Chandigarh, Feb 17 : Advocating the need for the international air law specialists, Supreme Court Judge, Justice Sanjay Karol, on Saturday inaugurated the AIL Sarin National Rounds of the 15th Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition, the only one in the world, at the Army Institute of Law in Mohali.


Delivering the inaugural address, Justice Karol, commended the Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation for preparing young lawyers in a specialised arena of air law in association with the Netherlands' Leiden University.

Addressing the young lawyers and participating teams from across the country, he emphasised the need for every professional should be to serve society and its people by upholding the cause of justice for larger public good.

He emphasised the need for the international air law specialists to consider the impact of the aviation industry on global environment, an area hitherto not studied.

He said that with nearly 4.17 lakh people travelling daily on domestic circuts, the aviation industry's responsibility grows to ensure safety, efficiency, and security.

He said that there should be legal check on refund policies as well as the unbridled escalated pricing of air tickets by airlines during crisis situations especially when air travel is becoming a necessity and is no longer a rich man's prerogative.

'There is a need also to make the air booking apps more useful for the masses by making them vernacular language friendly,' he said.

Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, acting Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court, in his presidential remarks advised the young lawyers to believe in themselves, master the research and presentation skills, develop good memory, intern and litigate in the courts to become the best in their fields.

Twelve teams from the top national law universities of India participated for the Indian national rounds out of which three teams qualified who would be participating in the international moot court competition from April 18-20 in Mexico City.

The day-long proceedings of the competition was judged by a panel of 35 experts, including four judges from the Panjab and Haryana High Court, including Justice Deepak Sibal, Justice Vikas Bahl, Justice Vikas Suri and Justice Aman Chaudhary.

Senior Advocate and secretary general of the foundation, M.L. Sarin, expressed gratitude to the Army Institute of Law for hosting this event regularly since its inception and the Leiden University which partnered with the Sarin Foundation to organise this unique moot court competition on air law.

The finals shall see top teams from Greece, the US, Germany, France, Indonesia, Turkey, Singapore, the Netherlands, South Korea, Hong Kong, Spain, China and India will compete for the top laurels in this competition.

Nitin Sarin, trustee and an air-law and aircraft finance specialist, in his welcome address said this is the only moot court competition held in the world on air law and holds special importance since Indian aviation industry is slated to grow many times over in the coming decades.

He also emphasised the need for students of law to sharpen their all round skills to prepare themselves for the real world.

Some of the countries that hosted this international moot court competition on air law included Dubai, Turkey, Abu Dhabi, Bucharest, Beijing, Jakarta, Malta, Seoul, India and the Netherlands. Three editions were also held virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic.

/IANS