NALSAR Team Among Top Four At 66th Jessup International Rounds

The team from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, comprising Nayani Gupta, Ovipsha Dasgupta, Pranav Shidhaye, Sarath Yelisetty, and Vinaya K.V. (Batch of 2026), achieved a result at the 66th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, advancing to the semi-finals of the International Rounds held in Washington, D.C.

Organised by the International Law Students Association (ILSA) in partnership with White & Case LLP, the Jessup is the world's largest moot court competition focused on public international law, drawing over 800 law schools from across more than 100 countries. This year, 161 teams qualified for the International Rounds. Following four preliminary rounds, the top 16 teams advanced directly to the Round of 32, while teams ranked 17 to 48 competed in the “Round of 48” to claim the remaining 16 knockout spots.

Each round in the International Rounds is scored out of 9 points. In the preliminaries, 6 points come from the oral round judges (2 points per judge), while the remaining 3 points are based on pre-assigned memorial scores, evaluated before even the national rounds. These scores also determine memorial awards. From the Round of 48 onward, these fixed memorial scores are replaced — judges now allocate 1 memorial point each based on their evaluation of the briefs during the round, once again totalling 9 points. The team with the higher total progresses.

The NALSAR team advanced through the Round of 48, Round of 32, Octa-finals, and Quarter-finals, ultimately reaching the semi-finals, where they faced the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine), this year's runners-up. Their journey to the final four represents not just a institutional milestone but also a commitment to the discipline of international law.

This year's fictional problem involved a dispute between the States of Ambrosia and Rovinia on the Paine Peninsula, and raised nuanced questions concerning:

• The temporal jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ);
• The creation and application of customary international law in the context of sovereign immunity and extradition treaties;
• The interpretation and evolution of UNCLOS and the broader law of the sea; and
• The legal authority of interim governments to issue waivers binding on a state in international proceedings.

The team's journey was the culmination of nearly a year-long research and preparation effort, during which they engaged with international jurisprudence, scholarly commentary, treaty law, and evolving state practice. The Jessup, by design, inculcates a high standard of legal research, advocacy, and strategic thinking, and the team credited their success to the intellectual discipline demanded by the competition.

Over the course of the international rounds, the NALSAR team had the opportunity to compete against and learn from peers representing countries including Uganda, Indonesia, the United States, Ukraine, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and India. The competition provided a platform for meaningful global dialogue, skill-building, and cross-cultural exchange — elements that remain central to Jessup's ethos.

At the Indian National Rounds, the team had similarly reached the semi-finals, with Ovipsha Dasgupta and Vinaya K.V. receiving citations for 8th and 10th Best Oralist, respectively.

The team expressed gratitude to their coach, Khushi Mittal (Batch of 2024), whose guidance and mentorship were instrumental throughout. They also extended thanks to their sponsors — Akila Agarwal (Senior Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas), Senior Advocate Arvind Datar, and Senior Advocate Ritin Rai — whose support enabled their participation in Washington.

Special thanks were also extended to Karan Gupta, Sagnik Das, Kartikay Kataria, Vivek Mukherjee, Vishaka Ramesh, Yen Ba, Gauri Shidhaye, Abinand Lagisetti, Winy Daigvane, and Madhav Malya for their support across research, drafting, and practice rounds.

The team also conveyed their appreciation to Michael Peil, Executive Director of ILSA, whose leadership continues to sustain the Jessup's mission and global reach.