Law!

In ordinary parlance law means the rules which guide human action. In every community there is a body of customary ways for carrying social activities. These are clear-cut and definite. Otherwise, a good deal of time would have been wasted to meet the friction.

These are a kind of unwritten code enforced by religious authorities or by the pressure of public opinion. These social standards sometimes assume greater significance for the purpose of the general welfare that some penalty is necessary for those who violate these customary laws. Then these customs cease to be purely social customs and assume political nature and become the laws of the land. These laws then virtually become the commands of the society. Their violations are met with penalty.

In modern states law is an enactment made by the state. It is backed by coercion or force. Its violation is punishable by the courts. It stands for the will of the state. It exists to realise the purpose of the state. It regulates the rights and duties of the citizens towards one another and also towards the state.

It is the medium of the state to fulfill its promises to the people. It represents the sociological needs of the society. It reflects the political, social and economic relationship in the state.

A.AYESHA FARHEEN