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Laws, Social Change and Socio-Legal Research in India

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Laws, Social Change and Socio-Legal Research in India
Law is the expression of the will of the society. Its virtue or vice depends on the social conscience at a given time. A bad law is a manifestation of an aberration in a body politic of the conscience of the society.

In every political society it is the law which contributes to its civilized character, but law is the handmaid of social justice, rendering in the interest of society that which is according to law and to which a person or persons are entitled.

Law is the very foundation of society and the true function of justice is to keep the scales even between man and man to adjudicate the merits of the problem brought before the courts in the true light.

According to Salmond ‘Law, as the body of principle recognized and applied by the state for the administration of justice, “and the object of law is to achieve justice.” From the above definition it is clear that law is important to achieve justice, social, economical and political and it is said that the measures of success of a democracy is the maximum realization of the aspirations, ambitions and ideals of the largest number of citizens.

The function of law is not only restricted to adjudication or punishment. Its aim is to achieve real equality which is social and economic and hence, in true sense, law is means to secure justice, Legal, social and it is also true that law is an instrument of serving the need of human society.

Law, whether codified or uncodified is a dynamic process. Law cannot stand still, it must change with the changing social concept and values, it should grow with changing needs of society.

As society is a changing phenomenon and with the change its need has also changed, there occurs gradual or suitable changes in society, and there is a good variety of interactions between social evolution and legal change and with changing social scenario, it is necessary that where the existing law is unable to move with changes taking place in our society, to reform it or

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