On Sunday, the fifth edition of ConQuest, India’s premier national quiz on the country’s history, constitutional law and politics, had its grand finale, and the Government Law College, Mumbai was declared the winner.
The quiz is an initiative by the Centre for Law & Policy Research (CLPR) and its fifth edition took place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The main aim of the quiz is to bring the Constitution closer to younger people.
The preliminary rounds of the quiz had more than 600 students from colleges across India participating across various disciplines, after which were four knockout rounds. And finally, eight teams made it to the grand finale: West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, St. Stephens College, Ramjas College and Hindu College from Delhi University, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, National Law School of India University, Bangalore, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur and Government Law College, Mumbai.
The winning team received a prize of Rs 30,000, the first runners-up got Rs 20,000, while those in third place were awarded Rs 15,000 (per team).
Questions ranged from US Supreme Court to books on Emergency
The finale consisted of three rounds, in between which were sprinkled a few audience questions. In the first round, which was the direct question round, there was no negative marking and although each question was directed at one particular team, all teams could respond in the 30 second window. The questions covered political history, previous legislations and facts about the Constituent Assembly, among other topics.
At the end of the first round, Kolkata’s NUJS was in the lead, followed by St. Stephens College and Hindu College.
The second round featured multiple-choice questions, where out of the nine options for answer, six were correct. Participants were given 60 seconds and no passing was allowed in this round.
The questions were rapid and ranged from naming former Speakers of the Lok Sabha and listing books written on the Emergency to identifying decisions taken by former US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and more.
At the end of the second round, St. Stephens College, NIT Jamshedpur and GLC, Mumbai, were tied in first place with 7,000 points, with Ramjas College at a close second with 6,000 points.
Last round was called Kahoot, in which each team was given 10 questions and had to fill in the blanks. And at the end of the round, the ultimate winner of ConQuest 2020 was Government Law College, Mumbai. In second place was NIT Jamshedpur, while Delhi’s St. Stephens College came third.
Need for young lawyers
The Guest of Honour was Arvind Datar, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India, who congratulated all participants and the winners and said it was an interesting contest.
He urged the students to practice law and not stick to corporate jobs and said, “We require good young lawyers in the years to come.” And told everyone that irrespective of whichever subject they decided to pursue, they should continue honing their interest in Constitutional law.
This article first appeared in ThePrint
