Interpretation Of Statute - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition interpretation-of-statute

Definition :

Interpretation of Statute, it is well-settled that in construing the provisions of statute the Courts should be slow to adopt a construction which tends to make any part of the statute meaningless or ineffective. Thus, an attempt must always be made to reconcile the relevant provisions so as to advance the remedy intended by the Statute, Board of Muslim Wakfs v. Radha Kishan, AIR 1979 SC 289: (1979) 2 SCR 148.

Interpretation of Statutes, as a general principle of interpretation, where the words of a statute are plain, precise and unambiguous, the intention of the legislature is to be gathered from the language of the statute itself and no external evidence such as parliamentary debates, reports of the commit-tees of the legislature or even the statement made by the Minister on the introduction of a measure or by the framers of the Act is admissible to construe those words. It is only where a statute is not exhaustive or where its language is ambiguous, uncertain, clouded or susceptible of more than one meaning or shades of meaning, that external evidence as to the evils, if any, which the statute was intended to remedy, or of the circumstances which led to the passing of the statute may be looked into for the purpose of ascertaining the object which the legislature had in view in using the words in question, Anandji Haridas & Co. Pvt. Ltd. v. Engineering Mazdoor Sangh, AIR 1975 SC 946 (949): (1975) 3 SCC 862.

It is a well-settled rule of interpretation, hallowed by time and sanctified by authority, that the meaning of an ordinary word is to be found not so much in a strict etymological propriety of language, nor even in popular use, as in the subject or occasion on which it is used and the object which is intended to be attained, Santa Singh v. State of Punjab, AIR 1976 SC 2386 (2389): (1976) 4 SCC 190.

A statute must be construed according to its plain language and neither should anything be added nor subtracted unless there are adequate grounds to justify the inference that the legislature clearly so intended, Assessing Authority-Cum-Excise and Taxation Officer v. East India Cotton Mfg. Co. Ltd., AIR 1981 SC 1610: (1981) 3 SCC 531.