New Delhi, March 13 Supreme Court Judge Justice P S Narasimha praised a book on India's contract law for offering fresh perspectives on the subject.
Justice Narasimha was speaking at the launch of the book 'A Historical Introduction to Indian Contract Law' by Shivprasad Swaminathan, Dean at the Shiv Nadar School of Law.
"The way you (Swaminathan) have approached various topics in the contract act is insightful, and this kind of scholarship is definitely needed for all of us. I was thinking that this approach should also be adopted when interpreting other laws, particularly administrative law."
"The need of the hour is to revisit our union, our administrative law, and redefine the relationship between the state when it exercises its power, which affects citizens," the apex court judge said.
He said that with the advent of artificial intelligence, new self-executing smart contracts have emerged.
"How lawyers are enforcing contractual obligations to deal with every expression – be it a proposal, promise, consideration, and agreement enforceable through law – needs to be improved.
"We definitely need scholars like Shiv (the author) to redefine them and ensure that we don't stray from the original requirement of abiding by the rule of law. His guidance will be of immense importance in the future," Justice Narasimha said.
The book, published by Routledge, explores the historical foundations of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, examining how its core concepts were developed from English jurisprudence and interpreted by the country's courts over the last 150 years.
The book highlights instances where the drafters deliberately departed from English law and offered fresh perspectives for contemporary legal practice and scholarship.