Key points concerning the NMIMS Debate Competition,2020

About The Institution

Narsee Monjee Insitute of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai was established in 2017. The School of Law offers undergraduate courses namely BA.LLB (Hons) and B.B.A.LLB (Hons). It is recognised by the Bar Council of India. The School of Law pioneers in excelling in all fields of law and public service. It strives to provide the students with the best form of learning by inculcating value based education. It provides the students with ample room and liberty to grow and experiment and emphasises on the importance of skill based learning by frequently conducting workshops and seminars on diverse subjects. The backbone of this institute is the teaching faculty who endeavour to nurture and mentor the students through their experience and expertise in the field making this experience one in a lifetime. The School of Law also promotes different extra and co-curricular activities in the form of clubs and committees like the Debate Committee. The institute also provides the students with state of the art facilities like the moot court, the library and the computer lab with top notch technology and provides all its students remote access to all important databases and journals.

Competition Brief:-

Our society is constructed to place quieter people at a disadvantage. The voice of the marginalised is often overshadowed by the voice of the powerful. A debate offers a safe platform to open ourselves to positive discussion and provides a safe environment for learning how to brush off your mistakes, learn from them and ultimately move forward. The last two decades has seen an uproar of intelligence and excellence. In the tussle between knowledge and experience, students often lose out on communication skills. A debate aids in providing a platform for the students to experiment and learn. A debate drastically improves one’s linguistic and logical skills, along with the ability to construct strong arguments in a short amount of time, which is paramount in this world with cut throat competition. Our debate competition aims to provide the students with an opportunity to come forward and experience the art of debating and take away experience, expertise and excellence.

Being a part of the newer generations, it is imperative to discuss and debate over the problems in society and any solutions for the same that may arise as students and future law makers of the country. The politically charged atmosphere in the country raises many issues, especially with regard to law making and delivery of justice, which often motivates a mob psychology. Hence, the topic for this debate, "Is popular support enough to justify a social norm", is befitting not just at this time, but since and for time immemorial in a democracy. This debate will be based on the Lincoln-Douglas debate format, i.e. one on one debate in order to promote individualism amongst contestants.

About the Topic:-

One of the salient features of law is the fact that it is dynamic and adapts to its society. The Indian Constitution is rightly called a living document owing to the fact that it recognises the purpose of law to lie within the cognition and applicability by the ever-evolving contemporary times. The Indian Constitution provides its citizens the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression and at the same time, provides the Right to Dissent. The distinction between the two and the usage of the two play a vital role in law making, for our country is based on the principles of Liberty and Fraternity. The twenty first century has brought about an exponential boom with the internet. Due the advent of media, particularly social media, speedy awareness of various issues has drastically increased. This, coupled with the increase in literacy, has led to diversity in definitive opinion. This opinion, when in near or perfect consensus with the population can prove to be problematic due to the increase in mob psychology. On the contrary, it provides the perfect foundation for a Democratic society. It is paramount for today’s generation to discuss and deliberate if, truly, popular opinion should solely attest to be the standard of proof for the legitimacy of a law or a social norm. This ultimately poses the question ‘Is popular support enough to justify a social norm’

Eligibility:-

• The competition is open to all the students pursuing an undergraduate course in any registered University.
• By applying for the competition, the teams shall be deemed to have accepted the rules, terms and conditions of the conditions as stated in this document.

RULES OF DEBATE:

• The competition will be conducted in the Lincoln-Douglas debate format, i.e. one on one debate.
• It will be divided into 3 parts, namely :

• PRELIMINARY ROUND
• SEMI-FINALS
• FINAL ROUND

• ***Subject to change

· The participants will be required to prepare for both the sides – FOR and AGAINST and their stand will be allotted to them 30 minutes prior to the debate.

· The Competition will be conducted ONLINE through ZOOM Application. Details and information concerning every round will be shared through email&Whatsapp by the committee with the participants 20 minutes before every round.

· There shall be a trail for all the participants to get accustomed in handling the application, two days prior the D-day. Details regarding the same shall also be shared via email &Whatsapp.

· There will be 1 Adjudicator and 2 Teams and 1 member of the Organising Committee in a meeting room.

· Each candidate will be allowed 3 minutes to talk about the topicand 1 minute will be allotted for rebuttal. Which gives them a total of 3+ 1= 4minutes (Per speaker time)

· Three(3) participants will be allowed from each college. Each participant will be considered to be one team.

· Medium of communication for the debate competition will be English only.

· The dress code for the event is western or Indian formals.

· At any point of conflict, the decision of the Host Institute would be final and binding.

· The organizers reserve the right to alter or change the rules or the procedure of the competition.

· The adjudicator may raise a Point of Information during the debate, the clarification of which must not exceed 90 seconds.

Penalties and disqualification:-

· Use of foul language or use of any written document/chits/any other source during debate will result in disqualification of the candidate.

· Candidates are required to have a proper internet connection failing which will result in the disqualification of the candidate.

· If a violation of the rules is believed to have been committed by a team or one of its members, the Organising Committee may in its own discretion, upon its initiative or complaint from another team or assessor, impose a penalty or disqualify the team.

· The Competition Grievance Panel shall be informed before any action of disqualification is taken. The panel shall consist of the head of the Host institution, the chief coordinator of the Organising Committee, and two assessors from the panel of assessors.

Registration process:-

Step 1- · Each participant will register themselves by filling this Google form- https://forms.gle/N6AK8HpJTBn6SvU98

Step 2- · Each participant is required to pay Rupees 299/- as the registration fee which is to be paid through a NEFT transaction.

· NEFT Details: -

Account Holder Name: Soumitra Joshi
Account Number:- 993910110011762
IFSC Code: BKID0009939
Bank Name: Bank of India
Branch Name: Pansemal
UPI: 7509236600@paytm
Note: Paytm Wallet Payment is not accepted.

Step 3-

· Download the payment receipt. Take a screenshot and upload it on the Google form.
· Submit the registration form. You shall receive a confirmation email on completion of the process.
· The deadline for registration is 11:59pm, 8th June, 2020.

Awards:-

· Winners- INR.3000/-
· Runners up- INR.2000/-
· All the participants will be awarded E-certificates for participation.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

If at any point you face any discrepancies please contact our student coordinators. ‘We are at your service’