Researching the Law of India
The Yale Law Library has an extensive collection of print and electronic resources for researching the law of India.
As with any research, it is important to familiarize yourself with the legal system of India. You can do this by examining any of the research guides available through our Country-by-Country Guide. The entry for India in the Foreign Law Guide (a subscription resource; also available in print) is particularly good for historical and background information.
For print secondary sources, run title, keyword and/or subject searches in MORRIS and Orbis first to find books from India on a particular topic. You can also go to the Lower East Side, Call Number KNS, to examine first-hand our Indian collection (or browse KNS in Morris). Law is organized topically within each country. Our library catalogs will further indicate if we subscribe to a journal in either print or electronic format. If we do not own a copy of the journal or book that you are looking for, you can search WorldCat and request the item via Interlibrary Loan using the "Yale Links" button.
For print primary resources please go to the Lower East Side of the Law Library, call number location KNS. Here we will have material on the Constitution of India (around KNS1744.5195), selections of Constitutional Debates and the following federal case reporters (in order of Bluebook (T.2.18, pp.335-8) preference):
- Supreme Court Reports (S.C.R.)(Official)
- All India Reporter (A.I.R.)(Official) which includes state cases
- Supreme Court Cases (S.C.C.)(Official).
In addition to federal and state reporters, the Lower East Side houses certain specialized reporters, such as:
- Current Consumer Cases (CCC) and the
- National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission decisions (NC)
However, the collection of specialized reporters is not complete in coverage. We do not carry titles such as Consumer Protection Reporter (abbreviated CPR) and Consumer Protection Judgments (abbreviated CPJ) can be ordered by library patrons through Interlibrary Loan.
We also carry codes and statutes of India. See, for example (in order of Bluebook preference):
- India Code (Official)
- Code of Civil Procedure (Official)
And session laws:
- Acts of Parliament (Official)
- The Current Indian Statutes (Official alternative)
Other primary print sources, including archived editions of India's constitution, India's Code, and Regulations are available by request from the Library Shelving Facility (LSF) via MORRIS.
For electronic primary resources, the Government of India's website, India Code is now an official source that can be cited to according to Bluebook. Yale Law Students also have access to India's statutory, case law, and legal literature, through the subscription database Manupatra (password on YLS Inside), which is also authoritative.
Additionally, although unofficial per Bluebook, the Legal Information Institute of India recently launced an extensive database of primary and secondary resources. LexisNexis (individual password) contains the reported and unreported decisions of the Supreme Court of India from 1999 to present, as well as select international arbitration agreements. More specialized information can be found through agency websites such as the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Finally, all newspapers are kept at Sterling Memorial Library's Newspaper Room for 6 months after receipt. Some are then archived in microfiche format. Always check Orbis for currency and title, as well as to find online versions. Certain papers are also available online through the newspaper's website:
- Bombay
- Madras
- New Delhi
