Dr. A.C.S. 1st National Moot Court Competition 2026, Faculty of Law, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai (Winner Rs 50,000)

The Moot Court Society, Faculty of Law, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, is holding the Dr. A.C.S. 1st National Moot Court Competition, 2026. The competition is open to law students from across India and is built around contemporary constitutional and socio-legal questions, taken up through legal research, memorial drafting and oral advocacy.

Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute is a deemed-to-be university at Maduravoyal, Chennai, established as an engineering college in 1988 and granted university status in 2003. It holds an A+ grade from the NAAC. Its Faculty of Law is approved by the Bar Council of India and runs B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), B.Com. LL.B. (Hons.), three-year LL.B. (Hons.), LL.M. and Ph.D. programmes.

The theme of the competition is Right to Die with Dignity: Constitutional Autonomy, Medical Ethics and the Limits of State Intervention.

The proposition is set in the Union of Suryadesh, whose constitutional and legal framework is deemed to be pari materia with that of the Republic of India. It concerns the constitutional validity of the End-of-Life Dignity and Medical Safeguards Act, 2027, after the appellant's application to withdraw life-sustaining treatment under an Advance Medical Directive was rejected by a District Medical Review Board and by the National End-of-Life Authority.

The five issues framed for consideration are:

• Whether Article 21 encompasses a constitutionally enforceable right to refuse life-sustaining treatment as a facet of human dignity, bodily integrity and decisional autonomy.
• Whether Sections 3(3), 12(a) and 12(b) of the End-of-Life Dignity and Medical Safeguards Act, 2027 violate Articles 14 and 21 by conferring excessive discretionary powers and imposing disproportionate restrictions.
• Whether the rejection of the appellant's application by the District Medical Review Board and its affirmation by the National End-of-Life Authority are legally sustainable.
• Whether the State's obligation to preserve life and protect vulnerable persons justifies proportionate restrictions on end-of-life autonomy under Article 21.
• Whether international human rights principles and comparative constitutional jurisprudence may be relied upon in interpreting Article 21 in end-of-life matters.

The competition is open to bona fide students pursuing three-year LL.B. programmes or five-year integrated law programmes at any institution or university recognised by the appropriate statutory authority. Participants must be enrolled during the academic year in which the competition is conducted.

• Each team shall consist of three students: two speakers and one researcher.
• Each participating institution may send a maximum of three teams.
• Every team is allotted a team code and must not disclose its own or its institution's identity at any stage. Disclosure leads to disqualification.
• The official language of the competition is English.
• Court dress code: white shirt with black trousers, black tie, black blazer and black shoes for men; white kurta with black salwar and black dupatta, or a white formal shirt with black formal trousers or skirt, with a black blazer and black shoes for women.

Teams must complete the Google registration form and upload a scanned copy of the filled registration form along with a scanned copy or screenshot of the fee payment.

• Registration fee: Rs 4,000 per team, paid through the organiser's online payment gateway. The fee is non-refundable in all circumstances.
• Registration closes on 15 August 2026. Teams are advised to register well in advance to secure a place.
• The duly filled registration form and declaration form must be couriered to the university on or before 7 September 2026, along with a hard copy of the payment receipt and a photocopy of the college identity card.
• No spot registration will be entertained.

Each team must prepare memorials for both the Petitioner and the Respondent.

• Every memorial must carry a cover page, table of contents, list of abbreviations, index of authorities, statement of jurisdiction, statement of facts (not exceeding two pages), issues raised, summary of arguments, arguments advanced and prayer (not exceeding one page).
• Total length, excluding the cover page, must not exceed 40 pages.
• Cover page colour: blue for Petitioner/Appellant, red for Respondent.
• Format: Times New Roman, 12 pt main text and 10 pt footnotes, 1.5 line spacing for the main text and single spacing for footnotes, one-inch margins, and citations in Bluebook (21st edition) style.
• Soft copies in PDF must reach mcs@drmgrdu.ac.in on or before 5 September 2026; three hard copies of each memorial must reach the Organizing Committee on or before 7 September 2026, and one extra hard copy of each memorial must be carried to the competition.
• Memorials must not disclose the identity of the participating institution. Plagiarism must not exceed 15 per cent.

• Preliminary Rounds: all teams compete in two rounds, 20 minutes per team per round inclusive of rebuttal and sur-rebuttal.
• Quarter-Final Round: top 8 teams, 30 minutes per team, single hearing, sides drawn by lots.
• Semi-Final Round: top 4 teams, 40 minutes per team, single hearing, sides drawn by lots.
• Final Round: top 2 teams, 50 minutes per team, single hearing, sides drawn by lots.

Memorials and oral rounds are each marked out of 100. A one-hour Researcher's Test, comprising multiple-choice questions and a case analysis question, is compulsory for every team's designated researcher and decides the Best Researcher award. Scouting is prohibited and results in disqualification.

Accommodation is provided only to participants from institutions located outside Chennai, and separately for male and female participants, on payment of an additional fee of Rs 2,000. Food is provided to all participants. Desk registration begins on campus at 1.30 p.m. on 17 September 2026, followed by the inaugural ceremony and the draw of lots.

Requests for clarification on the moot proposition must be sent only to mcs@drmgrdu.ac.in on or before 20 August 2026. Clarifications will be released collectively on 24 August 2026 and will form an integral part of the moot proposition. The issues framed are neither exhaustive nor limiting, and teams may raise additional contentions arising from the facts and the applicable law. Teams may submit a compendium through the bench clerk, carrying only the team code and no identifying details.