Indian Legal System

India's contemporary legal system emerged from a decisive break imposed by British colonial rule: from the early nineteenth century, codification progressively replaced Hindu and Islamic law with British common law for most civil and criminal matters, while distinct personal-status statutes for Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Parsi communities were preserved alongside it. The Constitution of India, adopted on 26 January 1950 and, at 470 articles and 12 schedules, the longest written national constitution in the world, now sits atop a framework that blends common law precedent, codified statutes such as the Indian Penal Code and the Indian Contract Act (1872), customary law and religious personal law. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

India's legal system combines civil law, common law, customary law, religious law and corporate law within a framework inherited from the colonial era, and many laws introduced under British rule remain in force in modified form. Since the drafting of the Indian Constitution, Indian law has also followed international human rights instruments. Personal law is notably complex: separate statutes govern Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and, in some cases, inter religious relationships, and registering a marriage or divorce is not compulsory in most states, though Uttarakhand adopted a uniform civil code in 2024, followed by Gujarat, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/