Before a courtroom argument can move a judge, it must first move a student to stand up and speak. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the 8th ALS Moot Court Competition 2026 at Amity Law School, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram (Manesar) on Thursday, 29 October 2026, lending ministerial weight to one of the country's landmark legal training exercises.

The ceremony brought together Prof. (Dr.) P. B. Sharma, Vice Chancellor; Dr. Vikas Madhukar, Pro Vice Chancellor; Dr. Ravi Manuja, Registrar; and Maj. Gen. Sandeep Kumar, Dean and Director of Amity Law School — alongside faculty and students. Eight photographs from the event accompanied Rijiju's post on X, capturing the full arc of the occasion.

Why moot courts matter to India's next generation of advocates

Rijiju framed the competition in terms that go well beyond trophies. 'For budding lawyers, moot courts are more than a competition,' he wrote — 'they are an opportunity to sharpen legal reasoning, build confidence and develop the skills to become thoughtful, responsible advocates.' It is a compact description of what legal educators have long argued: that simulated courtroom advocacy is where abstract statute meets the pressure of real argument.

Moot court competitions have become a fixture in Indian law school culture, functioning as a pipeline from classroom theory to courtroom practice. Students research case law, draft written memorials, and argue before panels of judges — often senior advocates or sitting jurists — who score them on legal accuracy, persuasion, and composure under cross-examination.

Amity Law School and the broader setting

Amity University Haryana, situated in Manesar on the outskirts of Gurugram, runs undergraduate and postgraduate legal programmes through its Amity Law School. The institution's sprawling campus has positioned it as one of the larger private-university law faculties in the National Capital Region. Hosting the competition for an eighth consecutive year signals sustained institutional investment in moot court culture.

Central ministers attending university-level academic events is a well-established pattern in India — a signal that government views professional skill formation in higher education as a policy priority, not a side note. Rijiju, whose brief includes minority affairs and parliamentary proceedings, has been a frequent presence at civic and educational occasions.

The participants who walked into that moot court hall on Thursday carry a tradition that has produced many of India's sharpest courtroom voices. The argument starts now.