3rd Prof NR Madhava Menon SAARC Mooting Competition Held at Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida

The 3rd Prof NR Madhava Menon SAARC Mooting Competition, India Rounds, was held by Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida from Friday to Sunday (October 27 to 29).

The competition was organised under the technical support of Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy (MILAT), Thiruvananthapuram, and Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF). Forty teams from top law schools, colleges and universities in India competed in the three-day competition.

Supreme Court judge Justice Deepak Gupta, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the moot competition. Padmashree Prof (Dr) NR Madhava Menon, IBA Chair on Continuing Legal Education, NLSIU, Bengaluru, was as the guest of honour. The dignitaries were Manohar Thairani, president, Lloyd Law College; R Venkatramani, senior advocate, Supreme Court; Prof (Dr) S Sivakumar, member, Law Commission of India and Honorary SAARC Mooting Administrator, and Dr Lisa P Lukose, Associate Prof GGSIP University, New Delhi, and National Administrator-India.

Justice Deepak Gupta, in his address, referred to Prof Madhava Menon as the ‘Bhismapitamah’ of legal education. Recalling his days at Delhi University, he regretted that he was not taught by Prof Menon. He appreciated the mooting competition as a good training for young lawyers. He said winning a case is not as important as being a good human being. To the young lawyers, he said, ‘Law for me is thirst for knowledge which never ends, it is the quest for knowledge which is always expanding.’ He also said the Preamble is the heart and soul of the Constitution and ‘whenever I have any doubt deciding a case, I read, re-read and again re-read the Preamble and I get my answer’.

Prof Menon's words were a reflection of his personality and experience. He said many changes have taken place over the 70 years in legal education. He recalled that during his time, only litigation was a choice for lawyers, but today lawyers are helping in accelerating economic growth of the country. They are also part of bringing social change. He suggested that there should be community lawyers who may help in bringing justice to the rural and tribal parts of the country. His words of advice to the young, to-be lawyers was that their life should be devoted to the study of law as it is these young people who would make India a superpower.

At the end of the three-day competition, five teams will qualify to compete with teams from other SAARC countries for the SAARC round. The SAARC round of the competition will take place on February 16 to 19.