CSI'26 National Level Crime Scene Investigation Competition and Workshop [Chennai, 28-29 Aug; Cash Prizes Upto Rs 12,000]

The Department of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Administration, together with the Department of Crime and Forensic Law, School of Excellence in Law (SOEL), The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, is organising a two-day national level competition on Crime Scene Investigation, titled CSI'26 - Beyond the Crime Scene, on 28 and 29 August 2026 at the university's Chennai campus.

CSI'26 is a simulation-based academic competition that replicates the real-life process of criminal investigation. Teams step into the role of investigators: they examine a physical, simulated crime scene, observe and document physical evidence, analyse material clues, reconstruct the sequence of events, and develop a coherent hypothesis identifying the probable perpetrator.

The exercise is deliberately interdisciplinary. It draws on:

• Substantive criminal law and procedure
• The law of evidence
• Forensic science principles and material analysis
• Deductive and inductive reasoning
• Observation, scene documentation and field skills

Teams are assessed not merely on naming a suspect, but on the systematic preservation of the scene, the correlation of data, the structural integrity of the written report, and the persuasive strength of their final oral arguments before the jury panel. The organisers state that the aim is to cultivate precision, objectivity and analytical depth, and to bridge classroom theory with practical application.

The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University (TNDALU) was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu under Act No. 43 of 1997 and was inaugurated on 20 September 1997 by Shri K.R. Narayanan, the then President of India. It is named after Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The University is recognised by the Bar Council of India and by the UGC under Sections 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act, and is described as the first sui generis affiliating law university in India and South Asia. It is the nodal institution for legal education in Tamil Nadu, affiliating both government and private law colleges while running its own campus programmes.

The School of Excellence in Law (SOEL), established in 2002, is the flagship institution of the University. It offers three-year and five-year integrated undergraduate programmes, postgraduate degrees and doctoral research across multiple specialisations.

Organising committee for CSI'26:

• Patron-in-Chief: Hon'ble Thiru V. Bharathidasan, Convenor, former Judge, High Court of Madras, TNDALU
• Thiru E. Om Prakash, Member, Convenor Committee, TNDALU and Senior Advocate, High Court of Madras
• Patrons: Prof. Dr. Gowri Ramesh, Registrar, TNDALU; Prof. Dr. V. Balaji, Dean (Academics), TNDALU
• Event Convenors: Dr. S. Rajalakshmi (Associate Professor and Head, Dept of Crime and Criminal Justice Administration); Dr. A. Vijayalakshmi (Associate Professor and Head i/c, Dept of Crime and Forensic Law); Dr. A. Senthilkumar (Assistant Professor SG, Head, Dept of Management Studies); Dr. M. Nirmal Kumar (Assistant Professor and Head i/c, Dept of Economics), all of SOEL, TNDALU

Day one of the event is a hands-on workshop on criminology and forensics, conducted by recognised experts and practising forensic professionals. Sessions cover crime scene protocols, evidence handling, chain of custody and basic laboratory techniques, along with the do's and don'ts of handling a crime scene.

Attendance at the workshop is mandatory for all competing teams, and workshop entry is included in the competition registration fee. Materials and a certificate of attendance are provided.

The workshop is also open as a standalone programme. It carries no stream-specific eligibility restriction: students of any academic discipline, and academicians regardless of field of study, may register for the workshop alone by paying the separate workshop fee. Participants registered for the workshop alone attend only on the first day and are not permitted to attend the competition. Attendance at the valedictory session is compulsory for everyone, both workshop and competition participants.

• The competition is open to full-time students and full-time research scholars in the streams of Law, Criminology, Social Work, Human Rights and Police Administration.
• Participants must be below 30 years of age.
• Forensic science students are not permitted to enter the competition.
• Entry to the workshop is included for every competition participant.
• For the workshop alone, there is no stream restriction: students of all disciplines and academicians of any field may register individually.

• Each team shall consist of exactly two members.
• Both members must belong to the same institution. Cross-institutional teams are not permitted.
• Multiple teams from the same institution are permitted.
• Any change in team composition after registration is not permitted except with the prior approval of the Organising Committee.
• The competition is capped at a maximum of 70 teams, allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Of those 70 slots, 20 are reserved for the home institution (TNDALU/SOEL). Registration closes automatically once the caps are reached.
• Participants registering for the workshop alone must register individually; group registration should be avoided.

The competition runs in two intensive phases across the two days. The undisputed facts, witness statements and forensic reports are not circulated in advance: they are unsealed and handed over only on the day of the competition. A detailed schedule with individual time slots, orientation sessions and room allotments is shared by email with registered teams.

Day 1 is the workshop described above.

Day 2, Phase I - evaluation and report writing:

• Round 1, Crime Scene Evaluation (20 minutes): teams are given controlled access to a physical, simulated crime scene and must systematically observe, record and map it. A multimedia recording of a witness deposition is played at the start of the round, and teams may also question a live witness present at the scene. Questions must be professionally framed, structured and relevant. Teams must preserve the integrity of the scene: no item or evidence may be handled, moved or altered unless an invigilator expressly directs it.
• Round 2, Report Writing (1 hour, counted separately from the scene evaluation and witness examination): teams receive the undisputed facts, witness depositions and the relevant lab and forensic reports, and must compile a comprehensive analytical investigation report synthesising the crime scene observations, material evidence, depositions and live interviews.

Day 2, Phase II - Face the Jury: qualified teams present their investigative methodology, chain of custody analysis and final hypothesis identifying the perpetrator before the jury, and then face adversarial legal and technical questioning from the panel.

Valedictory: the case film of the crime scene is screened for the final reveal of the criminal.

Language: the written report and all oral arguments before the jury must be strictly in English. The case film and the live or recorded witness depositions are presented in Tamil with English subtitles, and a full physical copy of the typed transcript is supplied to every participant entirely in English.

• Analysing and finding the facts
• Observational skills
• Interpretational ability
• Preparatory and precautionary measures taken in handling evidence
• Problem-solving ability
• Note-taking, comprehension and sketching ability, both basics and detailing
• Quality of the report
• Presentation skills
• Potential talent in identifying the cause of the crime incident
• Potential talent in identifying the suspect
• Potential talent in deriving the modus operandi and the possible evidence leading to the suspect

The decision of the jury and the Organising Committee is absolute, final and binding. No requests for scoresheet reviews, appeals or revisions are entertained.

Registration opened on 9 July 2026, and the brochure requires participants to complete registration on or before 2 August 2026. Slots are assigned purely on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the institutional caps.

Registration fee (all figures inclusive of 18% GST):

• Competition, teams from other institutions: ₹3,000 per team, exclusive of accommodation
• Competition, SOEL (home institution) teams: ₹2,500 per team
• Workshop alone: ₹1,500 per participant

Payment details as published in the brochure:

• Account name: The Registrar, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University
• Bank: Indian Bank
• Account number: 7610205347
• Account type: Savings
• IFSC: IDIB000A221
• Branch: Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Perungudi, Chennai

Registration is completed through the official Google Form for the relevant category, and payment of the fee must be made within the stipulated deadline to confirm participation. On successful registration and verification, teams receive an email carrying their assigned team code (or participant code, for workshop-only entrants) along with all further instructions. Participants are asked to retain that confirmation email.

Dress code: strictly formal. Gentlemen, formal shirt and formal trousers with blazers. Women, formal shirt and formal trousers; skirts, jeans, sleeveless tops and crop tops are prohibited.

General prohibitions: personal electronic gadgets, including mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops and external storage drives, are strictly prohibited during the rounds, and any violation results in instant disqualification. All reasoning and conclusions must rely solely on the materials supplied by the organisers during the rounds. The Organising Committee reserves the right to disqualify any participant or team for breach of decorum, academic dishonesty, collusion or misbehaviour, and retains all intellectual property in the problem statements, undisputed facts, crime scene designs and documentation generated during the competition.

Accommodation: the organising committee will arrange accommodation on request, strictly at the teams' own expense, and will assist with contact details and coordination for nearby lodging. Charges are settled directly with the vendor. The brochure lists Ginger Chennai, Holiday Inn Chennai, Turyaa Chennai, Keys Select by Lemon Tree Hotels, King Cross Residence, Treebo Mirra and First Inn Hotels as illustrative options, alongside PGs and hostels nearby.

Travel: participants arrange their own travel between their accommodation and the venue on both days; the committee makes no transport arrangements. Approximate travel times given by the organisers are Chennai International Airport 25 minutes, Chennai Central 35 minutes, Chennai Egmore 35 minutes, Thiruvanmiyur Bus Depot 10 minutes, and Taramani Railway Station, the nearest local train station, 1 minute.