Gujarat National Law University to have museum of legal history of India

Do you know about the contribution made by Manu Smriti or Narada Smriti in developing our modern legal structure? Or, what is the role of House of Lords and House of Commons of England and Law Commission of India in our law setup?

If you don’t, Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) would give you all the answers. The varsity has initiated the process to set up ‘Indian Legal History Museum’ within its premises in Gandhinagar which will hold knowledge of 2,500 years of legal history of India. It is reportedly the first such initiative in India.

According to the plan drawn by the institute, visuals in the pictographic, sigillographic and paleographic mode will acquaint one with the Indian legal history. Not only anecdotes from history, but contribution of people who shaped law and order will also be recorded.

Bimal Patel, director of the premier law institute, said that only a basic plan has been drawn for the first legal history museum. He added that more information would be made available as the project reaches the implementation stage. Repeated attempts to reach the director for further information failed.

As per the plan, the museum, where a collection of history of ‘dharma’ will also be preserved, will narrate the evolution of law and order system in India, development of judicial institutions in ancient, medieval and modern time as well as the codification of civil and criminal law.

Officials at the varsity claim that the museum will be unique in its approach in dealing with the history of development of precedents set in India. It will elaborate on the roles of Dharmashastras, Smritis, Sutras and Neetis. “It will also explain about Muslim Law Codes like Fiqu-i-Firoz Shahi and Fatwa-i-Alamgiri along with the Reports of Constituent Assembly debates and case studies,” states a note prepared by the varsity about the plan.

The museum will have a law gallery, quotations on justice and various such installations to understand Indian Law through the principal of dharma and Indian legal manuscripts apart from Smritis like Manu Smriti, Narada Smriti, Yagnavalkya Smriti as well as different shastras like Dharmashastra and Arthshastra to mention a few.