Exploring BNSS 2023: NLUO launches criminal justice and human rights essay writing competition

The last day to register is December 21, 2025.

NLUO Essay Writing Competition

Published on:

21 Nov 2025, 5:21 am

2 min read

The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR), National Law University Odisha (NLUO) will be organizing the 1st CCJHR National Essay Writing Competition themed 'The Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023: Reimagining Criminal Justice in Contemporary India'.

The competition will be a platform to promote scholarship on India's new criminal procedure code, BNSS 2023. It invites essays surrounding contemporary issues such as

Speedy trials and procedural reforms,
Powers of police and victims’ protection,
Use of technology from e-FIRs to digital evidence, and
The evolving balance between rights, efficiency, and accountability.

Essay submission guidelines

Name of the author(s) or any other form of identification must not be mentioned in the research paper.
Co-authorship is limited to a maximum of 2 authors.
A cover page must be attached with the submission. The cover page format will be shared with participants upon successful registration.
Word limit: 1000 – 1500 words, excluding footnotes, index, and bibliography.
Font style – Times New Roman.
Font size – 12 for headings (Heading 1- Bold and Alphabetical, Heading 2- Italics and Roman, Heading 3- Underlined and small alphabets), 12 for body text, 10 for footnotes.
Line spacing – 1.5 for body, 1.0 for footnotes.
Citation style – OSCOLA.
Margins – 1 inch (i.e., 2.54 cm) on each side.
Speaking footnotes are permitted but should not exceed 50 words.
Plagiarism limit is 10% in accordance with UGC guidelines.
Use of artificial intelligence in submissions is strictly prohibited and highly discouraged.