Surana & Surana India Rounds of the 31st Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition 2026-27 at RGNUL Punjab [Offline, 4-6 Dec]

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab hosts the Surana & Surana India Rounds of the 31st Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition 2026-27, conducted with Surana & Surana International Attorneys, Chennai. The India Rounds are held in person on the RGNUL campus at Patiala from 4 to 6 December 2026 and are open to teams from India and Nepal.

The top three or more teams from the India Rounds, subject to the International Rules and the approval of the Stetson IEMCC Competition Committee, go on to represent the region at the International Finals at Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, Florida, USA, from 14 to 17 April 2027. Only three members from each advancing team are eligible for the International Rounds.

The 2026-27 Record, published by Stetson University College of Law, is Questions Relating to the River Scaldis (Avifull/Rusteya), a dispute before the International Court of Justice between two States concerning a shared river. Teams argue for both the Applicant and the Respondent, and the competition is conducted in English.

• Teams must be approved by their college, institution or university: a letter on the institution's letterhead signed by the Faculty-in-charge of the Moot Court Society/Association, Registrar, Principal, Dean, Director, Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor, naming the participants and their year or semester of study, must be uploaded at registration.
• Only one approved team from a college, institution or university may participate. Subject to approval by the India Rounds coordinator and the Competition Committee, a single team may combine students from different schools, in which case no other team may register from those institutions.
• Each team has two speakers and one researcher, and may add up to two further members (five in total). Additional members do not take part in the proceedings and receive only participation certificates, even if their team wins.
• Only two members may argue in any one round, though all three may argue over the course of the competition.

Every team argues at least once for each side in the Preliminary Rounds, where memorial scores are added to oral scores. The sixteen or eight highest-ranking teams advance to power-protected knockout Octa-Final or Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final rounds, where memorial scores are no longer counted. Each team has 30 minutes (including rebuttal) in the Preliminary, Octa-Final and Quarter-Final rounds and 45 minutes in the Semi-Finals and Final. Benches have at least two judges in the earlier rounds and at least three in the Semi-Finals and Final. The Best Student Advocate award is decided on Preliminary Round scores alone, and the winners of all prize categories are announced at the valedictory ceremony. The Final is live-streamed on YouTube.

• Memorial format and page or word limits follow the Stetson International Rules. For the India Rounds, Applicant memorials carry a light blue cover and Respondent memorials a light red cover.
• Each memorial must contain, in order: front cover, table of contents, index of authorities, questions presented, statement of jurisdiction, statement of facts, summary of argument, argument with point headings, conclusion, signature block and affidavit.
• Memorials go to Stetson University through its memorial submission portal, with a separate affidavit, by 16 November 2026, 5.00 p.m. EST (17 November 2026, 3.30 a.m. IST).
• Both memorials, in MS Word (.doc or .docx), must also be emailed to mootcommittee@rgnul.ac.in with a copy to ai@lawindia.com by 17 November 2026, 5.00 p.m. IST. Late India Rounds submissions lose 3 points per memorial per day, up to 19 November 2026, 5.00 p.m. IST.
• Teams using generative AI are fully responsible for accuracy: every cited source is checked, and fabricated authorities attract heavy penalties up to disqualification.

The registration fee is Rs 5,900 per team (Rs 5,000 plus Rs 900 GST at 18%), payable by 15 November 2026 through the RGNUL event payment portal (Menu, Applying For, 31st Stetson-India Rounds, Click to Register, then Registration Fee), or by debit card, credit card, internet banking or UPI through the RGNUL Punjab website. The fee is non-refundable. The payment reference number, date of payment and a scanned copy of the receipt must be emailed to mootcommittee@rgnul.ac.in; registration is complete only after this.

RGNUL Punjab provides accommodation only for the period of the competition, from 4 December 2026 (12.00 p.m. IST) to 6 December 2026 (5.00 p.m. IST), with separate lodging for men and women and shuttle services between the accommodation and the campus. Members beyond the permitted five are not accommodated. Teams must email their travel plan (Annexure B of the Rules) to mootcommittee@rgnul.ac.in by 5.00 p.m. on 20 November 2026.

• Register the team online at moot.in (Surana & Surana) by 15 November 2026 and upload the signed institutional approval letter or registration form. A team code is allotted once the registration is approved and is used for memorial submission.
• Also email the duly filled, scanned registration form or approval letter by 15 November 2026 to mootcommittee@rgnul.ac.in, copied to ai@lawindia.com, with the subject "SURANA & SURANA INDIA ROUNDS - 31st STETSON INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MOOT COURT COMPETITION 2026-27 - REGISTRATION". Names of any additional members must be stated clearly in the form.
• Pay the registration fee by 15 November 2026 and email the receipt to the Moot Court Committee.