DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPTNAM

5th Novice Moot Court Competition, 2017

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

1. The 5th Novice Moot Court Competition shall be conducted from 6th to 7th September,
2017 in the University premises.
2. Participation in the Novice Moot Court Competition is mandatory for all students of
Semester I; stringent action shall be taken against any student who fails to appear for the
competition.
3. Selection in the competition is a pre-requisite for representing the University in any National
or International Moot Court Competition by Semester I students.
4. The competition shall be conducted on an individual basis.
5. The Moot Proposition has been released on 8th August, 2017 and the side allotment has been
done according via draw of lots conducted in the University premises by the Moot and
Advocacy Society. The same has been notified to the students via email.
6. Any clarifications to be sought with regard to the Moot Proposition may be mailed to
mas.dsnlu@gmail.com latest by 11:59 p.m. on 10th August, 2017.

MEMORIAL SUBMISSION

7. Each student shall prepare the Memorials/Written Submissions only on behalf of the side
allotted to them i.e., Appellant/Respondent, and three hard copies of the memorial shall be
submitted between 05:30 p.m. and 07:30 p.m. on 5th September, 2017 to the Society.
8. In case the students fail to submit their memorials within the aforementioned time, their
memorials shall not be considered for evaluation purposes.

PREPARATION OF MEMORIALS

9. The memorial shall consist of the following:

a. Cover Page
b. Table of Contents
c. List of Abbreviations
d. Index of Authorities
e. Statement of Jurisdiction
f. Statement of Facts
g. Issues Raised
h. Summary of Arguments
i. Arguments Advanced
j. Final Submission/Prayer

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 DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPTNAM

5th Novice Moot Court Competition, 2017

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

10. The cover page of the memorial should include the Roll Number of the participant, the side
being represented, and the Court before which the participant seeks to present the case.
No participant, under any circumstance, shall mention his/her name on the memorial or
to the Judges in any manner.
11. The participants have to cite the authorities in the memorial using footnotes following a
uniform style of citation.
12. Memorials should be printed on both sides on A4 sized paper, in the following mandatory
formatting specifications:
a. Font Type: Times New Roman
b. Font Size: 12
c. Line Spacing: 1.5
d. Margins: 1 inch on each side
e. Alignment: Justified
Footnotes:
a. Font Type: Times New Roman
b. Font Size: 10
c. Line Spacing: 1.0
d. Alignment: Justified
13. The memorials should have a margin of one inch on each side of the page. Page borders may
only be used on the cover page.
14. The following colour schemes shall be followed for the cover page of the memorial:
a. Appellant – BLUE
b. Respondent – RED
15. The memorials should either be stitched or stapled properly. Spiral binding is strictly
prohibited.
16. The memorial must not contain any annexures, photographs, graphs, diagrams or any
representation of like nature.
17. PENALTY – If the person evaluating the memorial is of the opinion that there has been
plagiarism, the memorial would be put before a Committee. Depending on the extent of
plagiarism, the punishment imposed by the Committee may vary from the deduction of
marks to the suspension of the concerned student from all moot court activities for one year.
18. The memorials carry 20 marks which shall be calculated based on the following criteria:
Sr. No. Criteria Max. Marks

1. Format 05

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 DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPTNAM

5th Novice Moot Court Competition, 2017

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

2. Citation 05
3. Clarity of expression 05
4. Authorities and Precedents 05

19. The marks obtained by each participant in the memorial evaluation shall be added to the
overall marks secured by such participant in the preliminary as well as the final round.

RESEARCHER’S TEST

20. A written researcher’s test shall be conducted from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on 5th September,
2017.
21. The test shall be mandatory for all the participating students.
22. The evaluation of the test shall be on 20 marks. Any participant who does not appear for the
researcher’s test shall not be allotted any marks in the test.

The marks obtained by each participant in the researchers’ test shall be added to the
overall marks secured by such participant in the preliminary rounds.

ORAL ROUNDS

23. There shall be two oral rounds in the competition – Preliminary Rounds which shall be
conducted on 6th September, 2017 and the Final Rounds, which shall be conducted on 7th
September, 2017.
Note: The rounds shall be conducted in the afternoon and the classes shall go on
uninterrupted as per the time table provided. The preliminary rounds on 6th September,
2017 shall commence from 02:30 p.m. onwards. The Moot and Advocacy Society reserves
the right to reschedule the timings of the rounds in the event that any contingencies should
arise.
24. Each participant shall primarily appear in the preliminary round, wherein every participant
shall argue from the allotted side only.
25. Each participant shall be provided with a total of 15 minutes for oral arguments.
The allotted time may be extended subject to the discretion of the Judges. However, no
participant shall be granted more than 5 minutes of extension.

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 DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPTNAM

5th Novice Moot Court Competition, 2017

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

26. Allocation of Marks:

Sr. No Criteria Max. Marks

1. Oral Arguments 60
2. Memorial/Written Submissions 20

3. Researcher’s Test 20

Total 100

The cumulative marks obtained by each participant out of a maximum of 100 marks shall
determine the ranking of the participants (Marks obtained/ 60 + Marks obtained/ 20 + Marks
obtained/ 20 = Total marks obtained/ 100).
27. Tie-Breaker: In case of a tie for the 3rd slot in the preliminary round, the average of the
marks obtained in the researcher’s test and the memorial marks shall be considered, wherein
the student having the higher average shall be allotted the slot.
28. Marking scheme for the oral arguments:

Sr. No Criteria Max. Marks

1. Knowledge of Facts 10
2. Clarity in Arguments 10

3. Logic and Reasoning 10

4. Persuasiveness and Deference to Court 10

5. Application of Legal Principles 10

6. Court Etiquettes 05

7. Response to Questions 05

29. Final Rounds:

A total of fifteen (15) participants, top three scorers from each Court Hall, shall be selected
for the final rounds, the marks obtained in which shall provide for the ranks of these 15
finalists.

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 DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPTNAM

5th Novice Moot Court Competition, 2017

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

30. Each participant shall be provided with a total of 20 minutes for oral arguments.
The allotted time may be extended subject to the discretion of the Judges. However, no
participant shall be granted more than 5 minutes of extension.
31. The participants selected for the final round shall represent the University in the various
National and International Moot Court Competitions approved by the Society.
32. Representation by Finalists:
Among the 15 selected finalists, 5 teams shall be formed. The top 10 participants shall be
representing the University as speakers and the remaining five, as researchers.
The final allotment of the Moot Competitions shall be according to the cumulative
ranks of all the members in a team.
33. Dress Code:
a. Boys: Black Trousers, White Shirt, Black Blazer and a Black Tie with Black Formal
Shoes.
b. Girls: Black Trousers, White Shirt, Black Blazer or Churidar/Salwar-Kurta (White),
Black Formal Shoes.
34. Scouting or any such behavior shall be subject to punishment and disqualification.
35. Certificate of Merit shall be provided to the first three rank holders of the competition.
36. The Moot and Advocacy Society reserves the right to amend the rules of the competition as
and when required.
37. In case of any dispute in relation to the competition, the decision of the Moot and Advocacy
Society shall be final.

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 DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, VISAKHAPTNAM

5th Novice Moot Court Competition, 2017

RULES OF THE COMPETITION

Important Dates to Remember:

Release of Moot Proposition and Side 8th August, 2017

Allotment
Last Date for seeking Clarifications to the 10th August, 2017 (by 11:59 p.m.)
Moot Proposition
Date for Submission of Hard Copies of 5th September, 2017 (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
Memorials
Researcher’s Test 5th September, 2017 (3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Preliminary Rounds 6th September, 2017

Final Rounds 7th September, 2017

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