Untouchability and the Law

This paper is concerned with the relationship between the law and the practices which came to be known as "untouchability". Part I depicts the way in which the legal system of British India supported certain aspects of the caste order. Part II traces the piecemeal withdrawal of this support in the years preceding Independence, and the undertaking by Independent India to eradicate old patterns of caste relations. Part III describes the constitutional setting of these efforts to abolish disabilities. Part IV reviews the reception of anti-disabilities measures by the higher courts. Part V attempts to assess their effectiveness in operation. Part VI explores the prospects for making the law more effective in abolishing disabilities.