- Early in the 17th century, the British arrived on the Indian subcontinent. They were not bothered in the beginning by the many local and regional laws that were followed throughout the subcontinent.
- The universal criminal code was created in 1772 by Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal, with the concept that Muslims and Hindus should be treated equally before the law, marking the beginning of the East India Company’s establishment as the civil authorities.
- Warren Hasting also determined that the Shastras applied to Hindus and the laws of the holy Quran to Muslims as subjects of personal law. The Anglo-Hindu and Anglo-Islamic Personal Laws were administered and developed as a result of the British, who were ignorant of the Personal Laws, appointing Muslim jurists and Hindu pandits as consultants in their courts.
- Due to differing interpretations and certain allegations of corruption, the system of court Hindu pandits and Muslim jurists was abandoned after 1864, and the court judges alone interpreted the personal laws.
- Both Anglo-Hindu and Anglo-Islamic personal laws developed further during British control, mostly via case law but also through reforms and law commissions.
Nature of Family Laws in India