 "High-stake gavel trouble")
Ignorantia juris non excusat, an old Latin phrase, means that ignorance of law is not an excuse to acquit someone for a crime committed. What is not taken into account are the innumerous obsolete laws of which, not only most people, but many lawyers and law enforcement agencies are unaware. Many of these can be traced back to the pre-Independence era.
For instance, the Indian Aircraft Act, 1934, which deems kites and balloons to be aircraft. This means one has to obtain a licence from competent authorities before flying them! Or, the Hackney-Carriage Act (repealed only in 2017), which provided
