Nyayakarta 1st Edition: Event Success Report

The Pro Bono Club at NLUO organised the inaugural edition of Nyayakarta,a flagship event by the esteemed forum, which was a huge success. It brought together law students from across the country for a meaningful exploration of public interest law and advocacy through two major competitions: the PIL Drafting Competition and the Devil’s Advocate Competition. Both competitions highlighted participants’ abilities to critically analyze and advocate on pressing legal issues.

Event Overview

With over 25 participants, Nyayakarta included 12 participants in the PIL Drafting Competition and 13 participants in the Devil’s Advocate Competition, showcasing the skill and knowledge of aspiring law professionals.

i. Competitions

PIL Drafting Competition: Participants engaged in drafting Public Interest Litigations (PILs) on complex issues involving Competition and Constitutional Law, centered around public health concerns. This event encouraged students to develop legal solutions focused on public welfare.

Devil’s Advocate Competition: This three-stage event tested participants’ persuasive advocacy skills as they argued against established legal principles in landmark rulings. The rounds covered recent judgments on the POCSO Act, Constitutional matters in mining law, and arbitration award modifications. The participants amused everyone through their proficiency in legal concepts  and commendable inferences and arguments.

ii. Position Holders

1. Devil’s Advocate Competition:

Winner: Ananya K (Presidency University, Bangalore)

Runner-Up: Anvesha Singh (Symbiosis Law School, Noida)

2. PIL Drafting Competition:

Winner: Subham Sourav (NUSRL, Ranchi)

Runner-Up: Akankshya Mohapatra (Symbiosis Law School, Noida)

iii. Judges

The event was honored by esteemed legal professionals who served as judges:

PIL Drafting Competition: Ms. Satabdi Samantaray, Advocate at the High Court of Orissa.

Devil’s Advocate Competition:

Preliminary Rounds: Mr. Anish Ankur Mishra, Advocate at the High Court of Orissa and Mr. Ashutosh Mahanta, Advocate at the High Court of Orissa.

Semi-Final Rounds: Senior Advocate Mr. Madhusudan Jena, Retd. DGM MMTC Associate, Office of Retd. CJ Indrajit Mohanty [MALLP]

Final Rounds: Mr. Prafulla Goyal, Principal Associate at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, and Mr. Piyush Sharma, Senior Associate at Karanjawala & Co.

The 1st edition of Nyayakarta was a resounding success, providing students with a platform to engage in high-level legal discourse. The event concluded with the distribution of certificates to the winners and participants, marking an encouraging step in fostering future legal talent.