It is the body of principles recognized and applied by the state in the administration of justice. Laws are man-made and can change over time to suit the needs of the people. The legislative laws are interpreted by courts to determine what is right or wrong.

Importance

We as human beings need to co-exist with the society and hence need a set of rules to maintain order. The purpose of Law is to provide peace, protection, and security to the people and to ensure conditions for their development. This is a concrete method of providing protection to the rights and freedoms of the people. It supports the equality of all citizens and prevents arbitrary use of power/authority.

Characteristics

• A set of rules designed to regulate human conduct.
• It is maintained by the state and backed by coercive authority.
• The rules of law are general, social and enforced by sanctions.
• It assures stability, fixity and uniformity.
• It should be accessible, accountable and impart justice.
• Any violation leads to punishment.

Types of law

• National law:The body of rules which regulates the actions of the people in society
• International law: It helps in governing the relationship between countries and nations.
• Constitutional law: The supreme law written in the Constitution of the State. It maintains the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
• Statutory law: A law established by an act of the legislature that is signed by the executive or legislative body.
• Criminal law: It deals with finding the true perpetrator of law and punishing him or her. Cases like rape, murder, robbery fall under this section and are handled by the police.
• Corporate law:Also known as business law is a set of rules to govern the practices of the corporate world.
• Environmental law:A set of rules that controls human behaviour towards the environment. It helps maintain the quality of our land, water and air.
• Media law: It helps control the issues related to copyrights, censorship, publishing materials.
• Family law: These rules are set to clear disputes related to marriage, divorce, child custody, adoption and more.
• Property law: A set of rules set to avoid ugly disputes related to tangible and intangible properties.
• Education law: It covers legal matters related to schools, their students, and their staff.
• Employment law: It addresses the rights of workers and the relationships they share with their employers.
• Health law: It concerns the health of individuals and concentrates on policies implemented in the healthcare industry.