Unjust Laws

Gandhi fought against unjust Laws of the British as the British had conquered India. Gandhi for whom Ahimsa was of prime importance believed that unjust Laws are no Laws and people should not co-operate with them. As against this, Socrates, the world`s most-wisest man, did not defend his case against unjust Laws of Athens. He accepted the Athenian Laws as his parents and accepted the punishment bestowed by them. Socrates believed in dying for his beliefs. Socrates explained that Athens gave him a life and now he did not want to fight against the Athenian Laws.

Cicero believed that Unjust Laws should not be obeyed because they lack the quality of Law. Callicles expressed that an innocent individual suffers at the hands of unjust men and he advises for one`s good to not submit to such Laws if one can get away with it. Aristotle also said that Laws maybe enforced by tyrants.

According to St. Augustine, the worldly Laws must fulfil the demands of the eternal Laws. If the provisions of the worldly Laws are contrary to God`s Law then they must be disregarded.” Justice being taken away then, what are Kingdom`s but great robberies?” Isidore of Seville also reiterated that only just rulers should be respected. St. Thomas Aquinas has incorporated the concept of reason in his definition of Law. According to him, “ an unjust and unreasonable Law, and one which is repugnant to the Law of nature, is not a Law, but a pervasion of Law.” However, he qualifies his views that sometimes one must yield to an unreasonable Law if it does good to the public at large. He also believes that sometimes we need to rebel against unjust Laws as we need to obey God rather than men.

Law is sometimes an instrument to check the tyrannical and despotic governments.