THE TAMIL NADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN LAW CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA PRESENTS TO YOU

Transcription

1 THE TAMIL NADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN LAW CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA PRESENTS TO YOU THE 9 TH PRO BONO ENVIRO NATIONAL MOOT COURT COMPETITION, TH OCTOBER, ST NOVEMBER, 2015

2 CONTENTS 1. OFFICIAL INVITE 3 2. MOOT PROPOSITION 4 3. RULES & REGULATIONS 9 ANNEXURE I - REGISTRATION FORM 22 ANNEXURE II - TRAVEL FORM TENTATIVE SCHEDULE ORGANISING COMMITTEE 27 2

3 OFFICIAL INVITE We warmly welcome you to the 9 th Edition of the Pro Bono Enviro National Moot Court Competition, It is the flagship event for our Institution and we aim towards only object getting better by the year. The Moot is based on domestic Environmental Law and is intended to create awareness among the student body regarding pressing environmental issues. Year after year the competition has witnessed an overwhelming response from various Universities and Colleges throughout India and this year too, we promise an exciting weekend of debate, discussion and display of legal acumen. The Competition this year will see sitting Judges of the Madras High Court, and Advocates and Specialists in the field that will ensure that the Rounds are judged with even more vigor and enthusiasm than the past years of Pro Bono. The last edition was a grand success. This year with the constitution of an even more enthusiastic Organising Committee we promise for it to only be better. The previous year, more than 30 law institutions from different parts of India participated in the Moot, and we expect this number to only increase this year. The 9 th Pro Bono Enviro National Moot Court Competition, 2015 is scheduled from 30 th October 1 st November, The Moot Court Association of School of Excellence in Law, Chennai cordially invites your prestigious institution to participate in the same. We look forward to seeing you this October! With Regards, The Organising Committee 3

4 MOOT PROPOSITION 1 1. The Republic of Minas Tirith is the world s third most populous country with a population of more than 1.1 billion. It is located centrally on Earth with everything a nation could ask for from nature. The country is rich in mineral ores which include magnetite, steel, coal and magnate. The country has an area of 3,287,590 sq. km. Minas Tirith has signed all the major international conventions and treaties relating to environmental law until the present date but has ratified only those conventions and treaties that were entered into until the completion of the year Natural resources are found throughout the country at varied levels. In the State of East Pradesh which has a coastline of 1,000 km, the natural resources including iron ore and coal are found in abundance. This is the largest State in the country and is located on the eastern coast. Around 40% of the State s population consists of tribal people who have been living in the forests and other parts of the State since time immemorial. The State s oldest literary work called Eastory speaks about this tribal population with great importance. This is dated to be at least 3,000 years old. The main occupation of the tribal people is agriculture and hunting in the forest region, and handicrafts and handiworks in the neighboring city. Mr. Gandalf is the leader of the tribal people who have always fought for their rights and upliftment. 3. The Central Government of the Republic of Minas Tirith was elected through the general elections in May The main agenda of the Government was to increase the economic development and provide job opportunities. True to its word, the Government has taken several measures to bring in foreign investment and develop several public and private sector areas including mining. The Government decided to lease out the mines to increase its GDP and industrial growth. This also ensures that the Government has acquired enough iron for military purposes, in which the country is lacking. There is an economic depression throughout the world and the country needs to keep itself afloat in the sinking world market. With the approval of the Cabinet, the Government has notified the New Mining Deal, 2015 which is its master plan on mining. Subsequent to the plan, it had auctioned iron mines in blocks to several foreign mining 1 The Moot Proposition has been drafted by Mr. Diwaagar R.S., currently a Legal Intern at the City of New York Business Integrity Commission, New York and an alumnus of School of Excellence in Law, Chennai (2012). Any attempts to contact him shall result in immediate disqualification of the participating team. 4

5 giants. Considering the importance of the country and its ores, the mining ores auctioned earned 200% more than the expected rate and was a huge profit for the country. The auction was won by M/s. Marvolo Miners Inc. The mining work commenced on June 1 st, The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) gave the clearance for mining activities. However, as commonly known, it is not without corruption. The MoEF followed procedural requirements and all the required assessments were carried out before granting the license. The State of East Pradesh was not consulted in the entire process by the Central Government or by the Company. There was no assessment by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Agency (SEIAA) or by the Pollution Control Board (PCB). At this point in time the Government in the State of East Pradesh belonged to the same party as that of Central Government. The State Government raised no issues about it. The Chief Minister participated in the opening ceremony of the mining activities and thanked the Central Government for its quicker implementation. 5. Marvolo is a world leader in mining from a western country called District 12. They mine in more than 25 countries. In about 13 countries they have been accused of violating their licenses. They have also been alleged of being responsible for careless mining and displacement of the tribal people in those countries. All of these are strong allegations but have never been proved. They admitted at some instances to have used inferior technology and methods in mining than the advanced one available. 6. In East Pradesh, Marvolo s license was restricted to iron blocks A, B and C. There are other blocks D, E and F which were not licensed and were to be left untouched. It is believed that mining these unlicensed blocks may cause a huge environmental hazard to the local population and also affect the existence of the forest. The mining in the blocks A, B and C was also permitted only upto a depth of 100 feet. The major concentration of the tribal people is in and around these mines. There is a huge forest known as The Burrow which covers half of the mine and runs beyond the boundary of the State. This is the greatest forest reserve the State and the country have. It houses several precious animals which are on the verge of extinction. Seasonal birds are known to migrate here from foreign countries. There is also a river running along the outer edge and within The Burrow which is the only source of clean water to the whole State. 5

6 7. Marvolo mined in blocks A, B and D. They left C untouched. This was only identified by a news reporter s secret investigation. The report further alleged that they have mined more than 125 feet in the said blocks. This created a huge controversy in the State. Meanwhile, it was observed that the tigers in the forest had reduced by 20% in the last 2 months and that the migratory birds which were to arrive in the particular season were not seen. There were only 10% of the regularly visiting migratory birds. The river water was polluted with all the mining wastes which could have been avoided if a better technology had been used. The tribal people started relocating as their habitat was now changed. There was increase in air pollution and soil erosion. More importantly thousands of workers and other people who visited the area started intruding into the peaceful living of the tribal people. Deforestation of a huge area of the forest was also seen. However, the deforestation is expected to have happened during mining activities and was not against the licenses. The new reports are unclear if these were the results of alleged illegal mining in block D. 8. The matter was discussed politically. Mr. Percival Brian who was an independent candidate campaigning for the elections filed a PIL before the High Court of East Pradesh against the whole mining activity and sought a criminal case against Marvolo for violations. The Court had doubts on the locus standi and the jurisdiction for the PIL. However, the court ordered SEIAA to conduct an investigation and file a report of the status. 9. The SEIAA took only 2 days to investigate and held a press conference wherein it was informed that more than 100 feet was mined. Block D was mined violating the license and its investigation was not sufficient to see if the block D mining resulted in environmental changes. It also categorically announced that the license should not have been granted to any of these mining blocks as they critically affect the tribal population and the environment. The Agency also conceded that an environmental impact assessment before the beginning of license would have prevented such problems. However, this report was not filed in the appropriate High Court as it was a weekend. 6

7 10. Looking at the increased trouble that had been caused, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) convened a forum on Saturday night and granted a suo motu injunction against any further mining and ordered the mine to be sealed until further orders. 11. Aggrieved by this and the High Court PIL, Marvolo decided to approach the Supreme Court of Minas Tirith. It raised the following issues: a. The NGT does not have suo motu powers and hence its orders are unconstitutional. b. The PIL petitioner has a vested interest and he is expected to contest in the elections. Hence he does not have the locus standi to file a PIL. c. A criminal case registration cannot be initiated through a PIL. 12. The Supreme Court found this matter to be of great importance and decided to take the main case and decide it with finality. It had thus transferred all the cases to the Supreme Court for a special hearing and the final hearing has been posted for November 1 st, It has sought the parties to address the following issues: a. Whether the NGT has suo motu powers? b. Whether there was a criminal violation of mining license and whether it caused the environmental degradation? [If there are criminal violations, the Court is interested in hearing which legislations have been violated and it also would like to hear arguments to see if these violations are criminal or merely contractual in nature] c. Whether the mining in the area is against environmental safety and violates the rights of the tribal people? [The Court wishes to hear scientific arguments on the validity and impact of the New Mining Deal, 2015 permitting a license in the area] 13. After passing the orders, in the evening the Supreme Court gave the following notification: It is hereby ordered that the Petitioners shall be M/s. Marvolo Mining Company and the Central Government of the Republic of Minas Tirith. The Respondents shall be the State of East Pradesh represented by the SEIAA, Mr. Percival Brian. If any of the parties 7

8 contest their addition or wish to add an extra party they shall contest the same during the arguments. NOTE: i. The political structure, legal system and legislation of the Republic of Minas Tirith are in pari materia with that of the Republic of India. ii. The list of issues is merely illustrative. Parties may feel free to construct their own issues and present arguments for the same which may enable the Supreme Court to render a final and binding decision. iii. The judgments of any Indian Court may have persuasive value. The judgments delivered by 3 judges or higher of the Supreme Court of India shall be binding. DISCLAIMER: The material in the Moot Proposition is not intended to and does not attempt to resemble any incident or any person living or dead. All material in the problem is fictitious and any resemblance to any incident or person, if any, is not intended, but merely co-incidental. 8

9 RULES & REGULATIONS 1. GENERAL RULES 1.1 DATE & VENUE OF THE COMPETITION: The 9 th Pro Bono Enviro National Moot Court Competition, 2015 will be held from October 30 th, 2015 to November 1 st, 2015 at the School of Excellence in Law, The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai TEAM ELIGIBILITY & TEAM COMPOSITION: a. Participation is strictly restricted to bona fide law students enrolled in the three year or five year LL.B. or B.L. degree course in any institution in India. b. Only one team is permitted to participate from each provisionally registered institution. c. Each team shall comprise of a minimum of two and a maximum of three members. In a team consisting of two members, each of the members shall be designated as Speaker. In a team consisting of three members, two of the members shall be designated as Speaker and the third member shall be designated as Researcher. 1.3 REGISTRATION PROCEDURE: a. Provisional Registration of the participating institutions shall be sent by to probonoenviro2015@gmail.com on or before 30 th September, 2015, 11:59 PM. There is a team cap of 30. The registration of the institutions will take place entirely on firstcome-first-serve basis. b. Upon receipt of an confirming provisional registration from the Organising Committee, participants shall complete the Registration Formalities in two steps: i. Participants shall the duly filled and signed Soft Copy (scanned copy) of the Registration Form (Annexure-I) as well as the scanned copy of the Demand Draft for Rs. 3,500/- to probonoenviro2015@gmail.com on or before 6 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM. The Demand Draft shall be drawn in favour of The Registrar, The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai , payable at Chennai. 9

10 ii. The Hard Copy of the said Registration Form and the original Demand Draft shall reach the Organising Committee on or before 9 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM via Speed Post or Courier. The address for correspondence is as specified in Rule 9.1. c. Upon completion of the above steps, the duly filled Travel Form (Annexure-II) is to be e- mailed to probonoenviro2015@gmail.com on or before 12 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM. d. Teams that have completed Registration in accordance with the above shall be assigned a Team Code on or before 13 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM. Henceforth, all correspondence to the Organising Committee shall specify only the Team Code. e. No alteration in the Team Composition shall be permitted after the receipt of the Registration Form, except at the sole discretion of the Organising Committee. 1.4 DRESS CODE: a. Participants shall be appropriately attired for the rounds of the competition. Robes and collar bands are not permitted. b. The Dress Code for the Inauguration, Researcher s Test, Oral Rounds and Valedictory & Prize Distribution shall strictly be: i. For Gentlemen - Western Formals (White formal shirt with black formal pants and a black blazer); and ii. For Ladies - Western Formals (White formal shirt with black formal pants/black formal skirt and a black blazer) or Indian Formals (white kurta with black pants and either a black waistcoat or black blazer). c. On other occasions while on campus, participants may wear casuals or formals at their convenience. 2. CLARIFICATIONS Clarifications to the Moot Proposition and the Rules regarding submission of the Memorandum shall be sought by sending an to probonoenviro2015@gmail.com on or before 15 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM. Clarifications sent after this date shall not be entertained at any cost. The List of Clarifications shall be released on 18 th October,

11 3. MEMORANDUM/WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS 3.1 SUBMISSION OF MEMORANDUM: a. Participants are required to submit Memorandum or Written Submissions for both the Petitioner and the Respondent. b. Teams shall two Soft Copies each of the Memorandums, in PDF and Microsoft Word formats, i.e. four (4) separate file attachments, titled Team CodeP and Team CodeR for the Petitioner and Respondent respectively, on or before 23 rd October, 2015, 11:59 PM to For example, if the assigned team code is 21, the team shall title the Memorandums as 21P and 21R respectively. The Soft Copy should be compatible with at least Microsoft Word Late submission shall attract penalties in accordance with Rule 3.3. c. Only the Team Code shall be specified on the Memorandum. Any reference to the participating institution/college/university shall result in immediate disqualification. d. Teams shall send One (1) Hard Copy each of the Petitioner and Respondent Memorandums on or before 26 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM via Speed Post or Courier to the address mentioned in Rule 9.1. Late submission shall attract penalties in accordance with Rule 3.3. On mailing the Hard Copy, participants are requested to providing the relevant Tracking ID or Tracing Consignment Number of the Speed Post or Courier service. e. No amendment to the memorandum shall be permitted after submission of the soft copies. Variation found in the Hard Copy shall be penalised in accordance with Rule 3.3. f. The last date for sending the Hard Copy of the Memorandum with penalties is 28 th October, 2015, 11:59 PM beyond which the same shall not be accepted at any cost. Teams not submitting the Hard Copy by the aforesaid date may be listed last for the purpose of determination of fixtures for the Preliminary Rounds and the Memorandum Score shall not be added to the Oral Rounds Score for the Total Score in the Preliminary Rounds. Teams must note that the Memorandum Score shall not be considered even if the Soft Copy has been ed but the Hard Copy has not been received by the Organising Committee on the abovementioned date. Exceptions may be made at the sole discretion of the Organising Committee. 11

12 g. Six (6) Hard Copies of each of the Petitioner and Respondent Memorandums shall be submitted during the Team Registration on 30 th October, h. Participants are advised to carry additional copies of their Memorandum for their own use. Copies submitted to the Organising Committee shall be used for the evaluation of the Memorandum, for the Exchange of Memorandum and for the Judges Bench for each of the Oral Rounds. i. The Organising Committee reserves the right to use the memorandum submitted by the participating teams, as it deems appropriate. The memorandum submitted shall not be returned to the participants. 3.2 CONTENTS OF THE MEMORANDUM: a. Each Memorandum shall contain at least the following sections: i. Cover Page (shall include Year of the Competition, Cause Title, Forum/Court, designation as Petitioner or Respondent Memo, Team Code on the top right corner - e.g. 21P or 21R) ii. Table of Contents iii. Index of Authorities iv. Statement of Jurisdiction (strictly restrict to 1 page) v. Summary/Statement of Facts (strictly restrict to 1 page; argumentative Statement of Facts shall be penalised) vi. Issues Raised/Questions Presented vii. Summary of Arguments/Pleadings viii. Arguments Advanced/Written Pleadings (strictly restrict to 20 pages or less) ix. Prayer b. The following content specifications shall be strictly adhered to: Language: English Body Font & Size: Times New Roman, 12; Line Spacing: 1.5 [The spacing need not be followed for the Cover Page, any Tabular Column, Header or Footer] Footnotes Font & Size: Times New Roman, 10; Line Spacing: 1.0; Paragraph Spacing: None; No additional space between footnotes 12

13 Alignment (Body & Footnotes): Justified Margin: 1 inch on all 4 sides Citation Method: The Bluebook, A Uniform System of Citation, Harvard Law Review, 19 th edition Substantive Footnoting is strictly prohibited. c. The following printing specifications shall be strictly adhered to: i. The Cover Page shall be: Blue for Petitioner Memorandum Red for Respondent Memorandum ii. Only white A4 sized paper shall be used for all other pages. Use of recycled papers is encouraged. iii. The Memorandums shall be printed on both sides. Each side shall be counted as one page. iv. The Memorandums shall be staple bound with two/three staples on the left margin. No other form of binding shall be accepted. The use of plastic/cellophane sheets or films shall attract penalties. v. The Memorandums shall not contain any Annexures/Appendices, Photographs, Sketches, Exhibits, Affidavits, etc. 3.3 EVALUATION OF THE MEMORANDUM: a. Each Memorandum shall be marked on a total of 100 points. The Memorandum Score added to the Oral Rounds Score during the Preliminary Rounds shall be for the respective Round, i.e. the Petitioner Memorandum Score shall be added to the Oral Score while arguing for the Petitioner and the Respondent Memorandum Score shall be added to the Oral Score while arguing for the Respondent. b. The Best Memorandum Award shall be given to the team with the highest aggregate score out of 200 for both the Memorandums. c. The Memorandum will be evaluated by a separate panel of judges who will not Judge in the Oral Rounds. d. The Memorandum Score will be used in determining the fixtures for the Preliminary Rounds in accordance with Rule

14 e. The following shall be the judging criteria: Knowledge of law & depth of research 20 Use of authority/precedents 20 Incorporation of facts into the arguments 10 Interpretation of applicable law 10 Clarity of thought and organisation of arguments 15 Style of Presentation 10 Originality 10 Relief sought 5 f. Penalties shall be attracted in the following manner: VIOLATION Late Submission - Soft Copy Late Submission - Hard Copy Any violation under Rule 3.2 (a.) Any violation under Rule 3.2 (b.) Any violation under Rule 3.2 (c.) Variation in content between Soft Copy and Hard Copy Violation of Anonymity PENALTY 1 point per day per Memo 2 points per day per Memo 1 point for each violation under the Rule 0.5 point for each violation under the Rule 1 point for each violation under the Rule 0.5 point for each variation Disqualification 4. ORAL ROUNDS 4.1 GENERAL PROCEDURE: a. Teams are requested to bring their appropriate institution ID cards along with the six (6) hard copies of the Memorandums for each side to be submitted during the formal registration on 30 th October, b. The language to be used during the Rounds is English. c. The Competition shall consist of the following rounds: i. Preliminary Rounds; and ii. Advanced Rounds: 14

15 (i) Quarter-finals, (ii) Semi-finals, (iii)finals. d. During each of the abovementioned rounds, the order in which the teams shall present their arguments is as follows: i. Petitioner Speaker 1 ii. Petitioner Speaker 2 iii. Respondent Speaker 1 iv. Respondent Speaker 2 v. Rebuttal: Petitioner - Any one of the two Speakers vi. Sur-rebuttal: Respondent - Any one of the two Speakers Sur-rebuttal may be permitted only at the discretion of the Judges. e. The Best Speaker Award shall be determined on the basis of the individual aggregate score of the Speaker taken only from the Preliminary Rounds. f. The Researcher shall not be permitted to address the Court during the Oral Rounds. The Researcher may however, be permitted to pass notes to the Speakers at the discretion of the Judges. g. Teams are not permitted to raise issues in the Oral Rounds that have not been submitted in the Memorandum. h. The use of mobile phones, laptops, or any other electronic gadgets is strictly prohibited during the Oral Rounds. i. Participants may use their own bare acts, print outs and commentaries provided that anonymity is not violated during the Rounds. j. The decision of the Judges as to the marks allotted to each team shall be final. k. So as to ensure uniformity in the marking system all Judges will be provided with a scoring guideline. 4.2 SPLITTING OF TIME BETWEEN SPEAKERS: a. Teams shall notify the Bench Clerks of the division of time between the 2 Speakers (including time reserved for Rebuttal & Sur-rebuttal) 10 minutes prior to the commencement of the Rounds. 15

16 b. If Speaker 1 exceeds his/her reserved time, the additional time taken shall be deducted from the time reserved by Speaker 2. Similarly, if Speaker 2 exceeds his/her reserved time, the additional time taken shall be deducted from the time reserved for Rebuttals/Sur-Rebuttals as the case may be. This rule may not be followed if the additional time is awarded at the discretion of the Judges to not be deducted from the time of the subsequent Speaker. c. While granting additional time, if the additional number of minutes granted is not specified by the Judges, it shall be presumed that the additional time granted is 2 minutes. d. The finality of the decision as to the time structure and the right to Rebut or Sur-rebut shall vest with the Judges. 4.3 COMPENDIUM: a. All relevant case laws and statutory material to be passed on to the Judges during the Oral Rounds may be submitted in the form of a Compendium 10 minutes prior to the commencement of the Rounds to the Bench Clerks. b. The Compendium shall not exceed 50 pages whether printed on one side or both sides. For this purpose, each side shall be considered as one page. c. Participants are also permitted to pass on relevant material to the Judges, at their discretion, any time after the commencement of the Rounds and before its completion. d. The Compendium or other relevant materials shall be returned to the participants after the completion of each Round. e. Participants shall ensure that anonymity is not violated while passing on any material to the Judges. If any mark, name, seal, symbol or logo of the institution/college/university is present, participants must ensure that the same is rendered unrecognisable. 4.4 EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDUM: a. The exchange of memorandum shall take place prior to each Oral Round as planned in the Tentative Schedule. b. Teams are prohibited from making any marks on the memorandum thus exchanged. Teams are also prohibited from taking photocopies of such memorandums. 16

17 c. The opponent s memorandum shall be returned to the Bench Clerks after the completion of each Round. 4.5 PRELIMINARY ROUNDS: a. Every team shall argue twice in the Preliminary Rounds, once for the Petitioner and once for the Respondent. b. No two teams shall face each other more than once in the Preliminary Rounds. c. The fixtures for the Preliminary Rounds will be based on dynamic seeding or power matching. The top eight (8) teams based on the Memorandum Score will not face each other during the Preliminary Rounds. d. Each side shall get a maximum time of 30 minutes to present their arguments of which no Speaker shall be permitted to address the Court for more than 18 minutes. The time limit is inclusive of the time for Rebuttal or Sur-rebuttal respectively. The maximum time for Rebuttal is 2 minutes and the maximum time for Sur-rebuttal is 1 minute. e. The Total Score of the Preliminary Rounds shall be a combined score of the Memorandum Score as well as the Oral Rounds Score. f. The top eight (8) teams from the Preliminary Rounds shall advance to the Quarter-finals. g. The top eight teams shall qualify on the basis of the maximum number of wins per team. In the event of a tie, the aggregate score of the team shall be considered. 4.6 ADVANCED ROUNDS: a. Every team shall argue once in each of the Advanced Rounds. b. The side to be argued shall be determined on a Pick of Lots. c. The qualification of teams to subsequent rounds shall be on a knock-out basis for each of the Advanced Rounds. In the event of a tie, the aggregate score of the team shall be considered. d. The Memorandum Score shall not be considered for any of the Advanced Rounds QUARTER-FINALS i. The maximum time for arguments per side shall be the same as in the Preliminary Rounds. 17

18 ii. The top four (4) teams from the Quarter-finals shall advance to the Semi-finals SEMI-FINALS i. Each side shall get a maximum time of 45 minutes to present their arguments of which no Speaker shall be permitted to address the Court for more than 25 minutes. The time limit is inclusive of the time for Rebuttal or Sur-rebuttal respectively. The maximum time for Rebuttal is 5 minutes and the maximum time for Sur-rebuttal is 2 minutes. ii. The top two (2) teams from the Semi-finals shall advance to the Finals FINALS i. The maximum time for arguments per side shall be the same as in the Semifinals. ii. The winner of the Final Round shall be declared the Winner of the Competition. iii. The Best Speaker in the Finals shall be determined based on the individual scores of the Speakers in the Finals. 4.7 SCOUTING: a. Scouting is strictly prohibited. b. Any person may submit a complaint regarding Scouting to the Organising Committee. c. Teams found scouting shall be disqualified immediately. 4.8 DELAYS IN APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION: If a team scheduled to take part in a Round does not appear within 10 minutes of the scheduled time, the other team present shall be allowed to submit ex-parte. 5. RESEARCHER S TEST a. The Researcher s Test shall be conducted on the 30 th of October, 2015 as per the Tentative Schedule. 18

19 b. In a team consisting of three members, the member designated as Researcher shall take part in the test. In a team consisting of two members, one of the two Speakers shall take part in the test. c. Participants are requested to write only the Team Code on the question paper. d. The Researcher s Test shall be in the format of Multiple Choice Questions with the questions based on the applicable law, precedents and facts pertaining to the Moot Proposition. e. The duration of the Researcher s Test shall be 45 minutes. f. No additional material such as the bare text of Acts, Memorandum, etc. apart from stationery may be brought by the participant to the test and no such material shall be provided by the Organising Committee. g. The Winner of the Test shall be determined by the highest score attained and negative marking shall not be given while evaluating. 6. AWARDS The following Awards shall be given away during the Valedictory & Prize Distribution: Winner of the Competition: Cash Prize and Trophy Runner-up of the Competition: Cash Prize and Trophy Best Memorandum: Cash prize and Trophy Best Speaker: Cash prize and Trophy Best Researcher: Cash Prize and Trophy Best Speaker in the Finals: Cash Prize and Trophy a. All participants of the Competition will be given Certificates. b. All teams shall be present during the Valedictory & Prize Distribution. Certificates will only be given to the teams present during the Valedictory & Prize Distribution. 19

20 7. ACCOMMODATION, TRANSPORT & FOOD: a. Accommodation and transport shall be provided to the participating teams from the morning of 30 th October, 2015 till the morning of 2 nd November, b. Food shall be provided to the teams from the afternoon of 30 th October, 2015 till the night of 1 st November, c. Any specific requirements regarding accommodation must be specified in the Travel Form. Such requirements may be accommodated at the discretion of the Organising Committee. d. Facilities such as photocopying, library usage, internet connectivity, etc. may be provided subject to the convenience of the Organising Committee and will be informed to the teams closer to the commencement of the Competition. Irrespective, participants are requested to make their own arrangements for the same. e. All facilities shall be provided only to the registered members of a team and no additional members, parents, observers, coaches or faculty advisors shall be accommodated at any cost. 8. MISCELLANEOUS 8.1 GENERAL ETIQUETTE: a. Participants are expected to behave in a dignified manner and not to cause any inconvenience to the Organising Committee, the Judges of the Competition or any of the other participants. b. The Organising Committee reserves the right to take appropriate action for any unethical, unprofessional or immoral conduct. 8.2 INTERPRETATION OF RULES & REGULATIONS: a. All interpretations, as well as any waivers, consents or other decisions in the administration of the Competition are at the complete discretion of the Host Institution and the Organising Committee. b. Any decision made by the Host Institution or the Organising Committee shall be final and binding on all participating teams. 20

21 9. CORRESPONDENCE/CONTACT DETAILS 9.1 REGISTRATION FORMALITIES & MEMORANDUM SUBMISSIONS: The physical address for correspondence for all Registration Formalities and Memorandum Submissions is: Organising Committee 9 th Pro Bono Enviro National Moot Court Competition, 2015 Moot Court Association, School of Excellence in Law Poompozhil, No. 5, Dr. D.G.S. Dinakaran Salai Chennai Tamil Nadu, India. 9.2 MOOT PROPOSITION AND RULES & REGULATIONS: Any and all clarifications regarding the Moot Proposition and Rules & Regulations shall be sought only via at the following addresses: probonoenviro2015@gmail.com, cc: mca.soel@gmail.com 9.3 OTHER QUERIES: Any other queries may be directed at the following persons: REGISTRATION HOSPITALITY Vadhana Bhaskar: Salai Varun Isai Azhagan: Ashwathy Nair S.: Ashwin Kumaar M.: Divya Ranjani: T. Shrinikethan: Chindan K.: Bhargavi Kannan: Participants may keep themselves updated by following: Facebook: /timeline/ Website: 21

22 ANNEXURE - I REGISTRATION FORM (Please fill in Capital Letters) INSTITUTION DETAILS NAME OF THE INSTITUTION/COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY: ADDRESS OF THE INSTITUTION/COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY: CONTACT NO.: ID: PARTICIPATING TEAM DETAILS 1. SPEAKER 1 NAME: SEX: YEAR & COURSE OF STUDY: CONTACT NO.: ID: 2. SPEAKER 2 NAME: SEX: YEAR & COURSE OF STUDY: CONTACT NO.: ID: 22

23 3. RESEARCHER NAME: SEX: YEAR & COURSE OF STUDY: CONTACT NO.: ID: PASSPORT SIZE PASSPORT SIZE PASSPORT SIZE PHOTOGRAPH OF PHOTOGRAPH OF PHOTOGRAPH OF SPEAKER 1 SPEAKER 2 RESEARCHER OFFICIAL TEAM CONTACT PERSON (TICK THE APPROPRIATE): SPEAKER 1/SPEAKER 2/RESEARCHER PLACE: DATE: SIGNATURE & SEAL OF THE HEAD OF THE INSTITUTION 23

24 ANNEXURE - II TRAVEL FORM (Please fill in Capital Letters) DETAILS OF ARRIVAL MODE OF TRANSPORT (AIR/RAIL/ROAD): STATION OF ARRIVAL: FLIGHT/TRAIN/BUS NAME & NO.: DATE & TIME OF ARRIVAL: DETAILS OF DEPARTURE MODE OF TRANSPORT (AIR/RAIL/ROAD): STATION OF DEPARTURE: FLIGHT/TRAIN/BUS NAME & NO.: DATE & TIME OF DEPARTURE: ANY OTHER DETAILS CONCERNING ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL: Closest Airport: Chennai International Airport, Domestic Terminal (MAA) Closest Train Stations: Chennai Central Railway Station (MAS); Chennai Egmore Railway Station (MS). There are several drop-off and pick-up points for the Bus service. Specify the relevant one. 24

25 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE DATE TIME EVENT Release of Official Invite, Moot Proposition, Rules & Regulations, and Tentative Schedule REGISTRATION FORMALITIES :59 PM Provisional Registration :59 PM Registration Form & Demand Draft - Soft Copy :59 PM Registration Form & Demand Draft - Hard Copy :59 PM Travel Form Dispatch of Team Codes SUBMISSIONS :59 PM Submission of required Clarifications :59 PM Release of List of Clarifications :59 PM Submission of Memorandum - Soft Copies :59 PM Submission of Memorandum - Hard Copies ORAL ROUNDS Lunch Team Registration Inauguration & Orientation of Participants Release of Fixtures for Preliminary Rounds Exchange of Memorandum for Preliminary Rounds Researcher s Test Dinner Breakfast Preliminary Round 1 Preliminary Round 2 Lunch Results of Preliminary Rounds Draw of Lots & Exchange of Memorandum for Quarter-finals 25

26 Quarter-final Rounds Results of Quarter-final Rounds Draw of Lots & Exchange of Memorandum for Semi-finals Dinner Breakfast Semi-final Rounds Results of Semi-final Rounds Draw of Lots & Exchange of Memorandum for Finals Lunch Final Round Valedictory & Prize Distribution Dinner A more detailed schedule will be provided to the participants on arrival. The above schedule is subject to change by the Organising Committee. Participants will be duly informed if any such changes are made. 26

27 ORGANISING COMMITTEE I. FACULTY CO-ORDINATORS Dr. R. Srinivasan DDE & Chief Co-ordinator Mr. M. Sunil Gladson Assistant Professor Mr. Ranjit Oommen Abraham Assistant Professor Dr. D. Umamaheswari Assistant Professor II. MOOT COURT ASSOCIATION, SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN LAW PRESIDENT Salai Varun Isai Azhagan VICE-PRESIDENT Vadhana Bhaskar SECRETARY ADDITIONAL SECRETARY Anbarasi G. Ashwin Kumaar M. JOINT SECRETARIES Ashwathy Nair S. Ranjana G. Sri Ramya Chindan K. YEAR REPRESENTATIVES T. Shrinikethan Sudharsana Manivannan Divya Ranjani Bhargavi Kannan V. Shathurthi Raja Divya R. Pooja Damodaren III. AD HOC COMMITTEE TO THE MOOT COURT ASSOCIATION FOR THE 9 TH PRO BONO ENVIRO NATIONAL MOOT COURT COMPETITION, 2015 Shloka Narayanan Amritha Sathyajith Anugraha B. Sridhar L. Sruthi T. Poornima Devi Romita Sekar Swadhi Subramaniam Kripa Sankari Saitanya K. 27