1st RGNUL-CCV National Policy Making Competition, 2021

About the University

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab, was established by the State Legislature of Punjab by passing the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab Act, (Punjab Act No. 12 of 2006). The Act incorporated a University of Law of national stature in Punjab, thereby fulfilling the need for a Centre of Excellence in legal education in the modern era of globalization and liberalization. The University has been ranked among the top 10 law schools in India in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

About the Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Victimology, RGNUL (CCV-RGNUL)

Keeping in view the broad policy of RGNUL to promote research in the field of law, the Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice and Victimology (CCV) has been purposefully established in order to provide critical and necessitated focus towards fostering the objective of carrying fundamental and applied research on the evolving aspects of the transformative criminal justice system including the dimensions of victimology and criminology as particular areas of interest. The Centre understands and caters the progressive and dynamic nature of the developing criminal jurisprudence in India and across the world and therefore, firmly intends to conceptualize pro-victim research, training, policy analysis, and consultancy with specifically prioritizing the aspect of interdisciplinarity approach while fulfilling the desired goals. The Centre is uniquely determined to examine, express, elucidate and expedite the systematic delivery and efficient redressal of the rights of the victim within the comprehensive criminal justice system in India so as to mitigate the hardships faced by the victims.

About the Competition

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab’s Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice and Victimology (CCV) is hosting its 1st RGNUL-CCV National Policy Making Competition, 2021. This competition provides a platform where the best minds can come forward and critically utilize this opportunity of curating and drafting the policies with the aim of encouraging the students
towards the process of policymaking and governance.

Objective of the Competition

Under our adversarial criminal justice system, the role of the victim is just for the namesake. Many times, the trial is so focused on the rights and culpability of the accused that it is often the case that the narrative of the victim is lost in the proceedings. Additionally, an effective juvenile justice system requires that the varying needs of children be assessed, that children in conflict with the law are referred to appropriate services, and that they are offered care and assistance with reintegration into the community. Moreover, a juvenile justice system should embody a child-friendly environment, using appropriate language and the minimum possible use of physical restraints.
The aim of this competition is to shift the focus of our criminal justice system on the Victim. The recommended policies can serve as a bedrock for future legislation where the rights of the victims shall be crystallized. Through this competition, the CCV is trying to increase awareness about Victim rights among law students and legal luminaries.

Eligibility Criteria

1. This Competition is open to all law students enrolled in a five-year or three-year LL.B. course, in any recognized university of the country.
2. Students are free to form a team for this competition; however, in that case, the team shall not be comprised of more than two members.

Agenda’s of the Policy Paper

This competition aims to design a policy so that our adversarial criminal justice system can work smoothly, and justice can be reached to the most marginalized sections of society. Each policy paper shall be targeting one or more agendas: –
1) Victim Friendly Prosecution
2) Victim Rehabilitation
3) Counsellors for Victims of sexual assaults
4) Victim Protection Measures
5) Uniform guidelines for Investigative agencies in sensitive matters
6) Victim Friendly medical examination by medical practitioners
7) Handling of Juvenile Victims: Guidelines and measures, etc

Note:- The participants are free to choose any Agenda for their policy paper. However, that agenda should be aligned with the aims and objectives of the Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice & Victimology.

Structure of the Policy Paper

Each policy paper shall mention the following headings: –
1) The Title
2) Policy Statement
3) Objectives of the Policy
4) Stakeholders involved
5) Policy brief
6) Definition, if any
7) Implementation Methodology
8) Bibliography
Note:- The participants have the liberty to add more points/headings in their policy papers, keeping in mind the page limit and submission guidelines.

Preliminary Round:- Policy Paper Evaluation

1. The committee, after a thorough screening process, shall select the top 25 policy papers.
2. The committee shall judge each of the policy papers sent on the basis of the marking criteria as mentioned later.
3. After selecting the top 25 policy papers, the selected participants shall be called to the final round of the competition.

Final Round:- Policy Impact Assessment Evaluation

1. In this round, each selected participant shall give a presentation or an infographic video in front of the esteemed panel of judges, comprising distinguished policymakers, academicians, lawyers, etc. Each participant shall have a maximum of 10 minutes to present their ideas.

2. Each participant shall first explain their policy briefly; after that, they have to give Policy Impact Assessment (PIA). Policy Impact Assessment seeks to inform decision-makers by predicting and evaluating the potential impacts of policy options.
3. Policy Impact Assessments are formal, evidence-based procedures that assess public policy’s economic, social, and environmental effects. The participants can deploy empirical or doctrinal research methodology to explain to the judges, the need for their respective policies.
4. This stage is the critical evaluation stage, and each participant shall be judged on the basis of their Impact Assessments and their presentation.
5. After the presentation, the judges can also ask policy-related questions to the participants.

Submission Guidelines

1) Participants may register as individuals or in a team of two.
2) The Policy Paper shall be in the English language only.
3) The Policy Paper shall not exceed more than 20 pages, excluding the cover page. Negative marks shall be deducted as a penalty for each page exceeding the page limit.
4) The Policy Paper should not reveal the identity of participants, in any manner whatsoever.
5) Formatting –
a. Font Style – Times New Roman
b. Font Size – 12
c. Line Spacing – 1.5
d. Alignment – Justified
e. Paragraph Spacing – 0 pt. before and after
f. Margin – One-inch margin on all sides.
6) The Content of the Policy Paper drafted should be original and not plagiarized (15 % limit) or else amount to a total deduction of drafted piece or disqualification. The decision of organizers shall be final.
7) Submission shall be made in .doc or docx and .pdf formats.
8) Teams are requested to send their soft copies on or before the provided date on the given subject matter only.

9) The Submission must be submitted through the given Google Form. [https://bit.ly/CCV-1].
Submissions made otherwise will not be considered.
10) Submission after the given deadline would attract a deduction of negative mark/marks for each hour.
11) Clarifications shall be sent to e-mail id with the subject “Clarifications for Policy Making Competition”.

Marking Criteria

Comprehensible Structure of the Policy Paper- 20
Clear, concise, and unambiguous Policy Paper writing skills- 20
Understanding the Policy issue and providing solutions- 20
Effective Policy Implementation Strategy- 20
Formatting, neatness, and other drafting skills- 10
Language, Grammar & Style- 10
Total- 100

Registration

1. Participants shall register themselves for the competition and submit their policy paper by submitting the following form: https://bit.ly/CCV-1
2. There is no registration fee for the competition.

Prizes

1. First Prize “Best Policy”:- Cash Prize of Rs 10000 + Certificate of Merit.
2. Second Prize:- Cash Prize of Rs 7000 + Certificate of Merit.
3. Third Prize:- Cash Prize of Rs 5000 + Certificate of Merit.
4. All participants will receive a participation certificate which shall be sent by the organizers to the respective colleges at the official address provided.
Note:- Each Policy Paper received by the CCV shall be the sole property of the CCV.

Contact

For any further queries, please write to CCV’s mail id with the subject “Query for Policy Making competition” at [email protected] or can contact –
1. Student Coordinators
2. Sahajveer Baweja:- +91 8949059106
3. Aviral Kumar Mishra:- +91-7985026059

For offical information click here