Institute Of Law, Nirma University Wins 3rd Justice Hidayatullah International Moot Court Competition, Bags ₹2 Lakh Cash Prize
The Institute of Law, Nirma University, Gandhinagar emerged as the Winner of the 3rd Justice Hidayatullah International Moot Court Competition (HIMCC) 2026, securing the championship trophy along with a cash prize of ₹2,00,000. National Law University, Odisha was declared the Runner-Up, receiving a cash prize of ₹1,50,000.
The competition also recognised outstanding individual and team performances:
Best Speaker: Siya Ganatra, National Law University Odisha
Best Memorial: National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar
Best Researcher: Kanishk Gupta, Karnavati University
The awards were presented during the valedictory ceremony by distinguished guests.
The moot proposition for this year focused on contemporary issues in energy law and climate governance, raising questions relating to energy transition, sustainability, and regulatory governance. The moot problem was drafted by Prof. R. Muralidharan of Manu Associates and Visiting Faculty at HNLU.
Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur hosted the 3rd Justice Hidayatullah International Moot Court Competition (HIMCC) 2026 from March 13–15, 2026, bringing together law schools from across India and abroad for three days of advocacy, research, and courtroom simulation.
The competition witnessed 46 registrations for the memorial rounds, out of which 32 teams were shortlisted for the oral rounds, comprising 95 participants representing institutions from 16 Indian States, two Union Territories, and two foreign nationalities. The rounds were evaluated by 57 judges, supported by 20 faculty volunteers and nearly 390 student volunteers.
Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, R. Venkataramani, Attorney General for India, reflected on the role of mooting in legal education. He observed that the value of such competitions lies beyond the results, emphasising that the process of mooting strengthens research ability, analytical thinking, advocacy skills, and confidence, while encouraging students to approach legal questions creatively in the context of real-world policy challenges.
Prof. Vivekanandan, Vice-Chancellor of HNLU, noted that HIMCC is steadily establishing itself as a leading international moot competition. He highlighted the scale of the event, with 95 participants from 32 teams selected from 46 registrations, evaluated by 57 judges, and a total prize pool of ₹5.5 lakh.
The valedictory and prize distribution ceremony was attended by Prof. (Dr.) Ranbir Singh, Pro-Chancellor, IILM University and Distinguished Jurist Professor at HNLU; Shri P. V. S. Giridhar, Senior Counsel, Madras High Court and Distinguished Jurist Professor at HNLU; Prof. R. Muralidharan, Visiting Professor at HNLU; Prof. Uday Shankar, Professor of Law at IIT Kharagpur; and Prof. Yogendra Kumar Srivastava, Dean (PG), HNLU.
Earlier, Dr. Deepak Kumar Srivastava, Registrar (I/c), HNLU, welcomed the dignitaries and participants, while Dr. Amitesh Deshmukh presented the highlights of the competition.
The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Dr. Mayank Shrivastava, Organising Co-Secretary of HIMCC. The competition was organised under the convenorship of Dr. Anindya Tiwari, Convenor of the Moot Court Committee, along with student volunteers of HNLU.
The event also honoured the participating team from Nepal with a token of appreciation and congratulated the HNLU team that won the India Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, who will represent India at the International Rounds in Washington, D.C.
With another successful edition, the Justice Hidayatullah International Moot Court Competition continues to strengthen HNLU's legacy of fostering advocacy skills, legal research, and academic engagement with contemporary legal issues.