In 1853 and again in 1861 commissions were appointed in England to draw
up a body of laws for India "in preparing which the English law should
be used as a basis," but the only direct result of these two commissions
was the Indian Succession Act (Act X. of 1865). But as Hindus and
Mahommedans are excluded from the operation of this act its application
is limited. The wills of Hindus are provided for by Act XXI. of 1870.
Two important acts, however, were passed in India shortly after the
attempt to legislate for India through commissions sitting in England
came to an end, namely the Evidence Act (Act I. of 1872) and the
Contract Act (Act IX. of 1872). Both these acts have been a good deal
criticized. Two other important acts passed somewhat later are the
Transfer of Property Act (Act IV. of 1882) and the Trusts Act (Act IV.
of 1882). These acts are all substantially reproductions of the English
law.
The law relating to land revenue has been the subject of innumerable
regulations and acts of the Indian legislature. A description of the
revenue systems prevailing in India will be found in the article on
India. The law which governs the relation of ryots (i.e. cultivators) to
those who for want of a better term we must call landlords has grown to
a considerable extent out of the revenue system. The view which was at
first taken of this relation was unfortunately affected by English
notions of the relation of landlord and tenant, but this view has been
considerably modified in favour of the tenant by recent legislation.
BOOKS OF REFERENCE ON ANGLO-INDIAN LAW.--Morley, _Analytical Digest_
(1849); Stokes, _Anglo-Indian Codes_ (1887); Ilbert, _Government of
India_ (1906), which contains a very useful Table of Acts of
Parliament and Digest of their contents; Strachey, _India, its
Administration and Progress_ (1903); Baden-Powell, _Land Systems of
British India_ (1892); Wigley, _Chronological Tables of Indian
Statutes_ (Calcutta, 1897).
Sources of Hindu Law.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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