Law can be an instrument of social change
Law can be an instrument of social change
Introduction
Law is an important mechanism for regulating society. It also brings about amazing social change. India is a country of contradictions. Lavish buildings exist alongside slums and even the most advanced cities in our country have problems such as rising crime rates and poverty. In such a situation, law can definitely be an instrument of social change. Landmark legislations worldwide which have been effectively implemented ensure that social change becomes a reality.
Law regulates the safety and security of people. It is the cornerstone of the edifice of social change.
Viewpoint
• Law can make a huge difference to the social order. Criminal activities will lessen if murderers and wrongdoers are given stringent punishment. The recent stay on the execution of two rapists and murderers in the Nirbhaya case by the apex court is a grave miscarriage of justice.
Such decisions can impact law and order in society. If the judiciary does not uphold the sentences, a message will be send to potential criminals that they can escape punishment after committing heinous acts.
Law makers are responsible for the welfare of 1.2 billion Indians. They should weigh decisions carefully and use legal mechanisms to bring social change instead of committing injustice.
• Lawlessness can harm society in significant ways. If proper laws are not in place, women and poor people will continue to be exploited and abused. Stronger laws are needed to bring about positive social change. Noted legal experts such as Justice Bhagwati have discussed how law should not fail to respond to the needs of a changing society. If it does so, he has indicated that it can stifle the growth of society and block its progress.
Unless there is safety and security, and laws are being framed to bring about a stable economic and social environment, investors and funders will continue to doubt the possibility of India ever acquiring a superpower status.
• The law of the land brings about positive social change. Whether it is an anti-poverty legislation or a move to facilitate FDI in education, law can impact the extent to which all citizens have access to excellent infrastructure and good social welfare services. A country can change for the better only if lawmakers are there to initiate meaningful change in a positive direction.
• Law plays a vital role in fulfilling social needs. Legal reforms can end gender bias and social inequity. Citizens acquire the right to seek legal redress for grievances and violation of their basic human rights. Law is the medium through which social change can be achieved.
• Any law is effective only if it is implemented properly. The legislation should have inbuilt mechanisms to ensure that it is able to combat social evils such as dowry and domestic abuse. Social evils such as child marriage and Sati have only diminished in India because laws are in place to prevent their occurrence. Noted activists have used public interest litigations to counter social injustice as well.
Conclusion
Law has a tremendous potential for initiating positive social change. Legal reforms have changed the face of many societies all over the world. Problems such as low literacy levels and gender injustices have been eliminated in many developed nations because of legal mechanisms to address the problem. Law has the ability to mould social change. It is designed to bring about a social order where individual rights are protected.
Law is the perfect tool for maintaining justice and ensuring that lawlessness does not continue to prevail within society. When legal judgements aim at reforming the system, a wave of positive social change is initiated. The landmark SC judgement preventing criminals from contesting elections is just one example of laws that can spur social change.
Discussion
- Law can be an instrument of social change -Lubna Lakdawala (04/02/14)
Law can be an instrument of social change
The law and the society are interrelated. Social change means a meaningful change brought about in one society. It also includes the changes brought about in various organizations, social institutes, social rituals, social ideologies and perceptions etc and the changes in the human interactions with them.
Law is the guideline between the right and wrong in the society. Law in India is constructed keeping in mind different social ideologies, process, etc. The law revolves around the social institutions, socio-economic networks, and social processes. Along with this Law also plays an important part in changing the social rituals. For example the prohibitions of social rituals such as female infanticide, child marriage, sati etc in India are an attempt by the law to bring about a change in the social norm of India. The Indian society and culture are still traditional.
The contemporary world is fast changing. India is adapting to the world of modernization while trying to keeps its cultural values in place. The law helps to maintain are cultural values by regulating the social norms, interests and interactions.
It is well known fact that corruption is a major menace in India. The corruption of law would weaken social order and lay it in ruins. The objective of law is to protect the citizens of the country, ensure the rights of the people, punishing the guilty. Sometimes the law makers tend to divert from this objective. For law to be an instrument of social change it has focus on its objective.
In today’s time the rate of crime is very high, crime has a direct impact on the society for example crimes which relate to women, children, robbery kidnapping etc have a great impact on the social peace and stability in these if the guilty are not found and punished the people and society lose their faith in law.
Law can be an instrument of social change only when it completely follows the directives of the constitution of India. Constitution of India is made for the common people. Therefore the laws constructed should also be for the benefit of the common people. These days the law is often used to manipulate the people as many people are not aware of it. The constitution has made ample provisions for the betterment of its people.
Thus the essence of social change lies in the effective application of law. The laws constructed should be practiced properly by common people as well as the authorities. Only then can it bring about a social change.
