GNLU is inviting undergraduate students across India to participate in its national essay competition on Legal Aid and Access to Justice.
About Gujarat National Law University
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar is an institution of legal education established under the Gujarat National Law University Act, 2003. The University provides legal education while contextualising it within developments across humanities, commerce, business administration, social work, science and technology.
About Abhilekh
The 2026 edition of Abhilekh focuses on the foundational ideals of Legal Aid and Access to Justice. It examines the extent to which the legal system can provide meaningful and equitable access to justice and explores the legal, institutional and socio-economic factors affecting an individual’s ability to understand, claim and enforce their rights.
About the Opportunity
The 1st GNLU LSC National Essay Competition 2026 is centred on the theme “Legal Aid and Access to Justice.”
The competition seeks essays examining legal aid and access to justice beyond the formal availability of courts and legal remedies, including issues such as economic hardship, social exclusion, legal awareness, institutional barriers and unequal access to legal assistance.
Theme
The theme of the competition is “Legal Aid and Access to Justice.”
Sub-Themes
- Constitutional Foundations of Legal Aid in India
- Legal Aid as a Fundamental Component of the Right to Access Justice
- Role of the National Legal Services Authority in Advancing Access to Justice
- Legal Aid for Marginalised and Vulnerable Communities
- Access to Justice and Socio-Economic Inequality
- Legal Aid and the Criminal Justice System
- Legal Aid and Undertrial Prisoners: Bridging the Justice Gap
- Women’s Access to Justice and Legal Aid Mechanisms
- Child Rights and Access to Legal Assistance
- Legal Aid Clinics in Law Universities: From Legal Education to Social Justice
- Technology and the Future of Legal Aid
- Digital Divide as a Barrier to Access to Justice
Eligibility Criteria
- The competition is open to all undergraduate students across India.
Submission Guidelines
- The submission must be original and unpublished and must not have been submitted elsewhere for publication or consideration.
- Co-authorship is permitted for a maximum of two authors.
- The manuscript must maintain a plagiarism similarity of not more than 10%.
- The essay must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format.
- The essay must use Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5 line spacing and justified alignment.
- One-inch margins must be maintained on all sides.
- Hyperlinks are mandatory for citations and sources relied upon in the essay.
- Relevant authorities, cases, statutes, articles, reports and other sources must be appropriately hyperlinked within the text.
- The essay should demonstrate a clear argument, critical analysis, logical structure and engagement with relevant legal and contemporary developments.
- The manuscript must not contain the author’s name, institutional affiliation, contact details or any other information revealing the author’s identity.
- Submissions must not infringe copyright, intellectual property or third-party rights.
Registration Fee
- Single-author submission: ₹200
- Co-authored submission: ₹300
Co-authorship is permitted for a maximum of two authors.
Prizes
- First Position: ₹8,000
- Second Position: ₹5,000
- Third Position: ₹3,000
Important Dates
- Last Date for Registration and Payment: September 25, 2026
- Last Date for Submission: September 25, 2026
- Declaration of Results: November 9, 2026, on National Legal Services Day
Contact
Bhavya Soni (Editor-in-Chief): +91 98989-65412
Prince Raj (Managing Editor): +91 87898-83897
ALSO READ: Essay Competition by National Law School of India Review
Application Procedure
Interested candidates can register and submit their essays through the following:
The last date for registration, payment and submission is September 25, 2026.
