EXPERIENCE OF TEAM LLOYD LAW COLLEGE WHICH QUALIFIED ICC INDIA ROUNDS 2020

Read the experience of the team from Lloyd Law College which qualified for the ICC World Rounds during Covid-19.

SHUBHAM ANAND

I started working on the International Criminal Court Competition, 2020 with my team consisting of Astha Singh, Sunidhi Pandey, Shashank Tilahri, and Harshita Rai around 22nd September. The memorial submissions were supposed to take place on 20th March and oral pleadings of India rounds in NLU Delhi on 17th to 19th April 2020. The work was going on really nicely as everyone wanted to become the first team from the college to qualify the India rounds and represent the college at an International Stage.

We got the news of fears surrounding the moot due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. First, we got the news that the round of Manfred Lachs has been cancelled, then the international rounds of vis Vienna and Jessups were also called off. We were afraid but to be true, I never thought that the problem was something that big and will affect us. But the situation soon changed as we got the news that the colleges have been ordered to be shut down. The hostels soon got empty but we still continued working in the college. On 17th March we were ordered to vacate hostels immediately. There were just 3 days left for the memorial submission but we had no options. It takes me around 30 hours to travel back home and I was working continuously on my laptop all this while. The complete formatting of the memorial was done on a State bus traveling from Varanasi to Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh). Even after a tiring journey of 30 hours, there was no time to take rest and had to continue working. After submitting the memorial on 20th April 2020 at 11:58 PM I finally took sleep after 48 hours. We got the news that the international oral rounds have been canceled and now there will be only oral rounds. We were disappointed but when we got the results that we have qualified for the internationals the feeling was unmatchable. I cried and cried and cried as I had no idea how to express it. All of these moments were running in front of my eyes. Probably the only good news during these tough times and the best one ever.

ASTHA SINGH

Personally, this was my fifth international law moot and I must admit that this moot was quite thrilling. We cannot leave that part where COVID 19 took over the world and was creating havoc and sadly, it still is. We could sense its effect on India from the time our memorial submission got postponed twice. Adding to it, the college closed down as well but work has to go on no matter what calamity we had to face on the way.

Since the college was the only place where weld finds all the resources, including books and online databases. For mooter, it was like our last lifeline, that’s why even pandemic could not stop our ICC 2020 team from coming to the college to work. Who said we did not have any setbacks? Not only we were stressed about the fact that the world might end soon but also, we had our own adversities to deal with, including transport and food crises. However, we had to finish our memorials and had to put a tight grip on our pleadings. Eventually, I adjusted and focused on the work while everybody else on the team was panicking about the Corona Virus. So, we worked closely but did maintain social distancing.

After all, life is most important of all. The biggest setback came when we were asked to leave our respective hostels right away. We left the place overnight and then we communicated with each other through the use of technology. Nevertheless, it was all worth it. Can we get any good news during this pandemic other than we got qualified for the international rounds? I would say that ‘No, this was the best we could ever get’. Hard work always pays off. I think they all are right when they say that, ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Well, I cannot reason with this achievement yet I cannot be more grateful for this one than I already am. Thank you!

SUNIDHI PANDEY

International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition has been an experience unlikely to be ever forgotten. From staying in the college in biting cold, homesickness at peak combined with stress on looking at memorial submission date looming to uncertainties created by COVID 19 made everyone in the team crazy and tensed but we didn’t lose our hope and courage. We submitted our memorials and the next thing was – we qualified for the international rounds.
We were ‘all in one’ kind of team, we did everything from fighting, gossiping, working hard to supporting each other. This achievement and experience will always have an indelible impression on me.

HARSHITA RAI

ICC Moot Court Competition is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious competition on International Criminal Law has always left behind a unique impression on every law student wanting to pursue criminal law as a career. After getting selected for this competition, we began our preparations in September 2019. The task ahead was really formidable. Two of us being from second-year really were in a dilemma as to cope up with our other three members of the team who were our immediate seniors. Unlike our seniors, we didn’t have much experience in the area of International Criminal Law. Little did we know how to start but this long journey was bearable and nonchalant because of such supportive teammates, seniors, and coaches.

The first and foremost task was to complete our memorials. This process is the most exigent as it requires all your time and effort to prepare various drafts and make the reviewed changes in order to bring the best out of good work. We did our research work, got it checked by our coaches, and simultaneously attended the classes.

During the process of preparing the most challenging days were when COVID-19 Pandemic sprung up. While the authorities were ordering shut down in every state consecutively, we were struggling. We requested our college authorities to allow us to work as these were the most crucial days. But as the virus started to escalate, two days prior to our submission we had to leave our hostel and travel back to our homes.

After going home the team used to communicate via phone in order to work in proximity. One of our team members submitted the memorial while the entire team was on a conference call. The entire process was exhausting but we finally were able to submit our memorial on time. The constant encouragement from the seniors and the knowledge they possessed helped me in improving myself, slowly but surely.

The day we received a mail, from the organizing committee of national rounds, regarding the results was one of the best days of my law school as far.  But we still have a bigger fish to fry. I hope we do great in international rounds too.

SHASHANK TILHARI

International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition is one of the most esteemed moots. To represent Lloyd Law College and being a part of the team is heart-warming. It was a tough call to make to participate in ICC because one has to adamantly work for at least six months. Giving such a commitment required a lot of courage. In the beginning, it was difficult to cope because it was my first International Law Moot. But soon, with the help and guidance of my senior teammates, I got a grip and was able to work. It did not matter which day of the week it was, we had to be there at our workstation every day, even on holidays. Sometimes, it really became frustrating and tedious. Researching on legal issues that have such a wide scope is never a cinch.

All these challenges faced able but the real problem arose when the college was closed due to COVID-19. We lost a common place to work. The free flow of communication among teammates was hindered. Soon we were back to our respective hometowns because of the lockdown. The worst part was that the Covid-19 issue began a few days before the memorial submission date. It was a peak time for the team to work together. We did conference calls for hours to discuss, shared hundreds of work-related pictures to cope with the situation. On the final date, after overcoming all the obstacles we were able to make our submission. I am rejoiced to qualify for the international rounds and hope for the best.

Congratulations to the Team.