Is The Law Enough To Address Inequality In India?

Niharika Singh, B.A., LL.B. (Hons.), Chanakya National Law University, Patna

ABSTRACT

Our dominant understanding of law and its potential to address the yawning inequality, revolves around the aspect that the strengthening of the legal institutions shapes economic behaviour. Unlike this, this essay raises the question: What if legal institutions are crafted by the state to manage the problem of inequality and not address it to the core? The welfare legislations promulgated by the State with the intent to address inequality has not turned out to be effective but rather it is acting as an apparatus to limit the voice raising questions about it. The narrative of the economic growth set forth by the State and fostering it to deal with inequality it is a blurred picture of social welfare. The government, in actuality, is not exhibiting to address the problem of inequality, rather through its various laws and legislations, providing it with a platform to flourish it. The State ensures that with the strengthening of the legal institutions, the problem of inequality can be addressed effectively but is it really true or the State just trying to manage it and while managing it, reproducing inequality through its legal institutions. The State crafted the legal institutions to manage the problem of inequality, we can see it, only, if we are able to take the veil off from our eyes of the whole structure of economic growth which is widening the gap of inequality.

Keywords: State, Legal Institutions, Inequality, Income, Wealth, Economic Disparity, Economic Growth, Post-Covid, Neo liberalization.