Moot Court Society
The Moot Court Society (MCS) is an integral pillar of Xavier Law School's academic and co-curricular landscape, dedicated to advancing advocacy, legal scholarship, and experiential learning. In furtherance of the institution's commitment to excellence in legal education, MCS seeks to bridge academic learning with practical courtroom exposure while fostering a culture of research, intellectual inquiry, and professional integrity.
Committed to nurturing competent and socially conscious legal professionals, MCS provides students with opportunities to develop essential skills in research, drafting, and oral advocacy through moot court competitions, workshops, panel discussions, and engagements with members of the legal fraternity.
Over the years, MCS has cultivated a dynamic mooting culture through its flagship initiatives, including Xav'Judice, the Annual Intra-XLS Moot Court Competition; Xav'Aequitas, the St. Xavier's Moot Court Competition at a national level; Sculpture, the Drafting Competition; and the Surana & Surana St. Xavier's University Technology Law Moot Court Competition, a distinguished national-level competition dedicated to emerging issues at the intersection of law and technology. MCS also regularly organises academic engagements and skill-development programmes aimed at strengthening practical legal understanding.
As it continues to grow, MCS remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering advocacy and legal scholarship while shaping future legal professionals distinguished by excellence, integrity, and service.
The Moot Court Society (MCS) serves as the primary student-led academic body authorized to regulate, promote, and administer all facets of courtroom simulations, legal drafting, and oral advocacy within the Xavier Law School (XLS) ecosystem. The foundational objectives of the Society are defined as follows:
- Skill Development and Mentorship: To equip students with the core skills of the legal profession by organizing practical workshops, legal research sessions, and panel discussions that focus on structural legal writing, critical thinking, and persuasive oral advocacy.
- The Internal Mooting Platform: To organize the Annual Intra-XLS Moot Court Competition, serving as the school's premier internal forum to foster a competitive and dynamic mooting culture among the students.
- Hosting Premier National Competitions: To conceptualize and host high-caliber national platforms that bring together law students from across India, organizing Xav'Aequitas and The Surana & Surana St. Xavier's University Technology Law Moot Court Competition as the flagship national events of the Society.
- Encouraging Diverse Legal Formats: To promote legal skills beyond traditional oral arguments by organizing specialized drafting challenges, specifically through Sculpture, the Flagship Drafting Competition.
- External Team Support and Regulation: To guide, monitor, and support student teams competing in national and international moot court competitions, while overseeing official administrative procedures regarding academic leave, institutional funding, and reimbursements.
- Connecting with the Legal Fraternity: To build strong professional networks by inviting judges, senior advocates, and legal scholars to campus, helping students develop into socially conscious legal professionals who value integrity, excellence, and public service.
The Moot Court Society is organized into distinct tiers of faculty guidance and student leadership to ensure everything runs smoothly, transparently, and efficiently.
Chairperson
The Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., serves as the Ex-officio Chairperson of the Society, holding ultimate executive, advisory, and approving authority.
Convener(s)
Appointed directly by the Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor from the faculty of Xavier Law School, Dr. Animesh Das and Dr. Asif Iqubal Shah, the Convenor and Co-Convenor respectively, handle day-to-day administrative direction, serving as the principal supervisors and the primary bridge between the students and the university administration.
Core Committee
The student leadership is managed by a Core Committee, capped at a maximum of 15 members chosen from the undergraduate law programs. Admission to the committee is strictly merit-based, evaluated through a written Letter of Intent (LOI) that looks at past co-curricular excellence and academic performance, followed by a formal interview.
The internal executive roles within the Core Committee are appointed by the Chairperson and include:
- Secretary: Tanishq Sharma is selected from among the committee members to lead the student executive body.
- Joint Secretaries: Samadrita Banerjee and Sneha Das are chosen to support the Secretary and coordinate different operational wings of the society.
- Treasurer and Joint Treasurer: Kanza Shamim and Parambrata Palit are appointed as the Treasurer and Joint-Treasurer respectively to manage budgetary allocations, maintain accurate accounts, and handle all funding documentation.
- Office Bearers: The remaining ten designated members are tasked with supervising essential department functions, including public relations, research, court management, and hospitality logistics.
Working Committee
To help execute large-scale flagship events, a separate Working Committee is put together based on specific event needs. This committee consists of up to 20 student members from Xavier Law School, operating under the set structural guidelines of the Society.
Surana & Surana and St. Xavier's University Technology Law Moot Court Competition, 2026
From April 16 to 18, 2026, the Moot Court Society, Xavier Law School (XLS) at St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, hosted the "Surana & Surana and St. Xavier's University Technology Law Moot Court Competition". Organised jointly with Surana & Surana International Attorneys and Surana & Surana Academic Initiatives under the aegis of Vice-Chancellor Rev. Dr. Felix Raj, S.J., the event is recognised as the largest Technology Law moot in East India.
The three-day national competition drew an impressive turnout of 20 teams comprising roughly 60 students from premier law schools across India. Participants tackled a complex moot proposition focusing on real-world challenges in technology law, data privacy, and digital ethics.
The event commenced on April 16 with an Inaugural Ceremony attended by Registrar Rev. Dr. Xavier Jeyaraj and Keynote Speaker Hon'ble Justice Dr. Sambuddha Chakrabarti. Two preliminary rounds were held on the opening day, leading into the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final rounds on April 17, which were evaluated by panels of senior advocates, professors, and retired judges. The pinnacle of the competition—the Final Round—was presided over by Hon'ble Justice Shampa Sarkar and Hon'ble Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya of the Calcutta High Court, alongside Supreme Court Advocate Dr. Shantanu Mukherjee.
The event concluded with a prestigious Valedictory Ceremony graced by Chief Guest Hon'ble Justice I.P. Mukerji, Chairperson of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. To celebrate outstanding achievements in research and advocacy, a total cash prize pool of ₹1 lakh was distributed across 16 categories.
In the final standings, Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) emerged as the tournament Winner, demonstrating exceptional legal acumen and also claiming one of the Best Student Advocate awards. Sister Nivedita University secured the Runners-Up position after a commendable performance. Brainware University earned the award for Best Memorial for its meticulously researched written submissions, while Heritage Law College was honored with the 'Spirit of Surana' award.
Ultimately, the event was a resounding success, earning high praise from the judges and dignitaries for its seamless coordination, adherence to timelines, and the meticulous planning executed by the student Organising Committee under the leadership of Convenor Dr. Animesh Das and Co-Convenor Dr. Asif Iqubal Shah.
XavJudice, the Annual Intra-XLS Moot Court Competition, 2025
The Moot Court Society of Xavier Law School successfully organized Xav'Judice 2025, the flagship Annual Intra-School Moot Court Competition. Designed as the cornerstone of the institution's internal academic calendar, the competition served as a crucial platform for law students across all batches to test their analytical skills, sharpen their courtroom manner, and engage in high-stakes legal advocacy. By simulating a realistic court environment, the event furthered the university's commitment to bridging the gap between rigorous textbook theory and practical litigation.
The 2025 edition witnessed an overwhelming response, drawing enthusiastic participation from around 100 student teams across the integrated undergraduate law programs. The tournament structure was intentionally rigorous, consisting of intense preliminary screening rounds, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, before culminating in a highly anticipated final round. To ensure a balanced and testing experience, the organizing committee curated a comprehensive moot problem that touched upon intricate nuances of copyright law and contemporary statutory interpretations, demanding deep legal research, structured writing, and quick-witted oral responses from the participants.
The competitive rounds were spread across multiple days, transforming the campus into a bustling hub of legal debates. Throughout the initial stages and leading into the advanced rounds, teams were closely evaluated on their clarity of thought, command over the facts, framework of legal arguments, and structural presentation of their cases.
The premier final round was the highlight of the event, serving as the ultimate test of the participants' preparation. The finalists demonstrated exceptional composure, structural legal drafting, and eloquent advocacy under immense competitive pressure. Following a thrilling display of legal talent, the winners and runners-up were declared, alongside individual citations for the Best Speaker and the Best Memorial. The university administration highly commended the student organizing committee and the faculty conveners for their flawless logistical execution, strict adherence to timelines, and fair management. Ultimately, Xav'Judice 2025 succeeded not only in celebrating individual excellence but also in setting a benchmark for a vibrant, enduring mooting culture at Xavier Law School.
Event photographs will be added here.