ABSTRACT
The introduction summarises the debates surrounding the issue of, and provision for, legal pluralism in India and draws our attention to some of the recurring key points in the subsequent chapters of the book: the palliative rather than punitive nature of customary law, its speed and lack of expense, its community focus and the negative issues associated with it (its acceptance of patriarchy, the lack of gender equity and the use of violence). This discourse is set against the increasingly politicised issue of the uniform civil code (UCC), the history of which the author charts, exploring the reasons for and against this proposed radical change to the legal and social fabric of the nation.
