Alternative Judgment Writing Competition on Disability Rights 2024

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chair at NLSIU, Bengaluru is organising the Alternative Judgment Writing Competition on Disability Rights 2024.

The Alternative Judgment Writing Competition invites law students to re-write key judicial decisions in the register of rights. It aims to interrogate fundamental logics of Law and legal institutions by re-drafting judicial pronouncements through the lens of ability/disability. This exercise elevates the voices of individuals with disabilities, challenges traditional doctrinal legal positions, and promotes understanding and empathy within the legal community. By encouraging students to consider the perspectives of individuals with disabilities as rights-bearing citizens and full members of the political community, we aim to work towards a legal system that reflects the diversity and complexity of human experiences in law and society.

The objective of this competition is to:

a. To encourage participants to engage critically with existing legal judgments and consider the perspectives and experiences of individuals with disabilities.
b. To promote creative and empathetic thinking in legal writing and analysis.
c. To raise awareness about the importance of disability rights perspectives in legal decision-making.

Competition Structure

a. Eligibility 
Students pursuing a 3-year or 5-year law degree in a BCI recognised college/university.

b. Selection Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated based on creativity, depth of analysis, adherence to disability rights principles, and potential impact on legal discourse.

The participants are neither encouraged nor expected to substantially reproduce the original judgment of the Court for the Competition and are expected to critically reflect on the judgment from the perspective of disability rights.
Each participant is expected to reconstruct the arguments of the Appellant(s) and the Respondent(s) in addition to analysing, critiquing and evaluating the judgment of the Court.
The participants are expected to identify and examine lacunae, if any, in the reasoning of the Court and highlight significant alternate conclusions, inferences and legal positions.

c. Submission guidelines

Title of the judgment: Shri Shyamkumar S/o. Pandurang Wankhede v. Union of India and others, WRIT PETITION NO.6345 OF 2018 Bom HC (Nagpur Bench) (suo moto)

• Announcement of the competition – March 26, 2024.
• The alternative judgment should be up to 5000 words including footnotes using any consistent citation format.
• Send an anonymized word document to by May 15, 2024.  Non-anonymized submissions will be rejected. This implies that the submission should not identify the identity (name, institution etc.) of the student in any manner whatsoever.
• Co-authored judgements are not accepted.
• Plagiarized submissions will be rejected.
• Students shall apply the law as prevalent on the date of the judgment.
• Although the participants are allowed to invoke the evolution of particular principle/standard/doctrine they are not expected to use any material post the date of the pronouncement of the judgment under consideration.
• The participants can write either a majority/concurring/dissenting opinion.
• Submissions should be written in English with Times New Roman (Font 12 for text, 10 for footnotes; double line spacing)
• A cover letter indicating name, course, institutional affiliation and undertaking that it is original research by the student must be submitted. This cover letter must be sent in a separate word document.

d. Judging Criteria

• A panel composed of eminent jurists and legal experts will adjudge the submissions.
• After the written submissions, five shortlisted students will be called for an online oral presentation before the judges.
• Based on the performance of both rounds, the three best alternative judgments will be provided a certificate and cash prize.
• The decision of the judges will be final and non-contestable.

e. Awards

1st Prize:  Certificate and Rs 10000
2nd Prize: Certificate and Rs 5000
3rd Prize:  Certificate and Rs 3000