A Textbook of Legal Studies for Class XII

In the last few decades, India has not only showcased itself as the world’s

largest democracy but also exhibited the resilience of its institutions and the

fortitude of its governance benchmarks. As India pursues a leadership position

in the world community, the need for a rule-of-law society has become a

necessary pre-condition. A compliant and law-abiding citizenry alone can

build the requisite ecosystem for a nation to surge ahead. This calls for a

greater legal literacy amongst its masses to enhance their understanding of

public affairs as well their entitlements and duties as citizens. In the long

run, this can also potentially eradicate the ethics deficit in society.

Structured training in law not only helps the youth challenge their thought

process and nurture analytical and negotiation skills but also prepares them

for myriad opportunities and exciting career options. No wonder, in the last

few years, apart from offering the traditional career in litigation, the law

has established itself into fields like public service, academics, research,

public policy, journalism, and various other emerging streams. To cater to

this burgeoning demand for trained legal professionals, India has seen a

tremendous growth of institutions like the National Law Universities and

many private universities offering law courses, in addition to the expansion

of the existing facilities.

Central Board of Secondary Education’s decision to introduce ‘Legal Studies’

as an elective subject, in the year 2013-14 for the Class XI students and

in the year 2014-15 for the Class XII students, could not have come at a

better time. It is a testimony to the realisation that the introduction of an

important subject like Legal Studies at an early stage can do wonders for

the students who plan a career in the field of law. Even for those who may

pursue other careers, their intellectual strength and the problem-solving

abilities will be enhanced though the study of law.

This book is a humble attempt to make a student’s first interface with the

law as a subject an elevating experience. Care has been taken to make the

presentation of the text simple and reader-friendly. The various units of

the book, while meeting the requirements of the prescribed syllabus, offer

comprehensive coverage of the aspects of law that have been covered.

Important legal terms have been meticulously explained with examples to

help the students develop a clear understanding about them. All relevant

cases have been duly cited, and it has been ensured that the text comprises

the latest information about the incorporated content.

PREFACE

Authors are confident that the book shall be extremely useful for the students

of Class XII in developing a clear understanding of the various critical facets

of law. They can also benefit immensely from the tips given by the authors

for preparing for the examinations and scoring well. The book also has the

potential to become a foundational text in the hands of those seeking a basic

understanding of the Indian legal system.

Our sincere thanks to Dr. B.L. Babel, retired District and Sessions Judge

and an acclaimed author of innumerable law books, and Dr. Anil Kaushik,

former Dean, Faculty of Law, M.G.S. University, Bikaner, and presently,

Principal, S.D. Law (P.G.) College, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, for guiding

us in the development of the text. Special thanks to Mr. Sanjay Sardana and

Mr. Sankalp Sardana of the Manav Mangal Group of Schools for helping

us develop a perspective about the students’ expectations from the book.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to Prof. Ramesh Arora and

Mrs. Priyanka Sapra for their mentoring and consistent motivation in all

our endeavours.

We are deeply indebted to the publishers, Goyal Brothers Prakashan,

particularly Mr. Suresh Goyal and his dedicated team for making this book

a reality despite all the impediments posed by the pandemic. Their efforts

in enhancing the presentation of the book are sincerely acknowledged.

The authors shall also like to register their profound appreciation for the

outstanding academic and research environment at the O.P. Jindal Global

University, Sonipat, which helped in the conception and development of

this book. In particular, the suggestions from a few students turned out to

be invaluable in the development of this work, for which the authors shall

remain indebted.

Human efforts, howsoever ingenuous, are at best attempts seeking excellence

and are liable to suffer from infirmities. We look forward to the feedback

from our readers and shall be ever so keen to learn from their views and

acknowledge the same appropriately.

Last but by no reckoning the least, the authors would like to thank all their

friends and family members profusely for their encouragement and constant

support.