Shimla, August 30, 2025
The Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla, under the leadership of Prof. (Dr.) Priti Saxena, Vice-Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla successfully conducted its first workshop under the HPNLU Trial Advocacy Competition (Criminal), 2025. The workshop, titled “Filing of First Information Report under BNSS, 2023: Practice and Procedure”, was organised by the Clinical Legal Education Centre of the University.
The resource person for the session was Shri Dushyant Sarpal, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Road Safety, Directorate of Transport, Himachal Pradesh, a seasoned police officer with a diverse and distinguished career. In his address, Shri Sarpal shared valuable insights into the practical aspects of drafting and registering an FIR under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, emphasising the precision, procedural compliance, and investigative importance of this initial step in criminal proceedings. His deliberations provided students with a rare blend of legal understanding and practical experience from the perspective of law enforcement, thereby enriching their comprehension of the criminal justice process.
This workshop marks the commencement of a ten-month long intra-university Trial Advocacy Competition—a first-of-its-kind initiative at HPNLU, conceived to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical exposure by simulating the stages of a criminal trial. The programme aims to equip students with the skills, discipline, and ethical grounding essential for courtroom practice.
The workshop was organised by Prof. (Dr.) Girjesh Shukla, Director, Clinical Legal Education Centre, HPNLU Shimla and the Vote of Thanks was delivered by Dr. Bharat Barowalia, Workshop Coordinator. This workshop has set a strong foundation for the forthcoming stages of the HPNLU Trial Advocacy Competition (Criminal), 2025, and reflects the University’s continued commitment to providing its students with skill-based and experiential legal education.
