Introduction
The Republic of India is a constitutional democracy. It is a federation made up of 29 states and seven union and national territories. India's Central and state governments function in the Westminister style.
Use the resources listed below for general information about India.
- India Country Review (UniMelb staff & student access) Up to date summary of demographic, political, economic, business, cultural and environmental information.
- Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade - country brief - India (Open access) Includes country & trade information, travel information, and India's relationship with Australia
- CIA - The World Factbook (Open access) Information about India including geography, history, economy, military, and transnational issues.
- US Department of State Background Notes - India (Open Access)
- Europa World Plus: India (UniMelb staff & students)
- Indiastat (UniMelb staff & student access). Up to date socio-economic statistical information about India - on administrative units, agriculture, banks and financial institutions, civil supplies and consumer affairs, companies, co-operative, crime and law, demographics, economics, education, environment and pollution, foreign trade, forest and wildlife, geographical data, health, housing, industries, insurance, labour and workforce, market forecast, media, meterological data, mines and minerals, per capita availability, petroleum, power, rural and urban areas, social welfare schemes, sport, telecommunications, tourism, transport.
Indian History
- India, Raj & EmpireDrawing upon the wonderfully rich and diverse manuscript collections of the National Library of Scotland this resource will be of great value to all those teaching or researching into the History of South Asia between the foundation of the East India Company in 1615 and the granting of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947.
The Great Partition: The making of India and Pakistan by Call Number: eBookPublication Date: Yale University Press, 2017
Subjects, Citizens and Law: Colonial and independent India by Call Number: eBookPublication Date: Routledge, 2016
Government Information
- India.gov.in(open access) The National Portal of India
- Integrated Government Online Directory (IGOD)Developed and hosted by National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, this gateway to the government of Indian information on the web includes a Government of India directory, government policies, and information about any district in India with facts and statistics.
Indian Legal System
India's legal system is a mix of common, Muslim and customary law. See Juriglobe for further information(open access).
The main sources of law in India include the constitution, statutory laws, customary laws and case law. See:
- India's Legal Research and Legal SystemGlobaLex - by Rakesh Kumar Shrivastava (open access)
- Customary Law in IndiaInformation and resources relating to customary law in India from the Law Library of Congress (open access).
A good place to start your Indian legal research
- Halsbury's Laws of IndiaOn Lexis + Australia (UniMelb staff & students), this is a comprehensive online encyclopaedia of the Law in India, arranged alphabetically by topic. It contains commentary, and cites relevant legislation and significant cases. Click Browse in the top banner of Lexis + Australia and search for the publication.
- Kluwer Law Online(UniMelb staff & student access) includes full-text e-books on Indian law in the following subject areas:
~competition law
~constitutional law
~ criminal law
~ cyber law
~ energy law
~ environmental law
~ family and succession law
~ labour law
~ media law
~ medical law
~ religion
~ sports law
~ torts - Foreign Law Guide (Brill)India
(UniMelb staff & student access) - arranged alphabetically by broad topic. Includes commentary, and lists relevant legislation (with links to the legislation on the SCC database) and useful secondary sources such as books and articles on these topics.
Rule of Law and Human Rights in India
See:
- World Justice Project - Country Profile for IndiaLatest World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index (Full Report)
Rule of Law in India: A Quest for Reason by Call Number: eBookPublication Date: Oxford University Press, 2018
Latest Indian Judgments & Legislation Newsfeed
Latest judgments from the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court, as well as recent UK judgments and recent Acts and Notifications - from the High Court of Bombay Judges' Library Blog.
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Doing Business in India
- Doing Business in India (archive reports)This title has been discontinued, the World Bank still holds historical reports as linked. From the World Bank. Provides up to date statistics and other measures of business regulations and their enforcement in India.
- International Comparative Legal Guides - India(Open Access). Describes the law in 41 practice areas relevant to doing business in India - including employment law, tax, cartels, arbitration, finance and dispute resolution.
- LexologyLexology covers over 80 practice areas spanning competition & regulatory, dispute resolution & litigation, tax, white collar crime, IP, corporate, commercial, banking & finance, infrastructure & transport, energy & natural resources, insurance and compliance.
Other Research Guides on Indian Law
For other research guide on Indian legal research see:
- India's Legal Research and Legal SystemGlobaLex - by Rakesh Kumar Shrivastava (open access)
- HeinOnlineFor a comprehensive overview of Indian legal literature, see Uma Narayan, 'Basic Indian Legal Literature for Foreign Legal Professionals' (2009) 37(3) International Journal of Legal Information 333 (UniMelb staff & student access).
- Customary Law in IndiaInformation and resources relating to customary law in India from the Law Library of Congress (open access).
- Law Library of Congress Guide to Law Online: Nations(Open access) Research guides by country.
- IALS Library Research Guide: India(created by Dr. Priya Rai, Deputy Librarian, National Law University Delhi. Prepared for the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies) (open access)