NLIU hosts 1st Moot Convenors Conference Participation from 20 institutions sees formulation of the Guidelines for Uniform Moot Practices

The National Law Institute University, Bhopal (NLIU) recently hosted the two day All India Moot Convenors Conference on March 24-25, 2012. The event was held in association with Surana and Surana and witnessed participation from 20 institutions across the country. The conference also led to the formulation of the Guidelines for Uniform Moot Practices (GUMP)..As reported earlier by Bar & Bench, the purpose of the Conference was to standardize moot formats in India and also create a mechanism to lift the current standards of mooting in the country..Perhaps the most important development in the conference was the formulation of the GUMP which, as the name suggests, provides a uniform set of guidelines or “best practices” to be followed while hosting a moot. The creation of the GUMP (a copy of which is available below) is significant in more ways than one. If implemented, the GUMP would ensure some element of uniformity in various moot court competitions. On a lighter note, it would also mean that even a group of aspiring lawyers can eventually reach a common conclusion..Speaking to Bar & Bench, NLIU’s Moot Court Committee convenor, Bishen Jeswant said that the GUMP addresses “a lot of the aspects of mooting” which mooters are unhappy about including the manner in which marks are awarded, economisation of costs associated with memo-drafting and the creation of an online database of winning memorials..The initial response of the participants has been quite positive. Aditya Vaibhav Singh, Co-Convener of the Moot Court Society at RMLNLU-Lucknow says that the conference could prove to be a “a stepping stone for the creation of an All India Moot Court Society in the near future.”.Mr.Rhishikesh Dave, Faculty in Charge of the Moot Court Society at Nirma University observed that the conference was well organised and that “it is important that we incorporate all these points in our moots.”.Sanyat Lodha, from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University said that such a conference was “unprecedented”. Lodha also said that it was important for the student collective to “do as much as possible to improve mooting in India.”.The conference is scheduled to become an annual affair with RMLNLU-Lucknow hosting the next edition of the Conference in 2013..(B&B would like to thank NLIU students Prateek Mishra, Shohini Sengupta & Raghav Seth for their inputs)