Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2019
In a modern, civilized, democratic and political state like India, it is the law of the laws – the Constitution of India – which has conferred freedom on us and the right to live with human dignity and conscience. The constitution's widespread and deeply pervasive network of laws leaves hardly any human activity outside its net which is not governed by some law or the other. Birth, death and marriage have to be registered. There are laws on how to move or drive on the road, how to travel, where to smoke or not to smoke, what to eat and what not to eat, where to go and where to refrain from going and so on. The air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the food that we eat, and the house in which we live are all governed by law. From a little child purchasing an eraser or a pencil, to an adult travelling by air within or outside the country – all are subject to the law. Law determines the boundaries of human behavior which determines the limits of transgression as well as compliance. Everyone is supposed to know the law and the ignorance of law does not excuse anyone. So pervasive, complex and fast changing are the laws that a car bumper reads “Do it today, tomorrow it may be illegal,” such is the pace of today's growth and evolution of the law.