Dr. M.V.V.S. Murthi 7th Criminal Law Moot Court Competition 2026, GITAM School of Law, Visakhapatnam (Prize Pool Rs 1,05,000)

Established in 2012 on the Visakhapatnam Campus, the School of Law is a constituent institution of GITAM (Deemed To Be University). The institution is dedicated to redefining legal education with a blend of academic rigour and practical experience. The curriculum of the Law School is designed to integrate the foundational principles of law with the demands of the modern legal career.

What sets the School apart, in its own words, is its commitment to practical, hands-on learning. From participating in moot courts to engaging with the real world, the School fosters an environment where theoretical knowledge meets practical application, complemented by interaction with legal professionals who provide insights and networking opportunities.

The GITAM Moot and Advocacy Committee (GMAC) is a wing of the GITAM School of Law dedicated to providing comprehensive advocacy training to students. GMAC has organised moot court competitions both external and internal, so that students have opportunities to hone their legal research, writing and oral advocacy skills, with guidance and networking opportunities alongside.

The Committee conducted the GITAM Regional Moot Court Competition in July 2019, a National Moot Court Competition on Space Law in 2020, National Moot Court Competitions on Intellectual Property Rights in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and on Criminal Law in 2025, each of which saw participation from colleges across the country.

The brochure names the Organizing Committee for GMAC 2026, School of Law, as follows.

• Chief Patron: Shri M. Bharat, President, GITAM (Deemed to be) University.
• Patrons: Shri Virander Singh Chauhan, Chancellor, GITAM (Deemed to be) University, and Prof. (Dr.) Errol D' Souza, Vice-Chancellor, GITAM (Deemed to be) University.
• Patron-in-Chief: Prof. (Dr.) A Rajendra Prasad, Dean (In-Charge), GITAM School of Law.
• Convener: Dr. Moumita Sen, Director, GITAM School of Law.
• Technical Advisors from the Bar: Shri V. Ravindra Prasad, Senior Advocate and Former President of the Bar Association of Visakhapatnam, and Shri Prasanna Swaminathan, Advocate in Practice, Bengaluru.
• Technical Advisors from the Academia: Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor, Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur, and Dr. Shobitabh Srivastava, Assistant Professor, India International University of Legal Education and Research (IIULER), Goa.
• Faculty Coordinators, each listed as Assistant Professor, GITAM School of Law: Mr. S Naveen Teja, Mr. M Laxmi Jagannadh, Dr. Y V Kiran Kumar and Dr. L Ashish Kumar. The brochure publishes no phone number and no individual email address for any of the four.
• Student Coordinators, with the contact numbers printed against their names in the brochure: Ananya Pandey (7304320258), Mohammad Rehan (9182596422), Induja N (9092354255), Likhitha Sannapaneni (7013243659), Bandi Chandeesh (7981233545) and Akshaya Tadi (8885649766). The brochure gives these six a name and a number only, and no individual email addresses.

The brochure cover carries Vydyulaw Associates, Lawyers & Consultants. SCC Online and SCC Times are named as Media Partner and SCC Online as Knowledge Partner. The back cover repeats +91 8885649766 as the contact number and School of Law, GITAM (Deemed to be) University, Visakhapatnam as the address.

GITAM School of Law, Visakhapatnam is organising the 7th Edition of the Dr. M.V.V.S. Murthi Moot Court Competition, 2026. The event is scheduled to be held at the School of Law from 7 to 10 October 2026 at GITAM, Visakhapatnam. The language of the competition shall be English.

The proposition is set in the Republic of Anegondi, a sovereign democratic republic whose Constitution, criminal law and law of evidence are, except as otherwise stated in the proposition, in pari materia with those of the Republic of India, with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 in force in identical terms and numbering.

Bablu Rao, aged 33, sole proprietor of LoveBirds Travel Agency, was found dead on the morning of 13 March 2026 in the first-floor study of his home at Hill View Residency, Hastinavati City, with a silk resistance exercise band looped and knotted around his neck. His wife Sweety Rao (Accused No. 1) and Guddu Menon (Accused No. 2), a fitness consultant with whom the prosecution alleges she was in an intimate relationship, were charge-sheeted for murder, criminal conspiracy, common intention and causing disappearance of evidence. The record includes a three-member medical board opinion attributing death to asphyxia due to ligature strangulation complicated by the combined depressant effect of alcohol, zolpidem and an aconite trace, a defence forensic opinion that a partial-suspension or self-inflicted event superimposed on a fall could not be excluded, restored deleted chats and browser searches, cell-tower location data, a main-gate CCTV data gap between 10:05 p.m. and 10:32 p.m., recoveries at the instance of both accused, a panchnama bearing the signature of only one independent witness, and an arrest memo citing Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 when the offence actually under investigation was murder under Section 103 BNS.

By judgment dated 15 January 2027 the Sessions Court held the death homicidal, convicted Sweety Rao of murder and causing disappearance of evidence and sentenced her to imprisonment for life with fine, and acquitted Guddu Menon. Three matters now stand clubbed before the High Court of Anegondi: Sweety's appeal against her conviction and sentence, the State's appeal against Guddu's acquittal, and the revision petition of Munna Rao, the deceased's father, seeking reversal of that acquittal, conviction of both accused for criminal conspiracy and enhancement of Sweety's sentence to death.

The Statement of Issues in the proposition reads:

• Whether, on the totality of the medical, circumstantial and forensic evidence, the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the death of Bablu Rao was homicidal, and not the product of an accidental fall or a self-inflicted act, within the meaning of Sections 101 and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
• Whether the electronic records, including the forensic extraction report, restored deleted chats, browser search history and cell-tower or location data relied upon by the prosecution, are admissible, reliable and sufficient in law having regard to Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 and the chain-of-custody defects pleaded by the defence.
• Whether the conviction of Sweety Rao can be sustained on the circumstantial evidence on record, and whether the acquittal of Guddu Menon is liable to be reversed in the State's and the complainant's appeals on the ground that the trial court failed to appreciate the cumulative, as opposed to piecemeal, effect of the motive, digital evidence, location data and recoveries, including the question whether criminal conspiracy or common intention under the BNS stands established between the two accused.
• Whether the non-communication of written grounds of arrest to Sweety Rao, and the citation in her arrest memo of a non-existent penal provision in place of the offence actually under investigation, vitiates her arrest and, consequently, her subsequent trial and conviction, having regard to Article 22(1) of the Constitution read with Section 47 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The proposition carries two annexures: Annexure I, an extract of the arrest memo in Crime No. 403 of 2026, Police Station Hastinavati City East, and Annexure II, an extract of Post-Mortem Report No. 118/2026 of the Government Medical College, Hastinavati.

• Law schools, colleges, institutes and universities recognised by the Bar Council of India are eligible to participate.
• The competition is open to students currently pursuing their degree in law, that is, Three Year or Five Year Law Courses in India.
• Students who have completed their law courses are not eligible to participate in the competition.
• Only two teams can register from a particular law school, college, institution or university.
• Each team shall comprise a minimum of two students and a maximum of three students, with two speakers and one researcher designated for each team.
• In case of illness of the designated speaker, the researcher may be allowed to argue for the team with the prior permission of the Committee.

• Registration fee: Rs 3,500 per team (Rupees Three Thousand Five Hundred only), excluding GST. The fee is sent through online payment, and the GITAM payment portal adds 18 per cent GST on top of it.
• The last date for receiving the registration form with the fee is 25 September 2026.
• Interested teams register by sending a scanned copy of the duly filled Registration Form to mcc.schooloflaw@gitam.edu with the subject line "Registration for Moot 2026".
• Details of the registration and payment must be sent to mcc.schooloflaw@gitam.edu before 11:59 P.M. on 25 September 2026, along with the duly filled registration form.
• Participants are required to submit one passport-size photograph of each team member along with the actual registration form.
• Each team shall be allotted a Team Code on the receipt of the registration fee and form. The code is communicated by email.
• The name of the institution shall not be disclosed at the time of submission of memorials. Any such disclosure shall lead to disqualification.
• In any instance, the amount once paid is strictly non-refundable.

The registration payment page, headed "7th Dr MVVS Murthi Moot Court Competition-2026", asks the payer to select the payment category Registration Fees and to enter name, mobile number, email ID, gender, name of the organisation, address and any remarks, and it displays the additional 18 per cent GST as a separate line before payment.

On the online registration form, a caution worth knowing before you plan: page 7 of the brochure carries a line reading "Online Registration Form Link: Click to Register for Moot Court", but the brochure does not print the web address behind it and the PDF carries no working hyperlink, so the form URL cannot be verified from the official material. The routes the official material does set out in full are the email route to mcc.schooloflaw@gitam.edu and the payment portal, and the Register Here button on the official GITAM event page points to that same payment portal. Teams that want the online form should ask the organisers at mcc.schooloflaw@gitam.edu for it.

All queries relating to the Moot Problem may be clarified by sending an email to mcc.schooloflaw@gitam.edu. The two official documents disagree on the cut-off. The Important Dates page of the brochure gives 28 September 2026 as the last date for seeking clarification on the problem, while Rule 12 of the Competition Rule Book in the same brochure says queries must be sent on or before 15 September 2026. Write in by 15 September 2026 and ask the organisers to confirm which date governs.

• All participating teams shall submit one set of written memorials in soft copy on or before 30 September 2026, and six sets of hard copies on 7 October 2026. Submission of the hard copy is mandatory.
• The cover page of the memorial for the Appellant shall be in blue and for the Respondent in red.
• Teams shall not indicate their names or the names of their college or university on the memorials. For all communication purposes only the team code shall be specified, and it shall be indicated at the top right corner of the memorial.
• Memorials should conform to the set standards. Non-compliance with this rule would entail negative marking. Hard copies must be exact prints of the soft copies, and non-compliance with this rule would entail negative marking which may also attract disqualification. The decision in this regard shall be taken by the Committee.
• Font of the body of the memorial: Times New Roman, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing. The font size of footnotes, if any, must not be less than size 10.
• Blue Book mode of citation, 21st Edition, must be followed.
• Each page must have a margin of at least an inch on all sides.
• The memorial should not exceed 25 typed pages, not including the cover page, and shall consist of: Cover Page, Table of Contents, List of Abbreviations, Index of Authorities, Statement of Jurisdiction, Statement of Facts, Issues Raised, Summary of Arguments, Arguments Advanced (not exceeding 15 pages) and Prayer.
• Compendium: every team has to submit the Compendium it relies on, along with the memorials and before the submission deadline. The Compendium must be in the same format as the memorial, must carry a cover page specifying the Team Code, and must comply with Rule 5 of the Rules of the Competition.
• Any further legal or technical authorities not included in the Compendium may be presented only at the discretion of the Bench, provided such authorities were submitted to the committee prior to the Oral Pleading Session for verification of compliance with Rule 5.

Deduction of marks, as set out in Rule 7: 1 mark for each day of delay where the soft copy is submitted after 11:59 pm IST on 30 September 2026; 0.5 marks for each page not complying with the rules relating to the font of the body of the memorial and line spacing; 1 mark for each page by which the memorial exceeds 25 pages; and 0.25 marks for every page containing non-compliance with the Bluebook method of citation (21st Edition) and AI generated content.

Every memorial is marked on a scale of 100: Knowledge of Law and Facts 15, Grammar and Style of Presentation 10, Application of Law to Facts 20, Analysis and Organization 10, Use of Authority 15, Proper Citation and Correct Format 10, Originality in Presentation 10, and General Impression and Clarity of thought 10.

• Preliminary rounds, 8 October 2026: there shall be two preliminary rounds and every team shall be given the opportunity to argue on each side. The Draw of Lots for the preliminary rounds is drawn by the Committee on 7 October 2026 and the opponent memorial hard copy is handed over to the respective teams the same day. Each team gets a total of 30 minutes to present its case, including time for rebuttal and sur-rebuttal; any extension of time beyond the specified period is subject to the discretion of the judges. The division of time between the speakers is at the discretion of the team members, subject to a maximum of 20 minutes for one speaker. At the end of the preliminary rounds the top 8 teams qualify for the Quarter Finals on the basis of scores.
• Tie-breaking: for the purpose of calculation, the marks awarded for the memorial submissions are added to the oral round score and a team is evaluated for 100 marks in the round. If a tie still persists, only the total oral marks of the teams from both sessions are considered and the team with the higher oral score advances. If the tie still persists, it is resolved by flip of a coin.
• Quarter Finals, 9 October 2026: a knock-out round. A team is credited with a win if its total marks are higher than its opponent's. The side to be presented is determined by draw of lots, with the teams picking the lots after completion of the preliminary rounds. Each team gets a total of 30 minutes including rebuttal and sur-rebuttal, with a maximum of 20 minutes for one speaker.
• Semi Finals, 9 October 2026: a knock-out round, with the side determined by draw of lots after the completion of the quarter-final rounds. Each team gets a total of 40 minutes including rebuttal and sur-rebuttal, with a maximum of 25 minutes for one speaker.
• Final, 10 October 2026: a team is credited with a win if its total marks are higher than its opponent's. Each team gets a total of 45 minutes including rebuttal and sur-rebuttal, with a maximum of 30 minutes for one speaker.
• A step teams must actually perform: before the commencement of every round, in the preliminary rounds, the Quarter Finals, the Semi Finals and the Final alike, each team shall indicate to the Court Officer how it wishes to allocate its time.

Oral pleadings are marked on a scale of 100 per judge: Knowledge of Law and Facts 20, Interpretation of Law and its application to the Facts 25, Use of Authorities 15, Style, Poise and Court Mannerism 10, Organization of Arguments 15, and Time Management 15.

• Participants from outstation shall be provided accommodation by the university for the duration of the competition. Only the registered three members of the team shall be provided accommodation, subject to payment of Rs 500 per night for Non-A/C and Rs 700 per night for A/C (subject to availability), which includes accommodation and food. The team shall make its own arrangements for any extra members. Teams may avail accommodation from 7 October 2026 to 10 October 2026, and it is paid for through a separate GITAM payment link.
• The accommodation payment page asks for the number of male and female participants, the names of the participants, the from and to dates and times, and the payer's name, mobile number, email ID, institution and address, and it carries the same additional 18 per cent GST line as the registration page.
• Desk Reporting Registration takes place on 7 October 2026 till 3.00 PM at GITAM School of Law, Visakhapatnam. All participants are advised to reach the venue on 7 October 2026 by 12.00 PM. Accommodation is provided on a first come first serve basis, and last minute registrations and accommodation will not be entertained.
• Dress code, gentlemen: black trousers, white shirt, black blazer, black neck tie and black formal shoes. Ladies: black trousers or skirt, white shirt, black blazer, black neck tie and black formal shoes, or white salwar kameez, black blazer and black formal shoes.
• All participants shall maintain decorum in the Court during the competition and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner befitting the legal profession.
• Disciplinary Rules (Rule 15): participants are expected to maintain discipline during their stay on the campus. Any incidents of misbehaviour will be dealt with stringently and the teams will be disqualified from further participation in the competition and also for future events. If participants want to go out of the campus they have to give prior intimation to the Committee, and the University shall not be responsible for their safety outside the campus.
• Scouting by any person and on behalf of any team should be brought to the notice of the committee immediately without disturbing the round and the proceedings. Any team found scouting will be disqualified, and the final decision shall lie with the committee.
• If any team does not appear after 10 minutes after the commencement of any round as per the scheduled time, that team shall be deemed to have given a walkover and the opponent team shall be declared the winner of the round.
• Audio or videotaping of oral pleadings is NOT PERMITTED.
• If a team believes a violation of the Competition Rules has taken place at any stage, it should register a complaint with the committee within half an hour after the completion of the round in which the violation has allegedly occurred. Teams shall under no circumstances approach the Panel with any complaints.
• The Committee reserves the right to take decisions on any matter not mentioned in the Competition Rules, and any such decision taken by the Committee shall be final and binding on all the teams.
• Any dispute about the Moot Court Competition shall be referred to the GMAC Committee before the end of the competition. In all matters of complaints or disputes the decision of the Committee shall be final.