The Nani Palkhivala National Tax Moot Court Competition

NANI A. PALKHIVALA

The Nani Palkhivala Memorial National Tax Moot Court Competition is a fitting tribute to the legendary Shri Nani A. Palkhivala, a connoisseur in Taxation and Constitutional Law, and a man who epitomized the Indian legal system. Law was the life-line of this multifaceted man and with his in-born brilliance, razor sharp intellect and sheer hard work he rose to become one of the most distinguished lawyers of all times.

THE MOOT

The Moot Court Association of Government Law College organizes this Moot in association with the All India Federation of Tax Practitioners and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Bar Association. The Moot has the distinction of being India's first and has long been the only moot in the country that is exclusively based on Taxation Law. Also it is the only moot in the country where law students are provided with the opportunity to argue in the courtrooms of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) itself. These rounds of argument are judged by the Hon'ble Members of the ITAT as well as professional advocates & chartered accountants from the field of tax culminating with the Final Rounds of Argument that is judged by a three-judge bench of sitting judges of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay.

The Competition comprises two (2) Preliminary Rounds of Arguments where each team must argue from each side (Petitioner/Applicant and Respondent). Eight(8) qualifying teams proceed to the Quarter Final Round of Arguments which is a Knock-out Round. This is followed by the Semi Final Rounds of Argument which witnesses the top 4 teams competing against each other which is also a knock out round. The Final Round of Arguments see the top two teams battle it out to win the coveted trophy and cash prize and the title of the winning team.

9th Nani Palkhivala Memorial National Tax Moot Court Competition, 2012
Date: 11th - 13thOctober, 2012
Moot Proposition
Rules of the competition
Schedule
Registration Form

M.C. CHAGLA MEMORIAL GOVERNMENT LAW COLLEGE NATIONAL MOOT COURT COMPETITION

This venerated moot court competition is instituted in the memory of late Mr. M.C.Chagla who was a renowned Indian jurist, diplomat, and Cabinet Minister and who had also served as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. The Moot Court Association of Government Law College in association with the M. C. Chagla Memorial Trust has been hosting the M. C. Chagla Memorial Government Law College State Moot Court Competition for several years. Owing to the overwhelming response that the Moot Court Association has been receiving from law colleges across Maharashtra, the 18th edition of the Competition has been made National and will now witness 14 of the Best Law Schools in the country compete to win the coveted trophy.

The rounds of the competition are judged by eminent professors and practicing lawyers of the Bombay High Court with the Finals being judged by sitting judges of the Bombay High Court. The case study of the competition is based on Constitutional Law.

The competition was held on 14th and 15th January, 2012.

The results of the competition are as below:

Winning Team : ILS Law College, Pune.
2nd Best Team : Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala.
Best Speaker : West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.
2nd Best Speaker : ILS Law College, Pune.
Best Memorial : National Law University, Delhi.

N.B. NAIK MEMORIAL GOVERNMENT LAW COLLEGE STATE MARATHI MOOT COURT COMPETITION

This moot is held in the memory of late Mr. N. B. Naik. This is the only moot in India which is conducted in a regional language-Marathi. The main objective of the moot is to promote lingual and cultural diversity and advocacy in regional languages. Open to law colleges across the state, the competition has been well-received by law colleges in Maharashtra. This competition is currently in its 13th year. The finals of this competition are presided by esteemed judges of the Bombay High Court.

SIR JAMSHEDJI KANGA MEMORIAL GOVERNMENT LAW COLLEGE MOOT COURT COMPETITION

Instituted in the memory of Late Sir Jamshedji Kanga, former judge of the Bombay High Court and Advocate General of Maharashtra, this moot is oldest moots in India. Being the Moot Court Association's first ever moot, this competition occupies a special place in the history Government Law College. The competition has the distinction of having been won in the past by legal eagles like Fali S. Nariman & Shyam Divan, who have contributed to the legal landscape of India. This city level moot is open to all law colleges in Mumbai and is jointly organized by the Rotary and the Moot Court Association together every year in the month of March.

MCA Intra-College Activities

Since its inception in 1954, the Moot Court Association of Government Law College has striven to inculcate and foster the skill of advocacy among its students which is essential to the making of a well-rounded and successful lawyer. In the pursuance of this objective, the Moot Court Association is committed to promote, co-ordinate and encourage the activity of mooting at the Government Law College. The various activities undertaken by the Moot Court Association are:

1. Demonstration Moot & Mooting Workshops

The MCA organizes introductory mooting workshops to acquaint the incoming batch with the concept, style and methodology of mooting. These workshops are inter-spaced by a Demonstration Moot, which is a mock mooting session where senior students argue before a bench of GLC alumni and replicate the scene of a moot court. This familiarizes the first year students with the style, etiquette and manner of mooting. The workshops serve as an effective tool to guide the incoming batch about the terminologies used in moot courts, drafting memorials, manner, style and poise and how to research for a moot. In addition the MCA conducts periodic moot court practice sessions to train students to excel at the art of advocacy.

2. Freshers' Moot and Mock Freshers' Moot

The Freshers' Moot Court Competition is the first of the many t ests that law students are put to in Government Law College. It is a qualifying competition that is mandatory for all students who wish to moot during the tenure of their course. This Competition receives overwhelming participation with more than 150 students from the 5 year and 3 year course. Amongst those who register, 10 qualify to the final rounds of the competition out of which, the top 3 are provided with medals. The Freshers' Moot Court Competition is preceded by a Mock Freshers' Moot which is a pre-run to the actual competition. Here the incoming batch is made to practice in front of senior students who guide & rectify the novice mooters, enabling them to get well-equipped for the Freshers' Moot.

3. Grand Moot Court Competition & The IL (International Law) Grand

Since 1956, the Grand Moot Court Competition has been the most prestigious intra-college moot court competition at GLC. This competition witnesses participation across all the 5 years. Students are segregated into groups on the basis of their respective batches, and the winners of each group qualify for the Grand Ranking Round. In this round, students are ranked based on their performance, and then given an opportunity to represent the college at the most prestigious national moot court competitions. The Ranking Round is judged by senior professors of Government Law College and lawyers of the Bombay High Court. The IL Grand Moot Court Competition is an intra-college moot dedicated to preparing and selecting students for international law based moot court competitions in the country and abroad. The case-study for the Competition is exclusively structured on International Law thus providing the students an opportunity to hone their knowledge on international law and thereby effectively getting them geared for the national and international rounds of the international moots.

4. Moot Mentorship Programme

With a view to assist students participating in inter-collegiate national and international moots, the MCA has introduced the moot mentorship programme, wherein we approach senior and experienced students and alumni of the college, especially those who have been seasoned mooters, to guide the GLC teams. Here the moot mentor merely oversees the preparation, addressing any doubts with respect of the case-study and the structure of their memorials at the same time making sure that teams puts in adequate effort towards the preparation for the moot.

5. Common Eliminations

The MCA further conducts several common eliminations from time to time to select students to represent the college at several city, state, national and international moots that are not covered under the Grand and the IL Grand Moot Court Competitions. This method ensures that all students get a fair and equitable chance in representing GLC in various moots. This also acts as a practice session thus providing students sufficient avenues and opportunities to hone their advocacy skills.

6. Series on Critical Analysis of Landmark Judgments

In addition, the MCA also organizes panel discussions critically analyzing landmark judgments of the higher judiciary. The intention of this series is to educate students about the significance of defining judgments of the High Courts and Supreme Court, and to help them in interpreting its implications. Some of the judgments hotly debated upon include the Supreme Court's verdict of Selvi v/s State of Karnataka, which was moderated by Mr. Gautam Patel, Advocate, Bombay High Court. The panel discussion witnesses participation from students which is moderated by professors & senior lawyers.