"Ignorantia juris non excusat" is a famous maxim that means ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaching the law. Learning about the essential nature of law and the concerned legal systems is useful for every person. Legal Studies by Prof. Vijay Kumar Singh is a comprehensive textbook on the subject and covers difficult legal language in a simplified manner that is easy to understand and at the same time does not lose its character of being legal.

This book begins with a unit on the historical evolution of the Indian legal system followed by covering six key areas of law, i.e. the concept of law and jurisprudence, the concept of legal personality, criminal law and procedure, civil law and procedure, family law, and fundamental rights. Each of these units have been further subdivided into sub-topics for ease of understanding. At the end of the book, there is a list of suggested project submissions for the learners to explore for their practical and on-ground understanding of various legal situations and problems, and a question bank. A subject index at the end helps seamless maneuvering through the topics and sub-topics.

The subject of legal studies will allow the students to be more aware of the legal concepts/rules and will create an awareness of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Key attributes of a lawyer are good communication skills, logical reasoning, critical analysis, and a clear sense of interpretation. Studying this book on legal studies will aid in all of these.

This book is written on the basis of the ISC syllabus for Class XI; however, it will be helpful for general readers interested in learning basic concepts of law.

Extract from the Foreword

I would like to compliment Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh for having undertaken this venture of writing a book for secondary school level students to introduce them to the law as a discipline and further, encourage them to take up a formal law course in a university.

- Justice Talwant Singh,
- Judge, Delhi High Court

Unit I - Historical Evolution of the Indian Legal System

1. Law in Ancient India and the Concept of “Dharma”
2. Law in Medieval India with Special Reference to the
3. Legal System in India Post-18th Century
4. Government of India Acts and Framing of the Constitution of India

Unit II - Law and Jurisprudence

1. Law and Jurisprudence — An Introduction
2. Understanding Civil and Criminal Law in Contrast
3. Different Facets of the Constitution
4. International Community of Nations

Unit III - Concept of Legal Personality

1. Natural Person and Artificial (Legal) Person
2. Partnership
3. Company

Unit IV- Criminal Law and Procedure

1. Substantive and Procedural Criminal Law
2. Criminal Justice Administration
3. Major Substantive Criminal Law: Indian Penal Code
4. Juvenile Justice Laws

Unit V - Civil Law and Procedure

1. Substantive Civil Law
2. Hierarchy of Civil Courts
3. General Civil Procedure
4. Enforcement of Substantive Civil Law

Unit VI - Family Law

1. Law Relating to Marriage
2. Law Relating to Divorce and Maintenance
3. Adoption of Children
4. Violence Against Women

Unit VII - Fundamental Rights

1. Classification of Fundamental Rights
2 The State
3. Judicial Review
4. Article 21—The Right to Life and Personal Liberty
5. Right to Constitutional Remedies
6. Restrictions on Fundamental Rights

Legal Studies: Syllabus
Aims
Paper-I — Theory
Paper-II — Project work
Project guidelines for teachers
Question Bank
Sample paper of Class XI
Sample questions: Unit wise

Subject Index