One may see the tension between uniformity and diversity, which has always characterized the law in India, from the perspective of the interactions between different kinds of law, including the customary norms of the different peoples inhabiting the nation. The variety of rules followed in different parts of the country by different social groups is an aspect of the legal pluralism that is the main feature of both classical and modern Indian laws.

Hindu and Muslim Influence

Notwithstanding some modern positivistic legal interpretations that tend to limit their relevance, scholars fully recognized customary laws in classical Hindu law. In fact, models of behavior and customary rules that were accepted in one's social group were in practice the main source of law, even if in theory they were ...

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