Being thorough with laws and relevant cases is essential for law students. Some of the best institutes for law in India like the Symbiosis Law School (SLS) emphasize on students cultivating the ability to analyze laws and unravel decision making behind them. New bills are being passed and amendments in laws are made by the Parliament.
Before law students delve into the analysis of laws it is necessary to understand the process of law making. This requires exploring the workings of the supreme legislative body of the country, the Parliament. The Parliament has the power to repeal, amend, and pass laws.
The Parliament consists of two houses: Upper House (Rajya Sabha) and Lower House (Lok Sabha). For a law to be recognized in India, it first needs to be introduced in the form of a ‘Bill’ in either House of the Parliament, and then must be passed by both houses along with approval from the President.
A bill is a proposed law that has not been passed yet. The bill can be introduced in either one of the Houses of the Parliament.
In the first stage known as the First Reading a general sketch of the bill is presented and its significance is discussed. A date for further discussion is set after this introduction stage.
The bill is then moved to a more important stage called the discussion stage or Second Reading. Lengthy consultations take place during this stage. Clauses in the bill may be accepted, amended, replaced, or disposed in the Second Reading.
Once the fine prints of the bill have been discussed, there is discourse on its applicability and overall impact. A debate takes place to determine those for or against the bill; this is followed by a vote on its adoption.
The bill once passed by a majority of members from one House, is passed to the next where the same process is repeated. After this the bill is sent to the President for assent. Finally the bill is notified and published in official government gazette and becomes an Act of Parliament.
Making themselves familiar with detailed workings of legal processes is as important as learning the law for students of this discipline. Only the best law schools in India ensure that their students do so. SLS which is a Hyderabad Law College is one such institute. Owing to such practices of learning, lawyers from SLS possess excellent technical knowledge of the law along with an acute sense of perception which holds them in good stead.