The importance of this subject within the framework of legal studies cannot be over-emphasised. The courts have to administer justice according to law. The chief source of law is legislation. The other sources are precedents and customs. Every source of law finds its expression in a langauge. A language is the property of the people and not that of law, though some words may acquire special legal meaning and may become a part of the legal terminology. But by far, a great bulk of the words used in a legal draft belongs to the ordinary language. What meaning is to be given to a word used in a legislation, custom or precedent or in a private deed or will? Even the dictionary does not give the clear meaning of a word. It gives several alternative meanings applicable in different contexts and for different purposes so that no clear field for the application of a word can be identified. As long as expansion of meaning takes place uniformly, the law will develop along healthy lines. But if one judge takes the narrow view and another, a broad view, the law will mean different things for different persons and soon there will be race for window shopping for justice. Hence, it is necessary that there
should be some rules of interpretation to ensure just and uniform decisions. Such rules are called the rules of interpretation. They are the subject-matter of this brief introductory work.
The rules of interpretation are drawn from the general scope and intention of the instrument or legislation, from the nature of the transaction or the circumstances, from the legal rights of the parties independent of the instrument or law in question, and from many other relevant particulars. Interpretation is the process which is adopted for determination of the meaning of a writing, to determine from its known elements its true meaning or the intent of the framers of the documents. It is the art of finding out the true sense of any form of words, the sense which their author intended to convey. This art enables others to derive from the words the same idea which the author intended to convey and thereby to find out or collect the intention of a writer. The process involved is such that one source speaks something and another source picks it up, discovers its meaning and applies it to do justice between others. It is not a science but an art to find out the meaning of words in the context of a given situation. It is to this field of art that the present study is dedicated to enable those who are interested in knowing the elements of the subject.
Preface to the third edition ................................................................. v
Preface to the second edition ............................................................vii
Contents .............................................................................................. ix
Table of Cases ...................................................................................xiii
CHAPTER 1
Introduction and Basic Principles ........................................... 1
(I) MEANING OF INTERPRETATION OR CONSTRUCTION..................... 1
(II) INTENTION OF THE LEGISLATURE ................................................ 3
(III) STATUTE MUST BE READ AS A WHOLE IN ITS CONTEXT .........16
(IV) UT RES MAGIS VALEAT QUAM PEREAT ...................................22
(V) PLAIN OR ORDINARY MEANING ...............................................28
(VI) APPRAISAL OF PLAIN MEANING RULE .....................................32
(VII) RULE OF LITERAL CONSTRUCTION ............................................36
(VIII) STRICT CONSTRUCTION .............................................................57
(IX) BENEFICENT CONSTRUCTION ......................................................58
(X) HARMONIOUS CONSTRUCTION ...................................................69
(XI) MISCHIEF RULE ........................................................................77
(XII) PURPOSIVE CONSTRUCTION .......................................................81
(XIII) INTERPRETATION OF SPECIAL/PARTICULAR STATUTES ...............86
(XIV) CONSTRUCTION OF AMENDMENTS ............................................87
(XV) MIMANSA RULES OF INTERPRETATION ......................................88
CHAPTER 2
Internal Aids to Construction ................................................. 91
(I) LONG TITLE .............................................................................91
(II) PREAMBLE ................................................................................93
(III) HEADINGS ................................................................................95
(IV) MARGINAL NOTES ....................................................................97
(V) NOTES ................................................................................... 100
(VI) PUNCTUATION ....................................................................... 100
(VII) ILLUSTRATIONS ....................................................................... 102
(VIII) DEFINITION CLAUSES ............................................................. 103
(IX) PROVISO ................................................................................ 113
(X) EXPLANATION ........................................................................ 122
(XI) SCHEDULES ............................................................................ 124
(XII) TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS ..................................................... 125
(XIII) ARTICLES ............................................................................... 125
(XIV) EXCLUSIONARY CLAUSE ......................................................... 126
(XV) EXCEPTION/EXEMPTION ......................................................... 126
CHAPTER 3
External Aids to Construction .............................................. 129
(I) DICTIONARIES ........................................................................ 130
(II) FOREIGN DECISIONS ............................................................... 134
(III) PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY ..................................................... 136
(IV) HISTORICAL FACTS AND SURROUNDING CIRCUMSTANCES ....... 149
(V) SUBSEQUENT SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENTS AND SCIENTIFIC INVENTIONS ...................... 151
(VI) TEXT BOOKS .......................................................................... 159
(VII) REFERENCE TO OTHER STATUTES ........................................... 159
(VIII) CONTEMPORANEA EXPOSITIOEST FORTISSIMA IN LEGE ............. 178
(IX) WEBSITE ................................................................................ 182
CHAPTER 4
Subsidiary Rules of Interpretation ...................................... 183
(I) CONJUNCTIVE OR DISJUNCTIVE .............................................. 183
(II) SAME WORD SAME MEANING ............................................... 185
(III) USE OF DIFFERENT WORDS .................................................. 186
(IV) RULE OF LAST ANTECEDENT ................................................. 187
(V) NON OBSTANTE CLAUSE ....................................................... 189
(VI) LEGAL FICTIONS .................................................................... 194
(VII) MANDATORY AND DIRECTORY PROVISIONS ........................... 199
(VIII) CONSTRUCTION OF GENERAL WORDS ................................... 219
(IX) CASUS OMISSUS ..................................................................... 229
(X) EXPRESSIO UNIUS EST EXCLUSIO ALTERIUS ............................. 234
(XI) EXPRESSUM FACIT CESSARE TACITUM ..................................... 234
(XII) GENERALIA SPECIALIBUS NON DEROGANT ............................. 234
(XIII) READING DOWN A PROVISION .............................................. 238
(XIV) ANOMALY, AMBIGUITY, ABSURDITY, HARDSHIP,
REDUNDANCY AND REPUGNANCY ...................................... 239
(XV) PRESUMPTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY ................................... 243
(XVI) CONSTRUCTION IN FAVOUR OF ADVANCEMENT OF
OBJECT OF THE STATUTE ................................................... 245
(XVII) CONSIRUCTION IN FAVOUR OF JUSTICE AND REASON ............. 246
CHAPTER 5
Operation of Statutes ............................................................. 247
(I) COMMENCEMENT ................................................................... 247
(II) RETROSPECTIVE OPERATION.................................................... 248
(III) PRESUMPTION AGAINST EXCEEDING CONSTITUTIONAL
POWERS ............................................................................. 271
(IV) PRESUMPTION AGAINST EXCEEDING TERRITORIAL NEXUS ........ 277
(V) OTHER RELEVANT CONSIDERATIONS RELATING
TO OPERATION .................................................................. 282
CHAPTER 6
Statutes Affecting the Crown or the State .......................... 291
(I) THE RULE OF COMMON LAW ............................................... 291
(II) THE RULE IN INDIA ............................................................... 296
CHAPTER 7
Statutes Affecting Jurisdiction of Courts ........................... 299
(I) GENERAL PRINCIPLES ............................................................. 299
(II) THE EXTENT OF EXCLUSION .................................................. 310
(III) EXCLUSION OF JURISDICTION OF SUPERIOR COURTS ............... 319
CHAPTER 8
Expiry and Repeal of Statutes .............................................. 321
(I) PERPETUAL AND TEMPORARY STATUTES ................................ 321
(II) EFFECT OF EXPIRY OF TEMPORARY STATUTES ....................... 322
(III) REPEAL MAY BE EXPRESS OR IMPLIED ................................... 325
(IV) EXPRESS REPEAL .................................................................... 326
(V) IMPLIED REPEAL .................................................................... 327
(VI) CONSEQUENCES OF REPEAL ................................................... 332
(VII) SUBORDINATE LEGISLATION UNDER REPEALED STATUTE ......... 338
(VIII) QUASI REPEAL BY DESUETUDE .............................................. 338
CHAPTER 9
Strict Construction of Taxing Statutes ............................... 341
(I) STRICT CONSTRUCTION OF TAXING STATUTES ........................ 341
(II) EVASION OF STATUTES .......................................................... 354
CHAPTER 10
Remedial and Penal Statutes ................................................ 359
(I) DISTINCTION BETWEEN REMEDIAL AND PENAL STATUTES ....... 359
(II) LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION OF REMEDIAL STATUTES .................. 361
(III) STRICT CONSTRUCTION OF PENAL STATUTES .......................... 366
(IV) MENS REA IN STATUTORY OFFENCES ..................................... 375
(V) VICARIOUS LIABILITY IN STATUTORY OFFENCES ...................... 381
(VI) MENS REA UNDER THE INDIAN PENAL CODE ....................... 384
CHAPTER 11
Delegated Legislation ............................................................ 385
(I) FORMS OF DELEGATED LEGISLATION ..................................... 385
(II) CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITS OF DELEGATED LEGISLATION ........... 386
(III) DELEGATED LEGISLATION AND JUDICIAL REVIEW ................... 393
(IV) PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS ................................................. 398
(V) POWERS IMPLIED FROM GENERAL CLAUSES ACT 1897 .......... 404
(VI) ENABLING ACTS AND DELEGATED LEGISLATION .................... 405
(VII) SUB-DELEGATION ................................................................... 408
APPENDIX
The General Clauses Act 1897
(Act No X of 1897) .................................................................... 411
Index ............................................................................................... 449
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