| Publication |
July 2002.
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| Description |
99-130
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| Summary/Abstract |
The continuing controversy over India's personal laws even after five decades of Independence is seen by many as indicative of its incomplete modernity and limited secularization. This article challenges such views in terms of two main arguments. First, it asserts that the debate on whether India should have one uniform civil law or many personal laws has made it possible for interests of different communities to be articulated and galvanized into positions. The second main argument of this article is to show, on the basis of an exegesis the cultural roots and historical path of the evolution of colonial legislation, the broad range of resources available in India for the institutionalization of a personal law regime. The convergence of positions both in the high politics of the state and the everyday politics of society points towards the plurality of personal laws as an optimal solution for orderly and democratic state-society relations in India.
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