Articles by Akhileshwar Pathak

A proposed amendment to the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, gives the right to a consumer to set aside an unfair contract, and cancel, at will, a contract within 30 days of receiving the goods or services. A proposed Consumer Protection Authority will bring about effective checks on unfair advertising and trade practices. The amendment introduces product liability against manufacturers and vendors. The text of the amendment needs reworking and fine-tuning.

Co-operative in Dry Land A Fragile Existence The paper is a study of the dynamic interaction between the text of the dairy co-operative society and the context of dry land agriculture in a tribal-peasant set-up. It highlights the intertwining of the normative structure and the institutional arrangements (the text) and the socio-economic context resulting in a fragile stability of the particular co-operative society. However, with the realignment of the forces (not necessarily located in the village) and the subsequent changes in the institutional arrangements such primary co-operative societies may face disintegration. Thereby, the dry regions and largely the subsistence-oriented rural producers may get exposed to the reinstated interlocked market.

Sociology of Law in India Postscripts and Prospects As social change/reproduction is not affected by any single social stratum in isolation. different strata perceive social forces differently, depending on their location in the existing order, and attempt to modify them. Evolution of law is part of this social process. The text of law is itself a register of these negotiations and is therefore a contested domain.