Reported by Haaris Moosa
1. Guys Congrats on your victory! Why did you choose AT Markose ?
· Sreelakshmi: Thanks a lot. Our college had sent teams in the past three years. So we are acquainted with this competition, and when our seniors shared their experiences we didn’t have to think twice. I also choose this moot for the multitude of issues, including administrative law, constitutional law, Transfer of property, Muslim Personal laws, Tort etc.
· Liya Rose : Our seniors who had participated earlier and had already set benchmarks for us. They had won it in the 1st edition and for the 2nd they were the runners up. So our legacy had invested in us a certain pressure to perform.
Another reason was because Constitutional law happens to be an area of great academic interest. This moot enabled me to plumb the depths of the subject further. In one of the issues I had to deal with the constitutionality of the Ecological Fragile Areas Act which I really enjoyed doing. Further getting an opportunity to argue before a full bench of Kerala High Court in the finals, and the hefty cash prize urged us to choose this competition.
· Anju: I signed up because the problem dealt with very important issues including the right to privacy, and laws relating to ecologically fragile Areas. Also the national seminar for researchers on “legal perspectives on segregation and conservation of ecological fragile lands” made it irresistible.
2. What is it that you loved the most about this competition?
· Sreelakshmi : The regimental organization was the icing but the Judges take the cake!
· Liya Rose: Our college missed the first prize for the last two years by the skin of our teeth. So it was really about reclaiming lost ground and redeeming family silver!
· Anju : The national seminar for the Researchers was truly one of its kind. The 10 minutes presentation rescued the researchers from the mundane case crunching!
3. What was your strategy for preparation?
· Sreelakshmi : We hardly had 3 weeks time to prepare, and this team is the best that all of us could ever ask for. The hard work, co-ordination and dedication which we had put in really paid off. The process of our preparation was rather shoddy and thoroughly rushed! But the consecutive all nighters rewarded us gloriously as we bagged the BEST MEMORIAL PRIZE as well! Also our teachers were very helpful especially our Girisankar sir and Jayadevan sir who spared their valuable time to clear our never ending doubts.
· Liya Rose : I believe that consistency, persistence and smart work lead to success. You have to forge your own path and carve a unique identity for yourself in the process. I had a hectic schedule, and the preparations were couched between my exams. I read through the moot proposition a number of times and new loopholes presented themselves after each reading . We chalked out the various issues involved and divided them amongst us. We maintained a constant coordination regarding the research involved and kept on discussing the various lines of arguments regularly which helped us to be thorough with the moot problem.
· Anju : Our focus was primarily on understanding the facts of the case. Apart from our teachers we went to the lawyers of the High Court to know precisely what the judges would be expecting.
4. How do you rate the judges in the competition?
· Sreelakshmi: The eminent panel of judges is the highlight of this competition. It was such an honour to present our case before such extraordinary advocates and teachers from various law colleges. They were very patient through the course of our submissions
· Liya Rose : I totally agree with Sree. I felt the judges were thorough with the issues involved and the questions posed were very pithy.
· Anju : I also had a research test along with the national seminar. The judges for seminar were kind enough to give me their feedbacks.
5. What is your advice to all aspirational mooters?
· Sreelakshmi: I don’t think I am qualified to advice but the only thing I would like to say is that you have to be honest with yourself more than anything else. Being current with the prominent case laws helps a lot. Recent judgements will always have a more persuasive effect than age old decisions. Also I like to say that mooting is great fun and every law student should give it a shot, even if they don’t intend to plunge into litigation.
· Liya Rose: Hard work always pays. Be thorough with the moot problem. Read it as many times as you can. All your arguments must be hinged on the Fact Sheet. To the non-mooters, don’t go through your law degree without mooting. Try it at least once believe me it’s exhilarating. You may win or lose but the learning experience is priceless.
· Anju : For mooters it’s important to keep in mind that thorough research coupled with confidence is the key to mooting glory.
6. On which research portal did you depend? Did you use SCC ONLINE?
· Sreelakshmi : To be frank I would rather look into journals than online sites. But yes online sites are helpful as we get a number of decisions in just a single click. In our college we have access to SCC online, Indiankanoon, etc.
· Liya Rose: Yes I did refer SCC online and found it really resourceful.
· Anju : Being the researcher I found all the above mentioned sites useful .
7. What are the changes that you want in legal research for law students?
· Sreelakshmi : The legal research has already been simplified when compared to the earlier times. Now one can access a legal gold mine if you have a smart phone.
· Liya Rose: I agree with Sree. Now everything is on your fingertips. Technology unquestionably has contributed to legal research and has made it efficient, time saving and cost effective. I have one suggestion that most of these online sites are not affordable for many law colleges. And Special Student packages would certainly be a boon.
