NLU Jodhpur Organises Inter-University Human Rights Public Interest Litigation Competition
The 1st edition of the NLUJ Inter-University Human Rights Public Interest Litigation Competition was organised by the Legal Aid and Awareness Committee (LAAC) and the Centre for Litigation Studies (CliS) from 11th-13th August at National Law University Jodhpur. The aim of the competition was to spread awareness amongst law students about the process of drafting, filing and, arguing a Public Interest Litigation before a court of law. This was a one-of-a-kind competition, focused on the study of Constitutional law, and the proposition also dealt with the contemporary issue of Refugees’ Human Rights.
The event was held in collaboration with the Migration & Asylum Project (M.A.P), Manupatra and Independent Thought.
The event saw teams from 20+ eminent law schools all across India participating. They were required to collect real-life evidence, analyse data from pre-existing reports and empirical research, and support it with their holistic inputs and suggestions, all culminating in the drafting of a PIL. This was followed by the teams arguing before a panel of esteemed legal professionals, which ranged from advocates of the Rajasthan High Court to Senior Advocates of the Supreme Court. The panel for the finals consisted of the judge of Rajasthan High Court, Justice Nupur Bhati. The participants were given the opportunity to delve deep into procedural law, and the intricacies of human rights given to non-citizens.
The event was preceded by a “PIL Drafting workshop” to aid the participants and also included a ‘Networking Dinner’ hosted by the organisers to enable the judges and teams to build connections with each other. Overall, it was a successful first edition, which proved to be an enriching experience for both the organisers and the participants.