LHSS Legislative Review Competition 2026

About the Organizer

About MNLU Mumbai

Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai, established in 2014, is one of India's premier National Law Universities. Operating from its state-of-the-art campus in Powai (CETTM), the University is known for:

• Rigorous legal education

• Industry-oriented specialised programmes

• Strong research culture

• Proximity to Mumbai's legal and corporate ecosystem

About LHSS Collective

The Law, Humanities and Social Sciences (LHSS) Collective is a student-led academic body at MNLU Mumbai dedicated to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of:

• Law

• Humanities

• Social Sciences

The Collective encourages critical scholarship through a Global South perspective, fostering dialogue on contemporary legal and socio-political issues.

About the Competition

The LHSS Legislative Review Competition invites participants to critically analyse legislation enacted during 2024–2026.

Participants are expected to evaluate a selected legislation by examining:

• Legislative intent

• Implementation and enforcement

• Socio-political impact

• Constitutional and policy implications

• Recommendations for reform

The competition promotes critical legal scholarship by encouraging participants to assess how contemporary legislation affects governance, democracy, rights, and vulnerable communities.

Competition Format

Participants must prepare a Legislative Review consisting of:

• Introduction (150–200 words) explaining:

  • The legislation selected.

  • The objective of the review.

  • Key issues identified.

• Critical Review

  • Analysis of specific provisions or thematic aspects of the legislation.

  • Examination of implementation and practical implications.

• Recommendations
  Suggestions may include:

  • Law Commission recommendations.

  • Legislative amendments.

  • Deletion of provisions.

  • Alternative policy approaches.

  • Comparative reforms.

The organisers clarify that this structure is indicative, and participants may modify the format depending upon the legislation chosen.

Theme

Participants must review legislation broadly addressing one or more of the following themes:

• Rights of Immigrants and Migrants

• Labour, Livelihood and the Dispossessed

• State Security vs. Social Security

• Claims over Traditional Lands

• Digital Welfarism and Surveillance

• The Vulnerable Body and Ethics of Care

The competition particularly encourages examination of recent legislation affecting:

• Migration

• Labour rights

• Land acquisition

• Public health

• Digital governance

• Privacy

• Indigenous communities

• Gender justice

• Social welfare

• Algorithmic governance

• Constitutional rights

• Postcolonial legal systems

Eligibility

The competition is open to eligible participants as per the organisers' guidelines.

Both:

• Individual authors, and

• Teams of up to two authors

may participate.

Submission Guidelines

• Review legislation enacted between 2024 and 2026.

• Word Limit: 1,500–2,500 words

• File Format:

  • MS Word (.doc/.docx)

• File Name:

  • Title of the Review along with the legislation being reviewed.

• Maximum two authors per submission.

• Submissions must not contain author-identifying information.

• Bluebook Citation Style (21st Edition) must be followed.

• Similarity Index must not exceed 10%.

• AI-generated content and plagiarism will be rigorously checked, and non-compliant submissions will be rejected.

• Submissions must be uploaded only through the Google Form provided after registration.

• Email submissions will not be accepted.

Registration Fee

CategoryFeeSingle Author₹350Two-Author Team₹700

Important Dates

Opening of Registration - 15 June 2026

Last Date for Registration - 31 July 2026

Last Date for Submission - 5 August 2026

Declaration of Results - 10 August 2026

Awards

Best Legislative Review - ₹3,000

Runner-Up Legislative Review - ₹2,000

Total Cash Prize Pool: ₹5,000

Publication Opportunity

• Top 3 submissions will be considered for publication in the LHSS Journal, Volume 1, Issue 2, subject to editorial discretion.

Prize amounts remain the same for both individual and co-authored entries.