Debate Competition 2026 on the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 by Saveetha School of Law, SIMATS, Chennai [Offline; Sept 15]
Saveetha School of Law (SSL), SIMATS, Chennai.About the Competition
The Debate Competition 2026, themed “Think Smart, Speak Loud!”, is the legal debating event of LAW FEAST 2026 at Saveetha School of Law (SSL), SIMATS, Chennai. It is held on 15 September 2026 in offline mode on the SIMATS campus, and gives students a platform to argue constitutional and personal law questions in a structured parliamentary format.
Saveetha School of Law, a constituent institution of the Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS, established 1986), was set up in 2009. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in law, is recognised by the Bar Council of India and approved by the UGC, and SIMATS holds a NAAC A++ accreditation.
The Motion and Its Background
The official motion for the competition is:
- “This House believes that the exclusion of Renoncants from the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, creates an unconstitutional class of citizens and violates Article 14 and Article 21.”
The debate centres on the legal status of Renoncants in Puducherry, who continue to be governed by the French Civil Code because of historical provisions traceable to the Treaty of Cession. Participants are asked to examine whether their exclusion from the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 offends the guarantees of Article 14 (equality before the law) and Article 21 (life and personal liberty).
Format and Competition Structure
The competition follows the Indian Parliamentary Debate format in a 1-on-1 setting, with each team consisting of a single participant.
- Preliminary Round: all participants
- Semi-Finals: top 4 participants
- Grand Finale: top 2 participants
Government and Opposition sides are announced only five minutes before the round, decided by draw of lots or by the Organising Committee, so participants do not know their side in advance.
Speaking times are 7 minutes each for the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition, with reply speeches as per the parliamentary format. Points of Information are permitted between the 1st and 6th minute of a speech, are not allowed during reply speeches, and must not exceed 15 seconds.
Rules of Participation
- The medium of communication is English.
- Only physical Bare Acts and printed notes are permitted in the rounds.
- Mobile phones and AI tools are strictly prohibited during the rounds.
- Fabrication of case laws or statutes results in zero marks.
Eligibility
The participant category stated in the official brochure is college students. The competition is designed for law students engaging with constitutional and personal law issues, and each entry is an individual participant rather than a team.
Registration, Fee and How to Apply
The registration fee is Rs 300 per participant. Payment is to be made to the account given in the official brochure:
- Account holder: SAVEETHA SCHOOL OF LAW CME
- Bank: Karur Vysya Bank, PH Road branch
- Account type: Current Account
- Account number: 1248135000002593
- IFSC: KVBL0001248
To apply, complete the official Google registration form linked below. The brochure does not announce a separate last date for registration, so intending participants should register well ahead of the event day and confirm the closing date with the coordinators listed below.
Judging Criteria
Speeches are marked out of 100 on the following scale:
- Legal Content and Accuracy – 40 marks
- Reasoning and Argumentation – 30 marks
- Rebuttals – 20 marks
- Style and Manner – 10 marks
The faculty coordinators for the competition are Dr. C. Thilakanandan and Dr. Karthik A.
Important dates
Awards & prizes
A total prize pool of ₹2,000.