) is its flagship inter-varsity tournament.

The sixth edition of the tournament is held in collaboration with the Office of Senior Advocate and Member of Parliament Mr. Vivek Tankha, in remembrance of the late Hon’ble Mr. Justice R.K. Tankha. It runs from 30 October to 1 November 2026, in person at the DNLU campus in Jabalpur.

The Core Adjudication Panel is Raymond Kimura, Anshuman Mishra, Raghav Dagar and Hadar Goldberg. The organisers describe the event as novice friendly, with a separate novice break and novice prizes.

• Format: British Parliamentary (BP), 2 v 2, governed by the Sofia WUDC 2026 (updated) manual.
• Team composition: 2 speakers, or 2 speakers + 1 adjudicator.
• Five preliminary rounds, followed by a break to Open Quarter-Finals and Novice Semi-Finals.
• Adjudicator policy for institutions: N = N, so an institution must send one adjudicator for every team it registers.
• Team cap: 80 teams.
• Mode: offline, in person at DNLU Jabalpur.

The competition is open to any individual pursuing or having completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from any university recognised by the UGC. Individuals currently enrolled in schools are also allowed. Cross-university teams (members from different institutions) are allowed. The registration form states that the tournament is open to institutional contingents, open/cross teams and independent adjudicators, and it encourages international teams to apply.

A speaker counts as a novice if they have:

• three or fewer open speaking breaks; and
• no major breaks (UADC, ABP, WUDC, etc.).

Register through the official team registration form, choosing one of three routes: Institutional Team, Cross Team or Independent Adjudicator. Institutions submit only one response per contingent, giving the number of team slots and adjudicator slots required, a point of contact and an alternate point of contact. Every route asks how many members need accommodation.

The organisers have not published a closing date for team registration. Registration cannot run past the start of the tournament on 30 October 2026, and slots may close earlier because the tournament is capped at 80 teams, so register early.

• Rs 2,300 per person without accommodation.
• Rs 3,300 per person with accommodation (Friday to Sunday).

Payment is due within 7 days of slot confirmation; a slot that is not paid for in that time is forfeited.

Waiver applications are considered only if submitted on or before 30 September 2026, and you must register first. Waivers may be granted for any or all of these reasons:

• travel from places where tickets are expensive;
• self-funded debaters who receive no debating funding from their college;
• institutional contingents;
• WGM teams (both speakers WGM) and WGM independent adjudicators.

Waivers are allocated in buckets. Once a waiver is accepted or denied, the payment must be made within five days.

Applications for Invited Adjudicators (IA) and Subsidised Adjudicators (SA) are open through a separate form. Applicants give their speaking and adjudication credentials, the circuit(s) they represent, their travel plans and their expected subsidy, and may also apply for the tournament’s Equity Team. Applicants are asked not to double-book themselves for the tournament weekend.

The Break Night of JRKTPD 2026 is open to all participants and will be held at an upscale hotel in Jabalpur after the preliminary rounds.