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The best International team awardee in the 6th Dr. Paras Diwan Memorial International Energy Law Moot Court Competition
Dhaka University Moot Court Society (DUMCS), the pioneer mooting platform of the country started its journey in 2007. Bearing a long legacy of success all around the world, in the last few months, DUMCS has successfully sent four international teams to represent Bangladesh on the global platforms. The journey started from Dhaka, then moved around New Delhi, Lahore, Hong Kong, and Oxford, and has not stopped yet.
The first DUMCS team of 2016 participated in the Professor N R Madhava Menon SAARC Moot Court Competition and Law Students Conference, held in India. Organised by Lloyd Law College of Greater Noida, this Competition focused on comparative paradigms of international law. DUMCS team of Jubaer Ahmed and Sayeed Sarwar represented Bangladesh in this Mooting Competition, while Emraan Azad on behalf of Dhaka University presented a research paper on the issue of Bangladesh’s legal education in the Law Students Conference.
The second team of the year, comprised of Mohammad Omar Faruque, Nadia Rahaman and Masrur Ansari went to Hong Kong to represent Bangladesh and South Asia at 14th Red Cross IHL Moot Court Competition. The journey of this team in the complex realm of international humanitarian law was more than a fairy tale. At the national round of Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Competition, they became the champion of Bangladesh by reigning supreme among 20 universities. Then, at the regional phase (held at Lahore, Pakistan), Dhaka University appeared one of the toppers among the best teams of South Asian region, and we won the Best Memorial Award for excellent research and articulation. And the fairy tale was not finished yet.
At the global round of the Henry Dunant Mooting Competition, Dhaka University again bagged the Best Memorial Award; this time wining it from the best universities around the world. This was the first time Bangladesh ever winning a major trophy in an international mooting competition.
Our third team, comprised of K M Ashbarul Bari, Atikul Haque, Nusrat Jahan, Romana Afroze and Sayed M Shafayet, also bears a legacy of success in their own journey. Based on the quality of research, we were the only team selected from Bangladesh in the South Asia Round of the Oxford-Price Media Law Moot Court Competition, and eventually qualified for the global round, which was hosted by the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. The New Delhi round of the Competition was a bit tough, challenging the nerves of the mooters by dissecting the sensitive right to freedom of expression; in the end, Dhaka University was on their way to England, ‘Eastern Oxford’ was meeting ‘The Oxford’.
In the grand stage, Dhaka University again shined in glory by beating the University of Sao Paolo (Brazil) and the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and qualified to the Octo-Finals, the ‘Top 16’ among the forty participating teams around the world. Although they lost to the National Law University of India (NLU Bhopal) for the narrowest margin of 2 marks, their performance was widely acclaimed, and the Bangladeshi community of the UK including the Bangladesh Law Association in the UK honored the team by arranging formal receptions.
Our fourth team fought their ways out (stormed in preliminary round, qualified to Quarters with 2nd Highest marks among 27 teams) in the 6th Dr. Paras Diwan Memorial International Energy Law Moot Court Competition, held at Dehradun, India. The team of Naeem Hasan, Salvia Jannat and Moniruzzaman Monir represented both Dhaka University as well as Bangladesh in this Competition on an intriguing issue of energy law. DUMCS was awarded as the Best International Team of the Competition while Naeem Hasan won the Best Mooter Award.
The stories might sound so sweet, but the journey was not. The major problem regarding our mooting explorations is the lack of funding and logistic support. We have not been successful to tap into the CSR and other sponsorship sources to fund the teams, which hold us back from representing Bangladesh in some of the major mooting competitions around the world. Keeping in mind the limited opportunities and resources available in a public university, we strive to figure out solutions for all the problems with passion, hard work and sincere supports from our teachers, specially Professor Dr. Nazmuzzaman, the moderator of DUMCS.
Nevertheless, the hard work, dedication and passion of the law students as mooters from DUMCS will be a source of sheer inspiration for the future mooters and law students of Bangladesh, who will come forward to uphold the Red and Green in front of the whole world, in mooting competitions, and in real life legal battles. The dream to represent Bangladesh in international courts as lawyers and judges – the long journey has begun, and the light at the end of the tunnel is blazing red.
The writer is the Vice President of Dhaka University Moot Court Society (DUMCS).