Back
Kerala Law Academy Sets Rigorous Rules for 7th National Competition with ₹20K Prize
The has officially released the rulebook for its 7th National Competition (Hybrid) 2026 , an academic event designed to sharpen students’ skills in , , , and . The competition, hosted in association with the and , will unfold across three rounds—prelims and semi-finals virtually via Zoom, and the grand finale offline at the V. R. Krishna Iyer Hall on the KLA campus in Thiruvananthapuram.
A Hybrid Affair: From Zoom to In-Person
The prelims and semi-finals, scheduled for , will be conducted entirely online. Each team must have stable internet, a working webcam, and use earphones (except for medical reasons). Participants must maintain a one‑metre distance from the webcam and present in a closed, disturbance‑free room. Scouting, screen‑sharing, and revealing college identity are strictly prohibited—violations lead to immediate disqualification. The final round on will be an in‑person, offline arbitration simulation.
Settlement Deeds and Caucuses: The Heart of the Competition
A unique element of the competition is the , which teams must prepare for every round. The deed, limited to 20 A4 pages, must identify the problem, parties, applicable laws, evidence, and the settlement reached. Teams submit soft copies in Word and PDF format by .
Each session also allows a of up to 5 minutes, where one party confidentially discusses with the while the opposite party is moved to a virtual “secret room.” The caucus is optional and counts within the total session time—30 minutes for prelims, 40 minutes for semi‑finals and finals.
“During the , the opposite party will be removed from the meeting to a secret room till the is over.”
Eligibility, Fees, and Key Dates
The competition is open to students of 3‑year LL.B. or 5‑year integrated LL.B. programmes at ‑recognised law colleges. Postgraduate and correspondence students are not eligible. Multiple teams from the same institution are allowed with institutional permission. Each team comprises two party members ( and ) and one .
Registration is a two‑step process: provisional registration by email by , followed by final registration with a fee of ₹3,250 per team by . Team codes will be allotted on .
Adherence to Rules Could Win the Day
Evaluation is strict: each participant scores up to 100 marks —20 from the and 80 from oral presentation. The Best Team receives a cash prize of ₹20,000 , while the Second Best Team and Best earn Certificates of Honour. All participants get participation certificates.
The organisers reserve the right to alter rules without prior notice and impose penalties for . Any dispute is referred to the , headed by Prof. Hareendran K (Principal, KLA), whose decision is final.
“The organizers reserve the right to impose a penalty on a team, at any stage of the competition, if the problem memo or any other part thereof is found to be plagiarized.”
A Platform for Practical Skills
This year’s competition presents three distinct legal problems: a commercial distribution dispute in the round, a service contract and reputational damage issue in the round, and a high‑stakes concerning a USD 420 million offshore wind turbine project with and . The competition thus mirrors real‑world challenges, giving students hands‑on experience in drafting settlements and conducting arbitrations.
For further queries, the organisers can be reached at klaadr@keralalawacademy.in or through the listed faculty and student convenors.
