Principles of Constitutional Interpretation | Overview Introduction Interpretation of the preamble of the Constitution General rules of interpretation of the Constitution Principles of Constitutional Interpretation Principle of Colourable Legislation Principle of pith and substance Principle of eclipse Principle of Severability Principle of Territorial Nexus Principle of Implied powers Conclusion Principles of Constitutional Interpretation I. Introduction The letters of……...

Laws enacted by the legislatures are interpreted by the judiciary using internal aids to construction as well as external aids. Introduction Laws enacted by the legislatures are interpreted by the judiciary. Enacted laws, especially the modern Acts and Rules, are drafted by legal experts and it could be expected that the language will leave little room for interpretation……...

Introduction When internal aids are not adequate, the court has to take recourse to external aids. External Aids may be parliamentary material, historical background, reports of a committee or a commission, official statement, dictionary meanings, foreign decisions, etc. In Prabhakar Rao and others v. State of A.P. and others[1],  O. Chennappa, Reddy J. has observed: Where internal aids are not forthcoming, we can……...

The object of all such ‘Rules of Construction’ as aforesaid broadly speaking, is to ascertain the true intent, meaning and spirit of every statute. A statute is designed to be workable, and the interpretation thereof by a court should be to secure that object unless crucial omission or clear direction makes that unattainable. Introduction The interpretation of laws……...