One of the main objectives of legal education through the three year and the five year LL.B program is to instill in the students the skills suitable and necessary for a practicing lawyer. L.L.B. is a professional course which requires training in the practical skills required of a lawyer. Moot Court is a venue, where the analysis, drafting, presentation and arguing skills of an upcoming lawyer are put to test. As part of Practical paper I, all students are required to present a minimum of three moot courts. At V. M. Salgaocar College of Law, students are trained at understanding moot court, its rules and methodology before they actually participate in Moot Court. For this purpose, a comprehensive training program is conducted for the students, where in, the concept and methodology of moot court is explained to the students.


V.M.SALGAOCAR COLLEGE OF LAW MOOT COURT SOCIETY

Legal training anywhere in the world requires the capacity to objectively assess the facts, apply relevant principles of law and legislation and bring out reasons and arguments to justify ones stand. It is with this objective the college has set up the Salgaocar College of Law Moot Court Society.

The V.M. Salgaocar College of Law Moot Court Society is a forum that assists the students of the college to develop their faculties of rational thinking, articulation, presentation of arguments and moreover strives to inculcate in each of the students, the spirit of professionalism, leadership and a strong desire for acquiring legal knowledge.

The prime aim of Moot Court Society is to inculcate and train the young budding advocates with the skills of oration, legal insight and professionalism. The Moot Court society holds multiple activities including the prestigious National Moot Court Competitions, which is acclaimed to be one of the top level moot court events in India, known for organization, competitiveness, efficiency and hospitability.


The Society has the following objectives

1. To conduct Moot Courts at class levels.

2. To organize Inter-Collegiate, Inter- University, State and National level Moot courts.

3. To participate in Moot Courts at Inter-Collegiate, Inter- University, State & National level Moot Courts.

4. To reimburse expenses incurred for various above-mentioned activities.


Membership

Every student who seeks admission is expected to be a member of this society. The membership fees are INR 300.00 per year.


Selection Moot Court

The Moot Court Society holds a selection moot court every year to select the students who are eligible to represent the College in the various National and International Moot Court Competitions. From the panel of selected students, the faculty in charge in consultation with the Principal and other faculty members decide the team of students to participate in specific competitions. Intensive training is given to students who are assigned for Moot Court Competitions. They are trained in memorial preparation, research methodology and are compulsorily required to present practice moots (Mock Moot) before the subject faculty.


Events 2009-10

Selection Moot Court : It was conducted to select the college team to participate in the various National Moot Court Competitions. A team of 30 students were selected after the selection process.

Compulsory Moot Court : It was conducted twice this year for the students of Second year Degree, Third Year Degree, Third Year Hons, Fourth Year Hons and Final Year Hons.

Ad- Lib Moot : V.M. Salgaocar College of Law, the pioneer of the Law Fest Competition at the National Level was the pioneer yet again, with another unique event. In 2009, the College organized a National Level Ad-Lib Moot (Extempore Moot Court Competition). This Moot, being ad-lib, the participants were given the moot problem after orientation on the day of their arrival. Participants had to do research on the problem with available resources at the College. Participants were previously informed of the area of the problem, which enabled them to bring whatever information or material relevant to the area of the Moot. Ad Lib Moot 2009 was based on a problem centered on Procreation rights in the light of Arts.14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

Facilities for research like standard reference books on the relevant topics, Journals and Bare Acts, were made available in the library, which functioned 12-15 hrs a day. Xerox facility as well as printer facility was also made available to the participants on payment of nominal charges. Organizers also provided a computer with internet facility to each team excusively, with Manupatra e-journal and a CD consisting of basic research material relating to the subject matter of the problem. Where the teams brought their own laptops, College provided LAN facility for internet use. Details of library rules and regulations in order to ensure equitable availability of facilities to all the participating teams will be informed during orientation

Ad Lib Moot was one of the events in Lex Novitas, which itself is a unique National Competition for law students aimed to bring out the originality and lawyering skills in the students. Other than ‘Ad Lib Moot’, Lex Novitas comprised of two other innovative events, namely, ‘Getting Yes’, which was a negotiation competition and ‘Lend a Lawyer’, a Client Counselling Competition.

Following the success of Lex Novitas 2009, the College again held the mega event, Lex Novitas 2010, in the same style. Ad Lib Moot 2010 had as its problem theme, right to profession under Art.19(1)(g) along with right to education under Art.21 of the Constitution.


Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Constitution of India

The Moot Court Society, in 2009-2010 also decided to organize events other than actual Moot Court. This manifested in the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India, on 26th November 2009. The Members of the Moot Court Society along with the members of the Constitutional Law Club held an excellent display of the glory of the Constitution by paying tribute to the Constituent Assembly and its members, as well as the great judges, judgments and lawyers who built our Constitution in the present form. The highlight of this event was the depiction of historic moments in the making of the Constitution. A team of students presented the excerpts from the Debates in the Constituent Assembly which took place on 6th December 1948 and on 13th December 1948, which were on Article 21 of the Constitution (Draft Article 15).


Law Competitions organized by the College

The XIV All India Bar Council of India Trust Moot Court Competition, 1997

The Law Fest 2002 - 2007

Human Rights Moot Court 2008

Lex Novitas 2009

Lex Novitas 2010


JURICRIT - “A Judgment Critique Competition”

The present day legal professional has to possess various professional skills in order to be an effective constituent of the legal fraternity. Out of the various skills, developing an analytical mind is the most important requirement for a legal professional. A true legal professional is expected to have a free and critical mind, which looks at everything with an element of reservation, putting it to test before signifying acceptance. It is strongly believed that every issue affecting the society or an individual has two views. The popular view is accepted, but the other equally valid view is deposited in the darkness of the dormant mind and gradually lost forever. The blocking of the mind involves the threat of accepting things as they are, leading to the stagnation of the system.

It is this analytical proficiency of the Law students which is sought to be encouraged through a National Level Judgment Critique Competition for the Law Colleges. The participants are required to submit a critique on a specified judgment given by the Court.