“Remembering S.P. Sathe – The 17th International Moot Court Competition 2023” was conducted from 24th – 26th March 2023 at ILS Law College, Pune in a physical mode. Students enrolled in a full-time bachelor’s law program in any Indian/Foreign University at the time of the Competition were eligible to compete in the moot. The moot was divided into two Preliminary Rounds, Quarter-final Rounds, Semi-final Rounds, and Final Rounds.
The moot proposition for this edition was drafted by Mr. Ritvik Kulkarni, Senior Associate, Khaitan & Co. with contributions by Mr. Anand Mohan, Counsel, Bombay High Court, and research assistance by Mr. Tejas Bhonge and Mr. Mihir Govande (V B.A.LL.B students at ILS Law College, Pune). The proposition was based on International Investment Law and Investor-State Dispute Settlement in line with the theme for this year i.e. ‘Law & Economics’.
This edition of the moot was conducted in collaboration with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre [SIAC], the Centre for Trade and Investment Law [CTIL], the Savitribai Phule Pune University [SPPU] and the ILS Centre for Arbitration and Mediation [ILSCA]. We were also joined by SCC Online and Eastern Book Company as our knowledge partners.
24 March 2023 [Friday]
The opening ceremony of the moot was held and was presided over by the following dignitaries:
-
Ms. Vaijayanti Joshi, Director, Academics and Administration, Indian Law Society
-
Dr. Deepa Paturkar, Principal (Additional Charge), ILS Law College, Pune
-
Ms. Sathya Narayan, Director, ILS Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (ILSCA)
A training session by SCC Online was conducted for all the participants to give them a detailed overview of the database and aid them in research over the course of the moot.
25 March 2023 [Saturday]
A. Preliminary Rounds
The following 17 teams from the South Asian region competed in the preliminary rounds of the moot:
-
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
-
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala
-
NMIMS Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, Mumbai
-
Symbiosis Law School, Pune
-
Pravin Gandhi College of Law, Mumbai
-
Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad
-
Vasantrao Pawar Law College, Baramati
-
DES Shri Navalmal Firodia Law College, Pune
-
Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat
-
National Law Institute University, Bhopal
-
Marathwada Mitramandal’s Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune
-
Department of Law, Prestige Institute of Management and Research, Indore
-
The National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi
-
ILS Law College, Pune
-
School of Law, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
-
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
-
Kathmandu University School of Law, Nepal
In the preliminary rounds, each team presented arguments once from each of the two sides in two different matches.
B. Quarter-Final Rounds:
After the preliminary rounds, eight teams proceeded to the quarter-final rounds on the basis of, firstly total wins, and secondly total marks in the preliminary rounds.
26 March 2023 [Sunday]
A. Semi-Final Rounds:
Four teams who won in the Quarter-final rounds on a knock-out basis proceeded to the semi-final rounds.
B. Final Rounds
The winner from each of the two Courtrooms on a knock-out basis in the semi-final round proceeded to the final round. The final round was conducted between NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad and School of Law, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru.
The judges of the final rounds are as follows:
-
Adv. Shrikant Kanetkar, Advocate, Pune and Mumbai
-
Mr. Tejas Karia, Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution Practice, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
-
Ms. May Tai, Managing Partner (Asia), Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
-
Mr. Kevin Nash, Registrar, Singapore International Arbitration Centre
-
Ms. Smriti Bhaskar, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Trade and Investment Law
C. Valedictory Ceremony
The final day of the moot concluded with the Valedictory Ceremony.
The dignitaries for the event were as follows:
-
Ms. Vaijayanti Joshi, Director, Academics and Administration, Indian Law Society
-
Dr. Deepa Paturkar, Principal (Additional Charge), ILS Law College, Pune
-
Ms. May Tai, Managing Partner (Asia), Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
-
Mr. Kevin Nash, Registrar, Singapore International Arbitration Centre
-
Ms. Smriti Bhaskar, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Trade and Investment Law
The winners in various categories were felicitated with certificates, trophies and cash prizes:
|
Sr. No. |
Award |
Winner |
|
1. |
Second-Best Student Advocate of the Preliminary Rounds |
Ms. Jaya Uma RK [School of Law, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru] |
|
2. |
Best Student Advocate of the Preliminary Rounds |
Ms. Bhavya Ahlawat [NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad] |
|
3. |
Second-Best Memorial (Claimant) |
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata |
|
4. |
Second-Best Memorial (Respondent) |
West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata |
|
5. |
Best Memorial (Claimant) |
Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat |
|
6. |
Best Memorial (Respondent) |
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad |
|
7. |
Justice V. A. Naik Prize for the Best Team from Maharashtra |
Symbiosis Law School, Pune |
|
8. |
Best Speaker of the Finals |
Ms. Bhavya Ahlawat [NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad] |
|
9. |
2nd Runners-Up Team |
Symbiosis Law School, Pune |
|
10. |
Winning Team |
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad |
|
11. |
Runners-Up Team |
School of Law, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru |