396 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Ch. Ranbir Singh (East Punjab : General): It is affected, in Centrally Administered Areas.
Shri H. Siddaveerappa : No, it is not. Only the Centrally Administered Area is affected, which is a very small area. So far as this agricultural land is concerned, I think the time has come when we should undertake agrarian reform in the interests of our own agriculture and our own existence so far as food is concerned. Not only that, with regard to inheritance the time has come when we shall have to have some such thing as the law of primogeniture. In view of the fact that
90 per cent, of the people of this country are living in the villages and their property is mostly agricultural, and in view of the fact that this property of the 90 per cent, of the people is taken away from the operation of this Act, I believe the theory of fragmentation does not stand to logic or reasoning.
With regard to custom, some of my friends submitted that custom ever rides law, therefore any custom having the sanction of law should be accepted. I think many of us, who have experience as lawyers, can easily see how custom conveniently comes in handy to take away the effect of any benevolent law. I may give one instance. There is a provision in the Indian Penal Code under which if any girl is dedicated for an immoral purpose it is an offence. The marks of dedication are the tying of some heeds round the neck of the girl. Now the ingenuity of a lawyer was able to invent the custom of tying of beeds and apply that custom even in cases where the dedication was done for immoral purposes. Apart from this, we also know how on account of custom litigation sets in and how enormous amounts are spent in it, at least it was so in the previous regime. People used to spend enarmous amounts in getting a decision on any particular point and squander money over judges distinguishing between two different judgments. Today this Bill is so simple, so lucid, that without recourse to any lawyer, any man can for about four annas ascertain what his position is with regard to law.
Pandit Lakshmi Kanta Maitra : He can manage everything with four annas, you mean ?
Shri H. Siddaveerappa : It is quite possible. A day will come. We will have to try for that also. As a matter of fact, we have been seeing how these judicial decisions affect some of the property rights and other things. A judge comes to one decision and that will be law for some time. Tomorrow they may find out some other law,