Amity Law School, Noida proudly brings to you the “Indian Rounds of Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018” which is scheduled to be held between 8th – 11th February, 2018.
The Jessup Competition is the brainchild of Professor Richard R. Baxter at Harvard Law School, who worked with Professor Stephen M. Schwebel (who later on became President of the International Court of Justice) to create a courtroom simulation experience grounded in International Law.
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the oldest and most prestigious international Moot competition in the world, attracting participants from almost 700 law schools across more than 90 countries, in recent years. The year 2018 expects a record participation from 100 countries. The competition is the benchmark in the international Moot competitions. This program provides a stellar opportunity to students aspiring to join advocacy as a profession to learn about court craft.
Indian law students have been consistently performing well in these competitions. India has twice (in 1999 and 2013) won the Jessup World Cup. A large part of this success derives from the high quality of the Indian National Qualifying Rounds and the excellent preparation the Indian National Representatives receive at the hands of the judges of the Indian Rounds. This year, 34 teams from across India will compete, of which four will be selected to represent India in Washington, DC.
A brief schedule of the event is produced below:
Day 1 (8th February)
Inaugural Ceremony, Registration for participants and Exchange of Memorials.
Day 2 (9th February)
Preliminary rounds
Day 3 (10th February)
Preliminary rounds and Quarter-Finals
Day 4 (11th February)
Semi-Finals, Finals and Valedictory Ceremony
Tune in for the live updates of the event 1200 hours onwards…
Day 1 (8th February)
1200 hours : Welcome. The 34 teams participating in the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition 2018- Indian Rounds have arrived and the registration process is about to start.
1530 hours : Registration begins.
1615 hours : Registration of all the 34 team have been completed.
1700 hours : The Special Guest, Senior Advocate Prashant Kumar, President Elect of BAI, Convener, B.R.I.C.S. Legal Forum India has arrived.
1710 hours : The Guest of Honour for the Inaugural Ceremony – Dr. Pinky Anand, Sr. Advocate & Additional Solicitor General of India has arrived.
1715 hours : The other dignitaries for the Inaugural Ceremony have also arrived.
1730 hours : The Inaugural Ceremony is about to begin.
1740 hours : The Presiding Guest Mr. Salman Khurshid, Sr. Advocate, Former Minister of Law of Justice has arrived.
1745 hours : The Inaugural Ceremony has commenced with the lighting of the lamp and Saraswati Vandana.
1800 hours : Welcome address by Dr. Shefali Raizada, Additional Director / HOI, Amity Law School, Noida.
1805 hours : Welcome address by Mr. Michael Peil, National Administrator, India National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018. He thanked and welcomed the esteemed judges, participants, volunteers, and the host law school for helping to organize this moot court competition.
1813 hours : Inaugural Address by Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Bandyopadhyay, Chairman, Amity Law Schools. He welcomed all the 34 participating teams across the nation and also welcomed all the distinguished guests.
1818 hours : Address by the Guest of Honour Dr. Pinky Anand, Sr. Advocate & Additional Solicitor General of India. She welcomed the participating teams and esteemed guests. Further, she shared her own experience of her law school days at Harvard Law School and she also discussed about her participation in the Jessup Moot Court Competition. She also enlightened upon the Rule of Law and International Law.
1825 hours : Address by Special Guest Mr. Prashant Kumar, Sr. Advocate. He spoke about the challenges which the Jessup Moot Court Competition poses to the participants and the challenges developing nations have to face with respect to international law. He also emphasized on the importance of youth in the international arena.
1840 hours : Address by Presiding Guest Mr. Salman Khurshid, Sr. Advocate. He greeted all the guests and participants. He spoke about honing skills and about the art of being clever with the law. He also emphasized on the stature of a judge and the due respect he deserves. He concluded his address by wishing luck to all the participants.
1850 hours: Address by the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajiv Shakdher, Judge, Delhi High Court. He welcomed the guests and participants. During his address, he described ‘mooting as a training ground’. He advised the students to retain objectivity while arguing any matter in any court. He also emphasized that while arguing a matter, one may lose a case but should never lose “the court of a judge.”
1900 hours : Address by Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity University. He thanked each of the distinguished guests for taking out time and being a part of this Moot Court Competition. Further, he also expressed an appreciation of regard to all the participating teams and emphasized on the importance of law. He laid emphasis on the words spoken by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajiv Shakdher and other dignitaries. Concluding his address. he said, “the goal of Amity University is to spread greatness.”
1920 hours : The guests and dignitaries were presented with a token of appreciation before the inaugural ceremony was concluded with the Vote of Thanks by Ms. Bhavna Batra, Deputy Administrator and Convener, Indian National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018 and Mr. Mayank Kapila, Deputy Convener Indian National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018. 
Day 2 (9th February)
0830 hours : There would be an in toto of seven preliminary rounds, five of which have been scheduled for the day.
0845 hours : Judges for the preliminary rounds have started to arrive, orientation for the judges will follow subsequently.
0900 hours : The teams have been seated in their respective court rooms for the preliminary rounds.
0915 hours : Orientation to judges for round 01 prelims.
0930 hours : Prelims round 01, commences with 16 teams.
1140 hours : Preliminary round 02, commences with 18 teams.
1300 hours : Preliminary round 02 has concluded and the teams have proceeded for lunch.
1440 hours : Preliminary round 03, commences with 18 teams. 
1630 hours : Preliminary round 03 has concluded. The judges and the participants take a break before preliminary round 04 begins…
1645 hours : The volunteers of Amity Law School, Noida engaged in a short interaction with the judges during a short break prior to the preliminary round 04. 
1700 hours : After the short interaction session and break ended, the preliminary round 04 commenced with 20 teams.
1830 hours : Preliminary round 04 has ended and the the teams have proceeded for high tea.
1900 hours : The judges were felicitated by the Dr. D.K. Bandopadhyay, Chairman, Amity Law Schools, Noida, Mr. Michael Peil, National Administrator, India National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018 and Ms. Bhavna Batra, Deputy Administrator and Convener, Indian National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018.
1923 hours : The final preliminary round for the day, Preliminary round 05 has started with 18 teams.
2101 hours: The 05th and the final Preliminary round for the day have concluded. The remaining preliminary rounds i.e. 06 and 07 will be held tomorrow along with the quarter-final rounds.
Remarks by Mr. Michael Peil, National Administrator, Indian National Rounds, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018
He stated that, ” with the students looking all fresh and the jury of sharp judges the event looks promising. The organizing team of Amity Law School, Noida consisting of the Convener and Co-Convener, Ms. Bhavna Batra and Mr. Mayank Kapila respectively, and the volunteer and faculty in-charge of the various committees are working relentlessly towards the success of the event. Its been a privilege that Amity Law School, Noida is hosting Philip C. Jessup and I look forward to the upcoming days.”
Day 3 (10th February)
0830 hours : The judges for the 06th and 07th preliminary rounds have arrived.
0845 hours : The teams for the preliminary round 06 have been seated in their respective court rooms.
0926 hours : Preliminary round 06 has commenced with 22 teams. 
1100 hours : Preliminary round 06 has ended. The teams gear up for the last and final preliminary round.
1131 hours : Preliminary round 07 has commenced with 20 rounds.
1335 hours : The final preliminary round 07 has ended. The teams have proceeded for lunch, after which the results for the preliminary rounds will be declared.
1430 hours : The results for the preliminary rounds have been declared. The following teams have qualified for the Quarter – final rounds in no specific order.
- National Law University, Jodhpur.
- National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
- The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.
- National Law University, Delhi.
- Gujarat National Law University.
- National Academy for Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad.
- Symbiosis Law School, Pune.
- National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
1551 hours :The Quarter – finals round will begin from 1530 hours. 
1750 hours : The Quarter – final round has concluded and the teams have proceeded for high tea.
1835 hours : The results for the quarter final rounds have been declared. The following teams have qualified for the Semi – final rounds in no specific order.
- Gujarat National Law University.
- The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.
- National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
- National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Remarks by Ms. Bhavna Batra, Convener and Deputy National Administrator, Indian National Rounds, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018 and Mr. Mayank Kapila Co-Convener Indian National Rounds, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018
They stated “the moment we got to know that we are the conveners for the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition Indian rounds we were filled with immense pride and honor. We were pleased that Amity Law School, Noida got a chance to host such a prestigious event of great value and honor.
We always had a stepwise approach towards the success of the event. Namely being Planning, Preparation, Execution, Implementation and Action.
We had only one goal that was to keep up the repute of the event and set up a benchmark for our institution Amity Law School, Noida, keeping up with the moto of being “second to none”
We would like to thank our beloved Founder President Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, our Chancellor Dr. Atul Chauhan, our Chairman Dr. D.K. Bandyopadhyay and our Institution heads Prof. (Dr) Shefali Raizada and Prof. (Dr) Aditya Tomer, our esteemed faculties and students for their relentless support throughout the event. Lastly, we would also like to thank Mr. Michael Peil,National Administrator, India National Rounds, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018, for vesting his faith in us.“
Day 4 (11th February)
0840 hours : The judges for the Semi – finals round have arrived. The students of Amity Law School, Noida interacted with the judges during this session.
0900 hours : The semi finals round has commenced.
1109 hours : The results for the semi final rounds have been declared. The following teams have qualified for the final round in no specific order.
- National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
- Gujarat National Law University.
1245 hours : The judges for the final round have arrived.
1315 hours : The Finals of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court – India Qualifying Rounds 2018 has commenced. The bench for the finals is presided by Hon’ble Mr. Justice S. J. Mukhopadhayay (Retd.) Former Supreme Court Judge and Chairman NCLAT. The other judges on the bench are Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, Judge, Delhi High Court, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jayant Nath, Judge, Delhi High Court and Hon’ble Ms. Justice Pratibha M. Singh, Judge, Delhi High Court.
1455 hours : The Finals of the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, India Qualifying Rounds 2018 have ended. The valedictory ceremony will soon commence.
1500 hours : The guests and dignitaries for the valedictory ceremony have arrived.
1530 hours : The valedictory ceremony of the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, India Qualifying Rounds 2018 has started.
1540 hours : The invocation of the valedictory ceremony was initiated with the Lighting of the Lamp by all the dignitaries including Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity University, Noida and Saraswati Vandana sung by the students of Amity Law School, Noida.
1545 hours : Welcome address by Dr. Shefali Raizada, Additional Director / HOI, Amity Law School, Noida. She welcomed all the guests expressly and exclusively. She threw light on the moot problem and commented that the topic revolves around international trade and commerce, that is an important upcoming field of law. She feels “moot courts are an ideal training arena” and is cardinal in the development process of law student’s personality.
1555 hours : Address by Guest of Honour Hon’ble Ms. Justice Pratibha M. Singh, Judge, Delhi High Court. She said that she herself has represented India in the Jessup moot court competition. She gave tips for the further development of the mooters: eye contact, smile, confidence, “no substitute to hard work”, review of a memorial, rectification of typographical errors, “burning the midnight oil”.
She also expressed how the “advent of technology” has changed and eased the course of research. She also explained how legal education was not lucrative previously as it is today. She concluded by saying that Jessup promises “each moment to be an enjoyable moment.”
1605 hours : Address by Guest of Honour Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jayant Nath, Judge, Delhi High Court. He kept his address short and sweet. He congratulated both the finalist teams and expressed that he appreciates judging such hardworking teams. He also encouraged others to take the initiative so that India always puts its best step forward. He concluded his address by wishing good luck to all.
1610 hours : Address by Guest of Honour Hon’ble Mr. Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, Judge, Delhi High Court. He kept his interaction lively and confessed that he was never a good student, and he never did a moot. He said “if I can share the bench with Justice Pratibha, there’s space for everyone in life.” He also asked the teachers and the academia to take initiative and put emphasis on curriculum. He also addressed the need for psychology i.e. a human touch in the courses and the need to “inculcate practical training” in the curriculum.
1615 hours : Address by Chief Guest Hon’ble Mr. Justice S J Mukopadhyay (Retd.), Former Judge, Supreme Court of India. In his address, he praised Justice Pratibha M Singh on her honest recommendations. He suggested the following: Please grow- we are also learning from you; Politeness is the key; Argument should be a capsule argument; Please see the moot of the court when you go to Washington; Don’t be too serious, but keep your calm and be composed. He concluded by saying that “questions are serious, judges are not. Please don’t fear the judges.”
1625 hours : Address by Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity University. He expressed his pride over all the institutions, the students/participants have come from. He asked everyone to learn from the golden words of the dignitaries. He further said “My lawyers will be all over the world to show that our legal acumen is worth world-class appreciation.” He concluded by saying that Amity’s air is infectious and that whosoever comes here, goes with an aim to succeed in life.
1630 hours : The Results of the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, India Qualifying Rounds 2018 have been declared.
Winner : Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar
Runners Up : National Law Institute University, Bhopal.
Winners – Oral Rounds ( in order of Merit)
- Vaishali Movva, Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar.
- Arushie Marwah, National Law University, Jodhpur.
- Tejas Rao, Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar.
- Vegadarshi Karun, National Law University, Orissa.
- Tejaswi Reddy Dokuru, Symbiosis Law School,Pune
- Rupal Jaiswal, Symbiosis Law School ,Pune
- Arushi Nargas,National Law University, Jodhpur
- Tarun Sundaram,National Law University, Delhi
- Pranay Lekhi, The WB National University of Juridical Sciences
- Gayathree Devi, Gujarat National Law University
Winners – Best Memorial Awards ( in any order of Merit)
- National Law University, Orissa
- National Law School India University, Banagalore.
- National Law University, Jodhpu.
- National Law Institute University, Bhopal
- National Law University, Delhi
16:57 hours : Address by Special Guest, Dr. E. M. Sudarsana Nachiappan, President, The Indian Society of International Law. He congratulated all participating and winning teams. He also said that he the need of the hour is the need for experts in the International law. He also said that the domestic laws must be in consonance with the international law.
1703 hours : Address by Distinguished Guest, Dr. Narinder Singh, M.C. Bassiouni Justice Award Winner, 2017, International Law Commission, 2015. He said that Jessup is prestigious as it’s the oldest and biggest moot court competition. He complimented the moot problem by saying that this year’s problem covered a wide range of topics, and demanded pure and extensive research. He talked about NPT, and international law and encouraged all to make international law their choice of career.
1710 hours : Address by Presiding Guest, Mr. Pravin R. Parekh, Senior Advocate, Padma Shree Awardee, the fourth highest Indian Civilian Honour. He congratulated everyone and said that Ashok Chauhan’s vision will soon make India No.1 in generating excellent lawyers. He encouraged hard work and striving and thriving approach.
1716 hours : Address by Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Bandyopadhyay, Chairman, Amity Law Schools. He congratulated all teams for participating. He also congratulated the ones who learnt and shared a piece of advice for the others going back – “satisfaction” is what matters, “keep working harder, this is not the end.” He concluded by saying that they expect a lot from the 4 qualified teams and yearns that one may bring the Jessup International title and become WORLD CHAMPIONS AND DO INDIA PROUD.
1720 hours : Address by Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Amity University. She thanked all guests and Judges of the competition. Expressed her heartfelt gratitude. Congratulated all the teams and said that it might not be the most important to win but, she expect a lot from the 4 qualifying teams.
1728 hours : Glimpses of Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition, India Rounds 2018 (prepared by Media Committee, Amity Law School, Noida) presented by Ms. Bhavna Batra, Deputy Administrator and Convener, Indian National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018 and Mr. Mayank Kapila, Deputy Convener Indian National Rounds, 59th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018.
1735 hours : All guests and dignitaries were presented with a token of appreciation before the Valedictory ceremony was concluded, after that a vote of thanks was delivered by Prof. (Dr.) Aditya Tomer, Addl. Director Amity Law School, Noida.
1738 hours : After the successful completion of the event, We, Vaibhav Garg, Samriddha Gooptu, Aniket Paul and Aadarsh Kothari officially sign out on behalf of Amity Law School, Noida. Lastly, we would like to thank all our viewers and subscribers for their support and encouragement throughout the event.
THANK YOU!
