Law of India

India'slegal system comprises civil law, common law, customary law, religious law, and corporate law, within a legal framework inherited from the colonial era; many British-introduced laws remain in effect in modified forms. Since the drafting of the Indian Constitution, Indian laws have also adhered to international human rights instruments.

Personal law is fairly complex, with each religion adhering to its own specific laws. In most states, registering marriages and divorces is not compulsory. Separate laws govern Hindus (the legal definition includes Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists), Muslims, Christians, Parsis, and, in some instances, inter-religious interactions; for example, the Special Marriage Act, 1954. Until 2024, Goa was an exception, where a uniform civil code applied, with all religions sharing common laws on marriages, divorces, succession, and adoption. In 2024, Uttarakhand became the first state to implement a uniform civil code, followed by Gujarat, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh in 2026.

On February 7, 2024, the Indian state of Uttarakhand incorporated a uniform civil code. In the first major reformist judgment of the 2010s, the Supreme Court of India banned the Islamic practice of "Triple Talaq" (a husband divorcing his wife by pronouncing the word "Talaq" thrice). Women's rights activists welcomed the landmark judgment.

There are about 860 Central laws as per the online repository published by the Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India as of May 2026. The government has established IndiaCode as a repository of Indian laws at the central and state levels. However, the database is not comprehensive, and many state laws are missing.