The legal system in India follows the common law model prevalent in the countries which were at one time under British Rule or were part of the British Commonwealth. The jurisprudence followed in India is almost the same as the one prevalent in England, though it has been cross-fertilized by typical Indian values.

In a modern, civilized, democratic and political state like India, it is the law of the laws – the Constitution of India – which has conferred freedom on us and the right to live with human dignity and conscience. The constitution's widespread and deeply pervasive network of laws leaves hardly any human activity outside its net which is not governed by some law or the other. Birth, death and marriage have to be registered. There are laws on how to move or drive on the road, how to travel, where to smoke or not to smoke, what to eat and what not to eat, where to go and where to refrain from going and so on. The air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the food that we eat, and the house in which we live are all governed by law. From a little child purchasing an eraser or a pencil, to an adult travelling by air within or outside the country – all are subject to the law. Law determines the boundaries of human behavior which determines the limits of transgression as well as compliance. Everyone is supposed to know the law and the ignorance of law does not excuse anyone. So pervasive, complex and fast changing are the laws that a car bumper reads “Do it today, tomorrow it may be illegal,” such is the pace of today's growth and evolution of the law.

The Indian Constitution with its mandate of equality (Art. 14), non-discrimination on the basis of sex (Art. 15) positive discrimination in favor of women (or affirmative action) (Art. 15(3)) equality and non-discrimination in employment and service conditions (Art. 16), right to life and liberty (Art.21) is an important instrument for the protection of women in India. Although certain protective legislation was enacted in the first thirty years after the Constitution came into being, it is only during the last three decades that women's concerns were highlighted in the official discourse and in the public domain. One major contributory factor towards this change has been the Report of the Status of Committee for Women brought out in 1974 as the background country paper for the forthcoming United Nations Conference in 1975 – the International Year of the Women.

Ordinary citizens, litigants, students of law and lawyers in a civil society have a right to know about the prevailing law of that country. The traditional way of disseminating legal information – on paper – has given way to the electronic format in most of the developed countries. Gradually, this change is also beginning in the developing countries. In India, no one has a copyright to the text of judgments delivered by the courts; however, in the headnotes of judgments, copyright issues are involved. The bigger Internet players have started fee-based legal websites where one can become a member and/or registered user by paying periodical subscriptions. These can run into thousand of rupees every year. Only after paying the access fees can the visitor gain access to the complete headnote or the plain text of the judgment.

Law librarianship, especially the librarianship in judicial institutions, is different from librarianship in any other discipline. This aspect is more appropriately explained by Prof. Igor I. Kavass, when he says that “the reason for law libraries being different from other types of libraries is that they serve a profession which is literally unable to exercise its work without the use of books.” While Librarians in other organizations may convince their users to give them some time for catering to their information requirements, a court librarian has to furnish the desired information at once because the case is being argued in the Court and desired information is needed in the course of the argument. So a law librarian has to provide the information instantly without any excuse. Because of this reason, a law librarian has to be a very alert professional and must develop his or her own tools and expertise to provide the desired information instantly.

Indian Legal literature is comprehensive and exhaustive in that it fully encompasses the law prevailing in India in all its varied aspects. Statutory law, case law, and minor portions of customary and religion-based laws are well documented and readily accessible. Fortunately, from the point of view of a foreign reader, nearly all of the law currently prevalent in India is available in English.

Albert Einstein, in an Address in Chicago observed: [t]he existence and validity of human rights are not written in the stars. The ideals concerning the conduct of men towards each other and the desirable structure of the community have been conceived and taught by enlightened individuals in the course of history. Those ideals and convictions which resulted from historical experience, from the craving for beauty and harmony, have been readily accepted in theory by man – and at all times, have been trampled upon by the same people under the pressure of their animal instincts. A large part of history is therefore replete with the struggle for those human rights, an eternal struggle in which a final victory can never be won. But to tire in that struggle would mean the ruin of society.

The Indian constitution contains in Part III, a Chapter on fundamental rights. The fundamental rights cover a broad spectrum, including

1. • the right to life and personal liberty;

2. • the right to equality and equal protection;

3. • freedom of conscience;

4. • the right to profess, practice and propagate religion;

5. • freedom of association and assembly,

6. • free movement within the territory of India, and

7. • freedom to practice a profession, trade or business.

The fundamental rights are not absolute because the freedoms that are recognized by Article 19 are subject to reasonable restrictions in a variety of contexts.

The law of patent, trademark law, copyright law and the law relating to industrial designs are the statutory enactments forming part of intellectual property law which have a bearing on the transfer of technology. There is one more branch of intellectual property law which also has a bearing on the transfer of technology and that is the law relating to confidential information or law relating to confidentiality. This law is not a written law; it is judge made law, in the sense that it is developed through cases.