Surana & Surana Trial Advocacy Moot Court Competition, North Rounds 2026-27 at Department of Law, University of Jammu [Prize Pool Rs 70,000]

The Moot Court Committee of the Department of Law, University of Jammu, in collaboration with Surana & Surana International Attorneys, Chennai, is hosting the Surana & Surana Trial Advocacy Moot Court Competition: North Rounds 2026-27 on the campus of the University of Jammu from 18 to 20 September 2026. The competition is one half of the Surana & Surana Trial Advocacy series; the parallel South Rounds 2026-27 are hosted by the School of Excellence in Law, The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai, from 25 to 27 September 2026.

The competition runs in two phases. Phase I is a Procedural Test, to be conducted if registration exceeds 18 teams, held virtually on an online Google platform on 26 August 2026. Phase II is the Oral Rounds, held on the premises of the Department of Law, University of Jammu. Only the top 18 teams that qualify in the Procedural Test are eligible for the Oral Rounds.

The competition is conducted in accordance with the procedures established by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. It is designed to promote and aid an understanding of criminal law jurisprudence and to facilitate the growth of advocacy skills.

As stated in the rules, the competition sets out to help participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the nuances of the Indian criminal justice system, to provide a realistic simulation of trial proceedings, to enhance participants' knowledge of the distinct roles, strategies and techniques employed by the Office of the Prosecution and the Defence, and to promote the development of analytical and argumentative skills together with the effective presentation and utilisation of evidence.

The language of the competition is English. Mr. Preetam Surana, Partner - Dispute Resolution and Head - Academic Initiatives, Surana & Surana International Attorneys, is the Chief Administrator.

The 2026-27 proposition is a criminal trial set in the fictional jurisdiction of Baratheon. Jamie (45) and Cersei (41) had lived as husband and wife for about 24 years before Cersei left him after a quarrel and moved in with her parents and her daughter Myrcella, taking work at a garment factory. On 3 April 2026 at about 9:30 PM Cersei was returning home from work and was stopped after getting down from the bus at Dorne Bypass Road. Two witnesses, Browne Mani and Telex Pandian, saw a man strike her several times on the head with a wooden log and identify him as Jamie; when they shouted and ran towards her, the man dropped the log and fled. Cersei was taken to the local Government Hospital, where she died at 11:00 PM the same night.

On the morning of 4 April 2026 at 5:00 AM, Cersei's father Tywin filed a formal complaint at the local police station. On that statement the Investigating Officer, Mr. Ace Ventura, registered an FIR in Crime No. 26/2026 at Kuninjipadi Rural Police Station under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 126 (wrongful restraint) of the Baratheon Nyaya Sanhita. The accused was arrested at 1:30 PM the same day, and his confession was recorded at 3:00 PM in the presence of the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) and the Village Assistant. Pursuant to that confession the police recovered a blood-stained wooden log and a shirt.

The 39-page case file supplied to teams carries the undisputed facts and thirteen annexures: the First Information Report, the final report (charge sheet), the accident register, the inquest report, the observation mahazar and rough sketch, three recovery mahazars, the arrest memo, the confession statement, the post-mortem report, the request for a forensic report and the forensic report, followed by the statements of the prosecution and defence witnesses and a miscellaneous section.

• Participants should be currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in law, that is, the 3-year LL.B. programme or the 5-year LL.B. programme.
• Each team shall consist of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 members. This number cannot be modified under any circumstances.
• There can be 2 speakers and 2 researchers designated for each team.
• Teams have the option of designating two members as speakers for the Prosecution and the other two as speakers for the Defence. Such an arrangement must be notified to the court assistants before the round begins, and the team may not then rearrange its members into any new combination.
• Each team is given a unique competition code by draw of lots during the orientation. The identity of the teams shall not be disclosed at any stage; such disclosure invites penalties including disqualification, at the discretion of the Administrator.
• The announcement of the North Rounds published by the Moot Court Association, School of Excellence in Law, states a maximum of one team per university. The rulebook itself does not state a cap, so a college sending more than one team should confirm with the host before registering.

The dress code is advocate's attire as described by the Bar Council of India, strictly formal and without any college or university logo. Gentlemen wear black trousers and a white shirt, a plain black blazer and a black tie. Ladies wear black trousers with a white shirt, or a white kurta with black churidar pants, or a white or black saree with a black jacket, with a plain black blazer. Robes and neck bands are not permitted. The same dress code applies at the inaugural and valedictory ceremonies.

Institutions, law colleges and universities from the North and North-Eastern states of India participate in the North Rounds, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, along with the host institute of the South Rounds.

The South Rounds, by the same rulebook, are open to the South and Western states of India along with the host institute of the North Rounds, so the two rounds are geographically split rather than open to every institution.

• The Procedural Test is a qualifying-cum-eliminating test to select the teams that are theoretically competent in criminal law jurisprudence. It is conducted if registration exceeds 18 teams, and it is conducted virtually.
• Format: objective and descriptive, 25 questions, 50 marks, 30 minutes. There is negative marking in the test.
• Google Forms is used to conduct the test, with proctor monitors appointed by the Administrators. Every 5 teams are administered by a proctor monitor on call, who has the power and duty to ensure that the team does not engage in any unfair means.
• The attendee of the test is any one of the team members as marked in the registration form and may be decided at the discretion of the team. Any attempt to change the attendee in the midst of the test, or a request to do so, will not be entertained. The test link and the meeting credentials are shared only with the attendee's email ID given in the registration form.
• The attendee should stay on the Google Meet with their camera turned on.
• Unfair means include, but are not restricted to, (i) resorting to or attempting to refer to any material during the test, (ii) seeking any help from a person who is not an attendee of the test, and (iii) turning off the camera for more than 3 seconds.
• For heads (i) and (ii) the rulebook's footnote is a warning, not a disqualification: "The Team shall be warned every time through the Chat Box in the Meet if it violates the impugned clause." The disqualification footnote is attached only to head (iii), turning off the camera for more than 3 seconds, and reads "Violation of the impugned rule more than 3 times shall lead to immediate disqualification of the team."
• Scores of the test are communicated by mail within 24 to 48 hours of the test, and the Important Dates table sets the release of the Procedural Test results on 26 August 2026.
• Only the top 18 teams advance to Phase II. If a team among the qualifying 18 backs out or expresses its interest not to appear in the Phase II rounds, the team adjacent to the finally qualifying team is reached out to, to fill that vacancy.

The Oral Rounds run on campus from 18 to 20 September 2026 and consist of two preliminary rounds of argument, a quarter final, a semi final and a final round. The organisers reserve the right to amend the schedule or the rounds as per the number of participating teams.

• There are two preliminary rounds per team, once for the Prosecution and once for the Defence. No team faces another more than once in the preliminary rounds, and each team faces a different two-judge bench in its second round of arguments.
• The top eight teams from the preliminary rounds advance to the quarter finals. The preliminary rounds are decided on win points; then win points plus aggregate raw points; then win points plus aggregate raw points, in case of a tie minus memorial marks. The rulebook defines the term itself: "Aggregate raw points = oral scores + memorial score."
• Clause X(e) sets out the arithmetic for the eight qualifying teams: the team with at least 1 win point plus maximum aggregate raw points will qualify for the advance round, subject to the top teams (8) qualifying with 2 win points and 1 win point with the higher aggregate raw points.
• Memorial marks are added to the scores of the preliminary rounds only.
• The side of the arguments in the quarter finals, semi finals and finals is decided by draw of lots or power match. The quarter final and semi final are knockout rounds.
• If a team withdraws at the last minute or has an internet connectivity problem, the opposing team as per the fixture puts forth its submissions to the bench and is scored accordingly. Win points do not apply to such a round, and the aggregate raw points of the team that presented are taken on record as valid. If a dummy team from the host institution is available it may represent the absent team so as to avoid an ex-parte round, in which case the round is treated as competitive, but the dummy team cannot advance even if it wins.

Preliminary rounds and quarter finals give each team a total of 45 minutes to present its case: opening statement by the Prosecution 5 minutes, opening statement by the Defence 5 minutes, examination in chief by the Prosecution 12 minutes, cross examination by the Defence 20 minutes, examination in chief by the Defence 12 minutes, cross examination by the Prosecution 20 minutes, closing statement by the Prosecution 8 minutes and closing statement by the Defence 8 minutes.

Semi final and final rounds give each team a total of 55 minutes: opening statements of 5 minutes each, examination in chief by the Prosecution 15 minutes, cross examination by the Defence 25 minutes, examination in chief by the Defence 15 minutes, cross examination by the Prosecution 25 minutes, and closing statements of 10 minutes each.

The allotted time for each segment is the maximum the respective speaker can avail of, and every minute of extra time attracts automatic penalties for the speaker crossing the limit.

• Exhibits of the case are already before the Honourable Court.
• The minimum number of witnesses to be examined upon is disclosed during the orientation. Teams may examine all the witnesses, or the minimum prescribed number, within the time allotted to them.
• Before the commencement of a round, teams should notify the court officers as to which of the witnesses they would examine in the course of the trial.
• Each participating team chooses its witness team through a draw of lots during the orientation. The same witness team travels along with the participating team from the preliminary rounds until the team's progress rounds during the competition.
• The host institution provides the witnesses. The witnesses are generally briefed and assigned by the Administrator; however, each team has an opportunity to specifically brief its witnesses.
• Each speaker shall conduct either the chief or the cross examination and deliver either the opening or the closing statement, so each speaker compulsorily conducts an examination and delivers one of the two statements.
• For the preliminary rounds and quarter finals, the order of speakers and the examination and statements they would present must be intimated by the team before the commencement of the rounds and cannot be altered at any subsequent stage. For the semi final and final rounds, that order (chief, cross, opening, closing) must be intimated after the announcement of the preliminary round results and cannot be altered at any subsequent stage of the competition.
• The oral arguments need not be confined to the issues presented in the submitted memorials.
• Recording of evidence, Clause XI: the team members should take notes of the questions and answers during the chief and cross examinations.
• Scouting: teams are not allowed to observe the orals of any other team, scouting is strictly prohibited, and scouting by any team results in disqualification. Any team can file a written complaint with the Administrator regarding a case of scouting, and the Administrator's decision is final. The researchers shall sit with the speakers at the time of the orals and shall not attend the court sessions of any other team participating in the competition.
• Anonymity in court: student counsel may introduce themselves to the court in the usual manner and may state their names, but the team's college affiliation shall not be indicated to the judges at any time. All team members, coaches, advisors and observers must refrain from identifying a team's college at any time and in any manner, including by wearing identifying items such as college clothing, ties, patches or pins, or carrying identifying material such as a book with a college logo or seal.
• Misbehaviour of any sort by the participants will be dealt with very seriously and will lead to disqualification.
• The organisers arrange live streaming of only the finals of the competition through YouTube, with links provided by Surana & Surana.

• Each team must prepare memorials for both parties to the dispute, Prosecution and Defence, and must also prepare all the documents required to prosecute or defend as suggested in the proposition. Those documents are part of the memorial; judges refer to them while evaluating the team's performance during the oral rounds, and they are also used by the opposing teams for counter arguments.
• The soft copy of the memorials for the Prosecution and the Defence should be mailed, with a copy to ai@lawindia.com, to trialadvocacymoot.ju3@jammuuniversity.ac.in for the North Round, on or before 6 September 2026 latest by 5:00 PM.
• Once the memorials have been submitted, no revisions, supplements or additions are allowed. The soft copy and the hard copy must be the same and identical in all aspects; if any change is found the memorial is rejected and no marks are awarded.
• Teams must carry 5 copies from each side, Prosecution and Defence, and submit them during registration on campus for the Oral Rounds. The competition code allotted at the orientation is to be mentioned only on the hard copy.
• The memorial must contain the table of contents, the index of authorities, the statement of jurisdiction, the statement of facts (1 page only, and an argumentative statement of facts attracts penalties), the statement of charges, the summary of arguments (not more than 1 page), the arguments advanced (not more than 15 pages) and the prayer.
• Font size Times New Roman 12 at one and a half spacing, and Times New Roman 10 at single spacing for footnotes with double spacing between two footnotes. Substantive footnoting is strictly prohibited. Citation method: The Bluebook / Harvard Law Review 20th edition, or ILI, or A Uniform System of Citation.
• A margin measuring one inch on all sides of each page; page numbering on the top right side of each page.
• Covers: light blue for the Prosecution, light red for the Defence. The cover page must state the team code on the soft copy or the competition code on the hard copy in the top right corner, the cause title, and the identity of the brief as Prosecution or Defence.
• Memorials should be spiral bound, staple bound or stitched; no other form of binding is accepted.
• The identity of the institution shall not be revealed anywhere in the memorial. Violation results in penalties including disqualification, and the National Administrator's decision is final.
• Teams may share a separate paper book or compendium of not more than 50 pages carrying all the annexures and case laws referred to in the memorial, with a white cover, and may submit 3 hard copies for the on-campus rounds. Any identifying mark or seal of the college or university attracts severe penalties including disqualification, and the Chief Administrator's decision is final.

• Teams must register online at www.moot.in by 25 August 2026. Online registrations opened on 20 July 2026. Participants receive an acknowledgement cum approval as confirmation of their online registration and participation, periodically after registration.
• A scanned copy of a letter from the participating college, institution or university, duly signed by any one of the Faculty-in-charge of the Moot Court Society or Association, Registrar, Principal, Dean, Director, Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor, confirming the names of the participants, the year or semester in which they are studying, and that they represent the institution, must be attached during the online registration process. The letter must be on the letterhead of the participating institution. Alternatively, the registration form appended to the rulebook may be used.
• Registrations without the scanned approval letter or a duly attested registration form are not valid.
• The soft copy of the approval letter must be emailed by 25 August 2026 to trialadvocacymoot.ju3@jammuuniversity.ac.in with the subject "Surana & Surana and Trial Advocacy Moot Court Competition : North / South Rounds 2026-27 - Registration".
• Once online registration is done no change in names is possible. In exceptional circumstances, if a change of name is inevitable, a fresh online registration has to be made along with a scanned approval letter clearly explaining the reasons for the change, with the authorised signatory and seal of the college, institution or university.
• Queries and clarifications on the moot proposition are to be sought by email to trialadvocacymoot.ju3@jammuuniversity.ac.in with a copy to ai@lawindia.com on or before 25 August 2026. A set of final clarifications is released on 27 August 2026.

What the registration form appended to the rulebook (page 18 of 19) demands. It is to be filled in capital letters and carries the name and address of the participating institution, and then, for each participant, the Name of the Participant, Gender, Date of Birth, Year & Course, Cell # & eMail ID and Signature. It also asks for a Primary Email id and Contact number, and carries the seal and signature of the Head of the Institution. A separate block, "PROCEDURAL TEST ATTENDEE DETAILS (OUT OF THE PARTICIPANTS)", asks for the name of the attendee and the email ID of the attendee, with the express note that the test link and meeting credentials shall be shared only to that email ID.

The undertaking on the form. Teams state that "our participation complies with the rules and regulations of the competition" and certify "that the materials submitted/to be submitted are prepared by us", agreeing to indemnify the organisers, Surana & Surana International Attorneys, Chennai and the Department of Law, University of Jammu for the North Rounds, for any claim or dispute arising out of the further use and exhibition of these materials. Clause XXI(a) repeats the obligation: participants shall certify in writing the originality of the materials contained in the memorials and shall be responsible for any claim or dispute arising out of their further use and exhibition. The duly filled, sealed and signed soft copy of the registration form goes to the same host email by 25 August 2026 with the same subject line.

Note on the announcement carrying these details: it is published by the Moot Court Association, School of Excellence in Law, which runs its own internal selection for the team it sends. That page closes internal-competition registration on 8 August 2026 and holds internal orals on 14 August 2026. Those two dates bind only students of the School of Excellence in Law and have nothing to do with registration by any other college.

A two-tiered registration fee applies, and it is the same for the North and South Rounds. All teams wishing to participate pay a base registration fee of Rs 2,006 (Rs 1,700 plus Rs 306 towards 18% GST) on or before 25 August 2026. The eighteen teams qualifying for the Oral Rounds pay an additional Rs 2,006 (Rs 1,700 plus Rs 306 towards 18% GST) on or before 6 September 2026. The fee once paid is not refunded.

Payment for the North Rounds is by NEFT to: Account Name - HOD Law Dept; Account Number - 0345040100000134; Bank - J&K Bank; Branch - New University Campus, Jammu; IFSC Code - JAKA0CANAAL; Branch Code - 0345. The payment reference number and date of payment must be mentioned and a scanned copy of the payment receipt emailed to trialadvocacymoot.ju3@jammuuniversity.ac.in, only after which the registration is deemed to be complete.

Accommodation is provided by the Department of Law, University of Jammu, only during the period of the competition, from 12:00 PM IST on 18 September 2026 till 5:00 PM IST on 20 September 2026, and is available on an individual basis. Each participant opting for accommodation pays Rs 1,416 (Rs 1,200 plus Rs 216 towards 18% GST) per night, on or before 6 September 2026 latest by 5:00 PM IST. The accommodation fee is non-refundable. The Organising Committee is responsible only for the two nights falling within the official competition period, and any delay in checkout or request for an extended stay is at the participant's own risk and expense. Separate sleeping arrangements for boys and girls are strictly enforced in the allocated rooms, with common areas available to all participants for preparation. Shuttle services run between the designated accommodation and the college campus, with the schedule and pick-up or drop-off points communicated to registered participants closer to the competition date. Extra members over and above the prescribed number are not entertained or accommodated under any circumstances.

Teams must fill in their travel plan in the sheet at Annexure B of the rulebook and email the scanned copy by 5:00 PM IST on 6 September 2026 to trialadvocacymoot.ju3@jammuuniversity.ac.in. Annexure B asks for the name of the institution, the team code, and the arrival and departure details: mode of travel (train, air or bus), the train, bus or flight number, and the estimated time of arrival and departure. The names and mobile numbers of the student volunteers in charge of transport and accommodation are made available after finalisation.

Orals are judged on a scale of 0 to 70 points on knowledge of facts; logic and reasoning, clarity, articulate and systematic analysis of the issues arising out of the facts; persuasiveness and deference to the court; understanding of the laws of evidence and procedure; ability to successfully conduct chief and cross examinations in the allotted time; ability to elicit favourable facts from witnesses; and ingenuity, the ability to argue by analogy, and innovation.

Written submissions are judged on a scale of 0 to 60 points on originality in the analysis of issues; logical progression of ideas with a clear, precise and unambiguous writing style; proper and articulate analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the case; understanding of the legal principles directly applicable to the issues; presentation of arguments with appropriate citations; and variety and depth of research, meaning new points and unique interpretation of fact or law. Any revisions, supplements or additions to the memorials after submission attract severe penalties subject to the discretion of the Administrator, and non-compliance with the memorial rules in Clause XIII attracts penalties for each non-conformity.

Results are announced within 30 minutes after the full completion of the respective preliminary, quarter final and semi final rounds. The final result and the winners of the various categories are announced only during the valediction and prize distribution ceremony.

Copyright over the memorials submitted for the competition is assigned by the participants and vests completely and fully in Surana & Surana International Attorneys, Chennai and the Department of Law, University of Jammu for the North Rounds. Further use and exhibition of these materials, electronically or otherwise, is the exclusive right of those organisers, who are not responsible for any liability for loss caused by errors or omissions in the collection of information or for its accuracy, completeness or adequacy. Distribution of the materials in print or on affiliated websites such as www.moot.in does not constitute consent to any use of the material for commercial redistribution, though links to the collection or to individual pages in it are welcome.