The question (12 marks)
A State enacts a law abolishing a long-standing practice at village weddings. The Act is passed by the State legislature, its preamble announces that the practice is a shameful relic and must end at once, it creates only an offence with a heavy penalty, and enforcement is left to the village police, most of whom belong to the communities whose weddings are affected and who have said publicly that the practice is harmless. Three years later the practice continues and not a single prosecution has been brought. (a) Using Evan's conditions for a law to induce social change, explain why the statute has failed. (b) Redraft the strategy, not the offence: state what you would change so that the same object could be achieved. (12 marks)
MU Module IV, conditions of legal efficacy; pack ch. 04 §2.3.
Plan your answer on paper before you look at the authorities — issue first, then the rule, then apply it to these facts.
It tests Unit 4 · Law, Society and Social Thought of Sociology.
How an answer is marked
A full-marks answer names the issue in one line, states the rule with its section, cites the authority, applies it to these facts and concludes — in that order. The app's model answer for this question is written in exactly that shape, with a checklist to mark your own attempt against.