News archive 2008

Team heads for Indian moot

08 Feb 2008, PR 28/08

Students from the King’s College London School of Law are one of only three UK teams taking part in the world renowned D M Harish International Moot Competition, joining 26 other teams, including ones from Cambridge and Washington State, as well as eminent universities from across India.

The 2008 D M Harish Memorial Government Law College International Moot Court Competition is taking place between 8 -10 February in Mumbai. Teams from all over the world are invited for this annual event. A moot is a mock trial where participant argue points of law as they would in a court.

Jointly organised by the Government Law College in Mumbai and the D M Harish Foundation (a Trust instituted in memory of one of India’s most eminent lawyers), this competition has emerged as one of the most prestigious of its kind in India and has played an important role in the promotion of mooting by providing an important forum for law students to hone their skills.

The King’s team comprises Asad Ladha and Feni Ajumogobia, both in their final year of the LLB programme and coach Vinay Kothari, an LLM student. They have been coached and mentored by Samuel Shepherd also an LLM student. The team will be accompanied by Professor Satvinder Juss, Director of the MA in International Peace & Security in the School of Law.

Asad Ladha comments: ‘This is an exciting opportunity for us to challenge ourselves, think on our feet and argue against other student from all over the world. It is quite an honour to be able to represent King’s on such a prestigious international stage, whilst also having a unique opportunity to explore the culture and charm of India.’
 
The Moot Court problem the team will have to tackle is the growing role of International Unions in negotiating treaties on behalf of their members. This case involves a non-member nation seeking to enforce a treaty which is suspended by a member nation on the grounds of violation of human rights. Contemporary human rights issues, such as euthanasia and the right to abortion will be raised before the court.

Once-in-a-lifetime experience
Professor Satvinder Juss says: ‘Arguing before a bench of five High Court judges coupled with a knowledgeable audience of more than 300, the D M Harish Memorial Government Law College International Moot Court Competition provides mooters a once-in-a-lifetime experience which King's, with its already well-established mooting reputation, is very pleased to be participating in.’
 
Students from the School of Law have been successful in moot competitions previously, for example in 2006 and 2007, a team won the UK national rounds of the Jessup International Law Mooting Competition, before coming second in the international rounds in Washington DC.

King’s has more than 120 students from India studying on undergraduate and graduate degree programmes, and a number of well-known alumni including: Meghna Ghai Puri, the Bollywood producer, Major Maroof Raza, business man Ankur Bhatia, and journalist Kushvant Singh.

Notes to editors

D M Harish
Mr D M Harish was an eminent and distinguished Advocate and authority on Income-Tax Law. His enjoyed an outstanding academic career before founding the firm of ‘D H Harish & Co.’. The firm specialises in taxation, property law and corporate law. Mr Harish built a large clientele and tremendous goodwill amongst industrialists and professionals alike. He was the director of several public and private limited companies and a trustee of many philanthropic organizations. He was best known for the many battles he fought on behalf of the taxpayers.

He has made an enduring contribution to the law through the publication of his magnum opus, and eight-volume treatise on Income Tax Law, which contains about 300,000 pages of research material connected with tax laws. The cause of education was always dear to D M  Harish and his paramount concern and devotion lay with the study and practice of law and justice for the common man. To promote this cause, and as a tribute to his memory, D.M. Harish Foundation sponsors the D M Harish Memorial Government Law College International Moot Court Competition.

King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2007) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has 19,700 students from more than 140 countries, and 5,400 employees. King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an annual income of approximately £400 million. An investment of £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.

King’s has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres - more than any other university.

Further information
Melanie Gardner, Senior Public Relations Officer, Public Relations Department
King's College London, Email: melanie.gardner@kcl.ac.uk, Tel: 020 7848 3073

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