Chennai, Oct 06: Forum Justitia, a student-centric club based in the SRM School of Law, SRM Institute of Science and Technology organised Muzhakkam 2.0, a Tamil debate contest designed to foster critical thinking, eloquent articulation in Tamil and socio-legal awareness among young law students.

The inaugural ceremony was held marking the commencement of the two-day contest. Dr. Sumana Vedanth, Faculty Convener, Forum Justitia, in her welcome address, outlined the background of the contest. Prof. Y.S.R. Murthy, Pro Vice-Chancellor, School of Law, SRMIST highlighted the importance of creating platforms that encourage students to engage critically in contemporary social and legal issues.

The Chief Guest, C. Rajendran, IRS (Retd.), former Vice Chairman, Settlement Commission delivered the special address. Speaking on the relevance of Thirukkural to contemporary law and governance, he emphasised the importance of ethics, justice, responsible conduct and public service, while drawing from his own experience in the Civil Services. He provided students with insights into the responsibilities, challenges and opportunities associated with public service.

The interaction between classical Tamil wisdom and contemporary governance made the session particularly meaningful for the students. The address encouraged participants to connect the principles of Thirukkural with modern legal and administrative practices and to develop a deeper appreciation of ethical leadership, public service and the continuing relevance of Tamil literary thought.

Following the inaugural ceremony, the preliminary debate rounds commenced later in the day. The preliminary debate is centred on the topic, “The Digital Age Limit - Should Under 16 Be Banned from Social Media?”, bringing students into discussion on a contemporary issue involving technology, society and individual rights.

The contest concluded with the final round, followed by the valedictory ceremony. The final debate will focus on “Water: State's Property or People's Right?” The competition carries a prize pool of up to ₹15,000.

Muzhakkam 2.0 reflects SRM School of Law’s efforts to provide students with meaningful platforms to develop critical thinking, articulate reasoned perspectives and engage with contemporary socio-legal issues while connecting legal education with Tamil language and literary thought.