Know Your Law
Prof. M.S.Venugopal

Law is one of the oldest institutions of the society. It is as old as human society itself. When Aristotle considered man as a social animal, he was of the view that man is bound by the compulsions within the society.

Even though law is a primary institution, unfortunately majority of people do not know that they are bound by that institution. That is why, when an individual face a legal crisis law will not protect him for his ignorance of law. Ignorance of law is no defense. Law imposes a duty on the part of the individual to know law because law is knowable. Inherently legal sense is common sense and therefore if one tries to know law, one can be aware of the major principles of law even though he might not grasp the technical aspects of law.

One of the elements of the cultural being of a human being is to obey law. Because law is for harmony in the society. One of the factors responsible for a successful and utilitarian legal system is the compliance of the people within law. As man is a rational and thinking specie and if he realizes that the institution of law is for his convenience and welfare, he begins to respect it and lives in accordance with it's goals. Therefore in a system of social education, imparting the knowledge of law becomes inevitable to build an well-organised cultural society. In fact, law, as a social science deals with human relationship. It deals and governs human bondage. This human relationship encircles rights and duties of individuals against and towards one another.

If rights and duties are enforced or performed with mutual understanding and respect, most of the irksome disadvantages will disappear. Then there will be the possibility of a better society.

So, a fundamental knowledge of law and a humane approach to materialize its course will be benevolent to the individual and to the community.
Hence glimpses of legal systems, legal concepts and legal goals may help rationalization of the society which is otherwise primitive in its existence.

Prof. M.S.Venugopal
J.S.S Law College
Mysore.

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