‘‘No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.’’ -Theodore Roosevelt
The Political Science and Legal Studies department of Delhi Public School R.K. Puram, under the guidance of Ms. Vandana Chandhoke and Ms. Sabreena Bansal, collaborated with BML Munjal University, Gurugram to conduct the Intra-school Moot Court competition 2023 for students of classes XI and XII. It was held on 11th-12th October 2023. The Chief guest of the event was Dr. Pritam Baruah, the Dean of BML Munjal University. He addressed the audience highlighting the importance of moot court competitions in schools, stressing on the art of law for making rules and its implementation, and how legal knowledge is essential for everyone, not only for those who are engaged in the legal profession. He concluded his speech wishing all the participants a memorable learning experience.
The event aimed to simulate a court hearing in which participants were required to analyse the presented case, research the relevant laws, prepare written submissions according to the stance of the plaintiff or defendant allotted to them, and present verbal arguments.
The case before the court revolved around a fictional country, Parzania. A group of environmentalists in Parzania pushed towards sustainability by demanding higher protection to the natural environment and imposing absolute prohibition on mining activities. The aim of the case was to assess the persuading skills of both the plaintiff as well as defendant teams.
13 teams from class XI and XII participated as 7 plaintiffs and 8 defendants. The competition was held in two rounds. The first round hearing gave the aspiring lawyers a platform to present their arguments within a time limit of 10 minutes. Two teams qualified for the second round. Hearings were judged by Dr. Adithya Chintapanti, Prof. Sonika Bajpayee, and Prof. Abhishek Mishra of BML Munjal University.
At the end of the competition, the Plaintiff team, consisting of Vigaas Singh, Shrishti Sehrawat, and Yati Sinha emerged victorious, also winning the prize for the best memorial. Team defendant consisting of Anannya Gupta, Lavanya Sehwag, and Sheen Madan won the first runners up position, and team plaintiff, consisting of Rishita Mangal, Vrishti Gupta, Mihika Sagar won the second runner up position. The third runner up position was won by team defendant comprising of Deevit Singh, Rudraansh Deb, and Ritika Tiwari. Sohaum Rodborne was adjudged as the best speaker.
At the closing ceremony , the Dean of BML Munjal University Dr. Pritam Baruah praised the efforts of all the participants and congratulated all the winners for their splendid performance.The ceremony concluded with Vice Principal Mr. Anil Kathuria congratulating all the participants and expressing his gratitude towards BML Munjal University. He also congratulated the team organising the event for the success of the event.