We are proud to share that the NLSIU team has won the 25th International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM), hosted by the University of Sydney, Australia from July 6-11, 2025. The team comprised Vedika Warrier (Vth year BA LLB), Vrinda Sinha (IVth year BA LLB) and Advaith Anand (Vth year BA LLB). They competed against National University of Singapore in the finals.
The Problem
This year’s IMLAM problem dealt with shipowners’ indemnities against the charterer for cargo damage claims—under the Inter-Club Agreement, with a particular focus on the precondition of ‘proper settlement’, and under an implied indemnity in a time charter party. The problem can be found here.
Awards
- Winners:
- Finals: Against the National University of Singapore (NUS)
- Semifinals: Against the University of Copenhagen
- Quaterfinals: Against the University of Versailles (Paris-Saclay)
- Preliminary rounds: Against NLU Jodhpur, Symbiosis Law School Pune, NUS, and the University of Sydney
- Best Female Speaker (Final Round): Vrinda Sinha
- Best Female Speaker (General Rounds): Vedika Warrier
The Team’s Mooting Experience
Reflecting on the experience, Vrinda Sinha told us:
“I quite enjoyed the issues I worked on, and getting to argue out some subtle points about the common law was, as always, super thrilling, and doubly so when you get questioned by judges who (in the words of one of the organisers) ‘know everything about maritime law.’ Needless to say, the teamwork and collective brainstorming was challenging and taught me a lot. It was quite a hectic preparatory month for us in June, since all of us were interning, too. In hindsight it’s incredible that we managed to get as much practice in as we did—I think the credit for that goes fully to the team being very understanding with each other and proactive about the moot.
My heartfelt thanks to the library staff, who helped us with finding books and resources in this area of the law, and also many seniors who helped us with oral rounds’ preparation, and alumni, particularly Mr. Ashwin Shanker (NLS BA LLB 2000) who coached us, took many rounds for us, and walked us through the fundamentals of maritime law.”
NLS alumna Genesia Rodrigues (NLS MPP 2019), Senior Manager – Public Policy, Kazam, conducted a workshop on ‘Walking Experience of Footpaths’ at NLS between July 28 to 30, 2025. Genesia, who works in the space of urban mobility, had previously conducted a similar workshop on urban infrastructure at NLS. This latest workshop saw the participation of second-year students of the Master’s Programme in Public Policy (MPP), facilitated by 
Over the course of three weeks in July 2025, the 
The 
NLSIU’s 
Vinay Chandran
Aishwarya Birla
Raju Behara
Deedee
Radhika Chitkara
NLSIU’s 
NLSIU’s Library Committee organised a poetry reading by 
Prof. Mohapatra recited the traditions he carries: his mother’s poetry, modern Odia verse, the Ramcharitmanas, and Faiz, alongside selections from his wide ranging collection in Odia and in English. The discussion flowed from the idea of a Puranic “Barshavatar” to questions about the relationship between the poetical and the political. In response, he read his rain poem on Socrates and spoke of his own examination of metaphysical ideas. The evening closed on a note of possibility and, as one student put it, “revolutionary optimism.”
Prof. Mohapatra has authored five volumes of poetry and has translated two volumes of Pablo Neruda’s poetry into Odia. A Fragile World, a book of his poetry in English translation, was published in 2008. He served as the national jury member for the Moortidevi Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith, Delhi, from 2013 to 2015. A volume of his poetry in Hindi translation – Buddha aur Aam – was published by Pralek Prakashan, Mumbai, in 2022. Prof. Mohapatra’s poetry carries not only a theorist’s critical gaze but, more importantly, a seeker’s voice. In terms of great uncertainty and disenchantment, his poetry seeks to re-enchant the world without drowning out contemporary realities.