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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Shailen Verma
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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2025.03.002
Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya, India
This article examines the evolution of India’s border laws from colonial to post-colonial periods, analyzing the continuities and transformations in legal frameworks governing territorial boundaries. Through historical-legal analysis of key legislation, policies, and judicial interpretations, the research demonstrates how colonial border regulations—primarily designed for imperial control—have been selectively preserved, modified, or replaced to serve post-independence imperatives. Findings reveal that 62% of colonial border management mechanisms persisted verbatim in post-colonial legislation, while regional variations created overlapping “legal border zones” with differential adaptation rates. The study identifies a significant shift from administrative boundaries toward securitized frontiers, with a 217% increase in religious and ethnic identifiers in post-1947 border legislation. This legal evolution reflects broader tensions between decolonization aspirations and inherited governance structures, creating what Cons (2016) terms “sensitive spaces” where exceptional legal regimes continue to operate. The research contributes to understanding how post-colonial states navigate the paradox of maintaining sovereignty through legal instruments originally designed for imperial control, with implications for borderland populations who experience persistent “legal liminality” despite constitutional protections.
border laws, post-colonial legal theory, India, partition, securitization, legal transplantation, citizenship, critical border studies, historical institutionalism, sovereignty
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