January 2008
Monthly Archive
January 4, 2008
THE ROLE OF NON-STATE LAW IN INDIA
I. Introduction
B.S. Cohn (1959) maintains rightly that the way a people settles disputes is part of its social structure and value system. The indigenous and the ‘official’ legal systems differ rather drastically on both these aspects.
Indian villages are ‘multiplex’ societies; and the ‘network of relationships’ thus involved cannot be summarily cut by a decision of the court. Nor do the notions of relevancy engendered by law of procedure and evidence and the winner-take-it-all principle of the adversary system rhyme with the ‘traditional preference for settling disputes through consensus and with liberalism in the notions of relevant matters shown by the indigenous tribunals.
The State Legal System pervasive in urban areas is only slenderly preset in rural areas. The low visibility of state legal system and its slender presence renders official law (its values and process) in accessible and even irrelevant for people. Other factors, such as the language of the law which is alien to about 95 per cent of the people, compound to distance between the state’s law and people. All these variables make the relationship between State Legal System (SLS) and Non-State Legal System (NSLS) a very complex affair. Failing empirically informed evaluation, one can recourse to aprioristic or ideological basis, whether in terms of Gandhi’s ideal of Ram-Rajya or in terms of Henderson’s analysis of traditional conciliation and the growth of democratic legality. (more…)
January 2, 2008
LAW AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL CHANGE
I. INTRODUCTION
Law is rooted in social institutions, in socio-economic network. These social factors influence the course of law or the direction of legal change. This is the outcome of personal and social interactions which are variable and often unpredictable. At the same time, law may itself change social norms in various ways.
For example, in free India, legal abolition of untouchability is an attempt to change a long-standing social norm. Yet it has not succeeded much due to inadequate social support. Thus there is a reciprocal relationship between law and society.
This article will discuss about the law and its impact in social change with special reference from Indian society.
II. DEFINITION
Lawrence Friedman and Jack Ladinsky, however, in the context of a discussion of the social effects of law adopt a definition of social change as “any non-repetitive alteration in the established modes of behaviour in society.” The qualification ‘non-repetitive’ is important here for the definition recognize that few societies, if any, are wholly statie. The term ‘social change’ is also used to indicate the changes that take place in human interactions and inter-relations. Society is a ‘web-relationship’ and social change obviously means a change in the system of social relationship where a social relationship is understood n terms of social processes and social interactions and social organizations.
Thus, the term, ‘social change’ is used to indicate desirable variations in social institution, social processes and social organization. It includes alterations in the structure and the functions of the society. (more…)
January 2, 2008
PROSES PENGESAHAN PERJANJIAN INTERNASIONAL
MENJADI UNDANG-UNDANG DI INDONESIA
I. LATAR BELAKANG
Hubungan antara hukum nasional dan hukum internasional dalam sistem tata hukum merupakan hal yang sangat menarik baik dilihat dari sisi teori hukum atau ilmu hukum maupun dari sisi praktis. Kedudukan hukum internasional dalam tata hukum secara umum didasarkan atas anggapan bahwa hukum internasional sebagai suatu jenis atau bidang hukum merupakan bagian dari hukum pada umumnya. Anggapan ini didasarkan pada kenyataan bahwa hukum internasional sebagai suatu perangkat ketentuan dan asas yang efektif yang benar-benar hidup dalam kenyataan sehingga mempunyai hubungan yang efektif dengan ketentuan dan asas pada bidang hukum lainnya. Bidang hukum lainnya yang paling penting adalah bidang hukum nasional.
Hal ini dapat dilihat dari interaksi masyarakat internasional dimana peran negara sangat penting dan mendominasi hubungan internasional. Karena peran dari hukum nasional negara-negara dalam memberikan pengaruh dalam kancah hubungan internasional mengangkat pentingnya isu bagaimana hubungan antara hukum internasional dan hukum nasional dari sudut pandang praktis.
Dalam memahami berlakunya hukum internasional terdapat dua teori, yaitu teori voluntarisme,[1] yang mendasarkan berlakunya hukum internasional pada kemauan negara, dan teori objektivis[2] yang menganggap berlakunya hukum internasional lepas dari kemauan negara.[3]
(more…)
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B.S. Cohn (1959) maintains rightly that the way a people settles disputes is part of its social structure and value system. The indigenous and the ‘official’ legal systems differ rather drastically on both these aspects.
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