Jus Lex Trial Advocacy Competition 2026 (IV Edition) by Saveetha School of Law [Offline, Chennai]

Saveetha School of Law, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), was established in 2009 and aims to strive for quality legal education and to maintain higher standards of legal research and training. As per its brochure, the school is ranked 19th among all India law universities and 1st in Tamil Nadu in the NIRF 2025 ranking, is accredited by NAAC as a Grade A law school, is recognised by the Bar Council of India and is approved by the UGC. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes, and conducts moot court competitions and research programmes on a regular basis.

Jus Lex 2026 is the IV Edition of the Jus Lex Trial Advocacy Competition, a trial advocacy competition designed to enhance law students' understanding of criminal law and courtroom practices. Centred on the recently enacted criminal laws in India, it provides a national platform for budding advocates to demonstrate their advocacy skills.

The competition aims to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical litigation by fostering critical thinking, persuasive argumentation and strategic litigation skills. Participants engage in realistic trial scenarios, complete with witnesses and judges, offering an immersive experience in the workings of trial courts.

The event will be held in person (offline) at the Saveetha School of Law campus, Chennai, from 15 September 2026 to 17 September 2026. The competition is restricted to the first 24 teams that pay and duly complete the registration process within the prescribed time, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The competition is open to students enrolled in a recognised 3-year or 5-year law programme in India.

A team shall consist of 4 members: 2 Speakers and 2 Witnesses.

Teams must designate roles before the competition, and these cannot be changed once the rounds commence.

Teams will be given codes, and the identity of the team shall be kept confidential throughout the event.

The language of the competition shall be English.

The rounds, held in person at Saveetha School of Law, consist of two rounds of preliminaries, a Quarter Final, a Semi Final and a Grand Finale.

The rounds shall have oral arguments only. No written submission (memorial) is expected from the participants.

The oral rounds include opening and closing statements, and examination-in-chief and cross-examination of witnesses.

Teams shall present arguments for both prosecution and defence during each round of the preliminaries.

The top 8 teams from the preliminaries qualify for the Quarter Finals, based on aggregate scores secured in the preliminaries. The Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Grand Finale are in knockout format.

Witnesses shall not be provided by the institution for the Preliminaries, Quarter Finals and Semi Finals. For the Final Round, witnesses shall be provided by the institution.

Each team shall examine a maximum of 4 witnesses for their side during their rounds. For the Final Round, teams are free to examine any number of witnesses provided in the proposition.

Oral rounds shall be judged on criteria including, but not limited to:

Knowledge of law and facts

Strategy and technique in witness handling

Persuasiveness and advocacy skills

Courtroom decorum

Adherence to time limits

The registration fee for each team is Rs 4,000, excluding accommodation. Registration fees, once paid, are non-refundable. The registration process commenced on 10 July 2026 and the last date to register is 20 August 2026.

Each team must register online via the official registration form. Registration is complete only upon successful submission of the form. After registration, participants shall receive an acknowledgement, and team codes will be sent to students after successful registration.

The brochure advises participants to check whether the registration form is open before making payment, as the form shall be closed for further registrations once the required number of registrations is received.

The cost of providing accommodation shall not be borne by the institution. Participants requiring accommodation can contact the coordinators for further guidance.