"Law" as a term involves a broad spectrum of things to it, from the laws of a country to one's individual ethical rules . A lot of incidents happening around us can be put under the category of illegal acts but hardly do we question them of being so. The reason is - not because of our uncertain individual capability but because we aren't aware of the actual law breached and provisions of it . Hence its extremely pertinent that we have a sound knowledge of our country's laws. Having this legal knowledge shall not only mould us into better equipped individuals but also shape us into so called 'educated citizens' of a country. As the Latin maxim says- "ignoratia facti excusat", which means you shall not be held liable for not having factual knowledge of any country but you can be if you don't know the laws prevailing in that country. Our country's integrity and individuality are defined by the laws enshrined in our Constitution. Laws are like strong pillars shielding us from various illegal activities. Laws define us. Innumerable sections mentioned in our IPC, CRPC are the building blocks of a good law system. We just need to run our eyes through them.
Last week I read about one of the case laws in which a student named Deepanshu Khanna filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court regarding the vacant seats in Delhi University once the admission process ended. The apex court gave its judgement in favour of the petitioner and iterated that it is the university's sole duty to release sufficient cut-off lists so that no seat is left vacant and deserving candidates get their admission to the prestigious college. The other day I read a case regarding the criminalisation of homosexual acts held in the case ie Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India. A landmark case that led to section 377 of IPC to be struck down .A case that gave some leverage to the LGBTQ community and the judiciary acted as a knight in a shining armour in the stuck life of this community.Another landmark case - Keshavananda Bharti vs State of Kerala proposed the concept of the doctrine of basic structure to the country. It was held that how some provisions in the Constitution just can't be taken down because they formed the very essence of the constitution and if they are the Constitution looses its integrity and worth. Like these so many judgements and case laws have set a benchmark in the judicial history of the country and changed the outlook of societies and their thoughts towards the legal prospects .
Out of all this still a lot of reforms the judiciary needs to bring about in its functioning to meet the present demand. Raising the strength of the judges, be better equipped with educated lawyers, more law colleges, quicker decision giving powers and not delaying over the cases, reducing the court fees so that marginalised sections of the society can get access to courts easily are some of them. So many cases have gone unheard and are still pending and those who are heard are left midway to avail justice. With the ever evolving society and surge in the commission of illegal activities, it is the duty of the law enforcement agencies to take quick action and punish people held liable for the heinous offences that are being committed. Delay in the decision making process shall acknowledge the convicts to recommit a crime that initially went unheard.