DIFFERENT RULES OF INTERPRETATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CONSTITUTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3
INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION.........................................................................3
Harmonious Construction..........................................................................................4
Interpretation of the preamble of the constitution.................................................4
General rules of interpretation of the constitution................................................5
Historical interpretation.............................................................................................5
Contemporary interpretation.....................................................................................5
KINDS OF INTERPRETATION................................................................................................5
Textual interpretation plain meaning rule........................................................5
Logical interpretation.................................................................................................7
The mischief rule..........................................................................................................7
Rule of casus omissus..................................................................................................8
Literal interpretation..................................................................................................8
Exceptions to the rule of literal interpretation.................................................10
Rule of ejusdem generis............................................................................................11
INTERNAL AID OF INTERPRETATION.................................................................................12
Internal Aids...............................................................................................................12
Preamble......................................................................................................................12
Title...............................................................................................................................13
Long title......................................................................................................................13
Short Title...................................................................................................................13
Marginal notes............................................................................................................13
Proviso..........................................................................................................................13
Headings......................................................................................................................14
Definition/ Interpretation clause...........................................................................14
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Punctuation.................................................................................................................14
Explanations...............................................................................................................14
Conjunctive and Disjunctive words.......................................................................15
Gender..........................................................................................................................15
Exceptions and savings clause................................................................................15
Schedules.....................................................................................................................15
Illustrations................................................................................................................15
Meaning of the words................................................................................................15
LEGAL FICTION..................................................................................................................16
EXTERNAL AID TO INTERPRETATION................................................................................17
Historical settings......................................................................................................17
Objects and reason....................................................................................................17
Extemporaneous exposition......................................................................................18
Government publications.........................................................................................18
Bill................................................................................................................................18
Select Committee Report..........................................................................................18
Judicial interpretation of words.............................................................................18
Analogy and legal fiction..........................................................................................18
Text books and dictionaries.....................................................................................19
International Conventions.......................................................................................19
History of legislation.................................................................................................19
Previous English law.................................................................................................19
INTERPRETATION OF PENAL STATUTES............................................................................20
General principle.......................................................................................................20
Mens rea in statutory offences.................................................................................22
CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................................23
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INTRODUCTION
The term interpretation means To give meaning to. Governmental power
has been divided into three wings namely the legislature, the executive and
the judiciary. Interpretation of statues to render justice is the primary
function of the judiciary. It is the duty of the Court to interpret the Act and
give meaning to each word of the Statute.

The most common rule of interpretation is that every part of the statute must
be understood in a harmonious manner by reading and construing every part
of it together.
The maxim A Verbis legis non est recedendum means that you must not vary
the words of the statute while interpreting it.

The object of interpretation of statutes is to determine the intention of the

legislature conveyed expressly or impliedly in the language used.

In Santi swarup Sarkar v pradeep kumar sarkar, the Supreme Court held
that if two interpretations are possible of the same statute, the one which
validates the statute must be preferred.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

The constitution is an organic instrument. It is the fundamental law. The
general rule adopted for construing a written constitution is the same as for
construing any other statute. The constitution should be interpreted so as to
give effect to all its parts.
There are basically three types of interpretation of the constitution.

Harmonious Construction.

The Supreme Court held in Re Kerala Education Bill that in deciding the
fundamental rights, the court must consider the directive principles and
adopt the principle of harmonious construction so two possibilities are given
effect as much as possible by striking a balance.

In Qureshi v State of Bihar, The Supreme Court held that while the state
should implement the directive principles, it should be done in such a way so
as not to violate the fundamental rights.
In Shajahan v Mrs. Kamala Narayana, the Supreme Court held that
harmonious interpretation of the legislation is justified if it makes effective
use of any other provision in the same or another enactment.
In Bhatia International v Bulk Trading SA, it was held that if more than one
interpretation is possible for a statute, then the court has to choose the
interpretation which depicts the intention of the legislature.

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Interpretation of the preamble of the constitution.

The preamble cannot override the provisions of the constitution.
In Re Berubari, the Supreme Court held that the Preamble was not a part of
the constitution and therefore it could not be regarded as a source of any
substantive power.
In Keshavananda Bharathis case, the Supreme Court rejected the above view
and held the preamble to be a part of the constitution. The constitution must
be read in the light of the preamble. The preamble could be used for the
amendment power of the parliament under Art. 368 but basic elements
cannot be amended.
The 42nd Amendment has inserted the words Secularism, Socialism and
Integrity in the preamble.

General rules of interpretation of the constitution

1. If the words are clear and unambiguous, they must be given full effect.
2. The constitution must be read as a whole.
3. Principles of Harmonious construction must be applied.
4. The constitution must be interpreted in a broad and liberal sense.
5. The court has to infer the spirit of the constitution from the language.
6. Internal and External aids may be used while interpreting.
7. The Constitution prevails over other statutes.

Historical interpretation
Ambiguities

and

uncertainties

while

interpreting

the

constitutional

provisions can be clarified by referring to earlier interpretative decisions.

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Contemporary interpretation.
The constitution must be interpreted in the light of the present scenario. The
situation and circumstances prevalent today must be considered.

KINDS OF INTERPRETATION
Textual interpretation plain meaning rule
Under the textual interpretation, the most important is the language of the
Constitution. Justice Marshall wrote in Sturgesv. Crowninshield: (L Ed
p. 550)
[A]lthough the spirit of an instrument, especially of a Constitution, is
to be respected not less than its letter, yet the spirit is to be collected
chiefly from its words. ... if, in any case, the plain meaning of a provision,
not contradicted by any other provision in the same instrument, is to be
disregarded, because we believe the framers of that instrument could not
intend what they say, it must be one in which the absurdity and injustice
of applying the provision to the case would be so monstrous that all
mankind would, without hesitation, unite in rejecting the application.
Justice Marshall did not equate plain meaning with literal meaning but
rather the meaning that it would have for a normal speaker of English
under the circumstances in which it was used. Even on the principle of
textual interpretation, American courts from case to case expressed a

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consistent view that such is the character of human language that no word
conveys to the mind, in all situations, one single definite idea; and nothing is
more common than to use words in a figurative sense. The words thus are
used in the text of the Constitution in various senses and their construction,
the subject, the context, the intention of the person using them, are all to be
taken into view. The words of the Constitution are required to be construed in
the social and linguistic context of the society. Every nation governed by a
Constitution is undergoing changes in social and economic relations, in
technology and in values. An interpreter of the Constitution from a long
period of time from its original framers, would have discovered the context in
which the particular constitutional provision was adopted. The modern
interpreter, therefore, should attempt to read the provisions not only in their
original social and linguistic context but in its modern context or in case some
way that mediates between the two. The question then is always to ascertain
the purpose of the provision or the intent of the framers. The view is that
the context of the Constitution has to be read in the social and linguistic
context in which it was adopted. So far as our Supreme Court is concerned, it
has always held that there is a greater reason in giving to its language a
liberal construction so as to include within its ambit the future developments
in various fields of human activities than in restricting the language to the
state of things existing at the time of passing of the Constitution. A
Constitution unlike other Acts is intended to provide an enduring instrument
to serve through a long lapse of ages without frequent revision. It is not only
designed to meet the needs of the day when it is enacted but also the needs of

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the altering conditions of the future. The fields of legislation, the ideals and
the rights are expressed in general terms which are compressed sentences if
not chapters. In the interpretation of constitutional documents words are but
a framework of concepts and concepts may change more than words
themselves. The significance of the change of the concepts themselves is vital
and the constitutional issues are not solved by a mere appeal to the meaning
of the words without an acceptance of the line of their growth. The Supreme
Court said that the intention of the Constitution is rather to outline
principles than to engrave details.

Logical interpretation
If the words of a statute give rise to two or more construction, then the
construction which validates the object of the Act must be given effect while
interpreting.
It is better to validate a thing than to invalidate it or it is better the Act
prevails than perish.
The purpose of construction is to ascertain the intention of the parliament.

The mischief rule

The mischief rule of interpretation originated in Heydons case. If there are
two interpretations possible for the material words of a statute, then for sure
and true interpretation there are certain considerations in the form of
questions.

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The following questions must be considered.

1. What was the common law before making the Act?

2. What was the mischief and defect for which the common law did not
provide a remedy?
3. What is the remedy resolved by the parliament to cure the disease of
the common wealth?
4. The true reason of the remedy.
The judge should always try to suppress the mischief and advance the
remedy. The mischief rule says that the intent of the legislature behind the
enactment should be followed.

Rule of casus omissus

Generally, the court is bound to harmonize the various provisions of an Act
passed by the legislature during interpretation so that repugnancy is avoided.
Sometimes certain matters might have been omitted in a statute. In such
cases, they cannot be added by construction as it amounts to making of laws
or amending which is a function of legislature. A new provision cannot be
added in a statute giving it meaning not otherwise found therein. A word
omitted from the language of the statute, but within the general scope of the
statute, and omitted due to inadvertence is known as Casus Omissus.

In Padma Sundara Rao v State of Tamil Nadu it was held that the
cassus omissus cannot be supplied by the court except in the case of a clear

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necessity and when reason for it is found within the four corners of the
statute itself.

Literal interpretation
Giving words their ordinary and natural meaning is known as literal
interpretation or litera legis. It is the duty of the court not to modify the
language of the Act and if such meaning is clear and unambiguous, effect
should be given to the provisions of a statute whatever may be the
consequence. The idea behind such a principle is that the legislature, being
the supreme law making body must know what it intends in the words of the
statute. Literal interpretation has been called the safest rule because the
legislatures intention can be deduced only from the language through which
it has expressed itself.

The bare words of the Act must be construed to get the meaning of the statute
and one need not probe into the intention of the legislature. The elementary
rule of construction is that the language must be construed in its
grammatical and literal sense and hence it is termed as litera legis or litera
script.
The Golden Rule is that the words of a statute must prima facie be given
their ordinary meaning. This interpretation is supreme and is called the
golden rule of interpretation.

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In Ramanjaya Singh v Baijnath Singh, the Election tribunal set aside the
election of the appellant under s 123(7) of the Representation of Peoples Act,
1951 on the grounds that the appellant had employed more persons than
prescribed for electioneering purpose. The appellant contended that the
excess employees were paid by his father and hence were not employed by
him. The Supreme Court followed the grammatical interpretation of S 123(7)
and termed the excess employees as volunteers.

In Maqbool Hussain v State of Bombay, the appellant, a citizen of India,

on arrival at an airport did not declare that he brought gold with him. Gold,
found in his possession during search in violation of government notification,
was confiscated under S 167 (8) Sea Customs Act, 1878. He was charged
under s 8 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947. The appellant
pleaded that his trial under the Act was violative of Art 20(2) of the
constitution relating to double jeopardy as he was already punished for his
act by was of confiscation of the gold. It was held by the Supreme Court that
the sea customs authority is not a court or a judicial tribunal and the
confiscation is not a penalty. Consequently his trial was valid under the Act of
1947.

In Madan mohan v K.Chandrashekara, it was held that when a statute

contains strict and stringent provisions, it must be literally and strictly
construed to promote the object of the act.

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In Bhavnagar University v Palitana Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, it was held

that according to the fundamental principles of construction the statute
should be read as a whole, then chapter by chapter, section by section and
then word by word.

In Municipal board v State transport authority, Rajasthan, an

application against the

change of location of a bus stand could be made

within 30 days of receipt of order of regional transport authority according to

s 64 A of the Motor vehicles Act, 1939. The application was moved after 30
days on the contention that statute must be read as 30 days from the
knowledge of the order

The Supreme Court held that literal interpretation must be made and hence
rejected the application as invalid.

In Raghunandan Saran v M/s Peary Lal workshop Pvt Ltd, the supreme
court validated 14 ( 2) of the Delhi Rent Control Act 1958 and provided the
benefit of eviction on account of non payment of rent. The Supreme Court
adopted grammatical interpretation.

Exceptions to the rule of literal interpretation

Generally a statute must be interpreted in its grammatical sense but under
the following circumstances it is not possible:Logical defects
A) ambiguity
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B) inconsistency
C) incompleteness or lacunae
D) unreasonableness

Rule of ejusdem generis

Ejusdem generis means of the same kind. Generally particular words are
given their natural meaning provided the context does not require otherwise.
If general words follow particular words pertaining to a class, category or
genus then it is construed that general words are limited to mean the person
or thing of the same general class, category or genus as those particularly
exposed.
Eg: if the husband asks the wife to buy bread, milk and cake and if the wife
buys jam along with them, it is not invalidated merely because of not
specifying it but is valid because it is of the same kind.

The basic rule is that if the legislature intended general words to be used in
unrestricted sense, then it need not have used particular words at all. This
rule is not of universal application.
In Devendra Surti v State of Gujarat, under s2 (4) of the Bombay shops
and Establishments Act, 1948 the term commercial establishment means an
establishments which carries any trade, business or profession. Here the
word profession is associated to business or trade and hence a private doctors
clinic cannot be included in the above definitions as under the rule of
Ejusdem Generis.

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In Grasim Industries Ltd v Collector of Customs, Bombay, the rule of

Ejusdem Generis is applicable when particular words pertaining to a class,
category or genus are followed by general words.
In such a case the general words are construed as limited to things of the
same kind as those specified.

Every clause of a statute must be construed with reference to other clauses of

the Act.

INTERNAL AID OF INTERPRETATION

Statute generally means the law or the Act of the legislature authority. The
general rule of the interpretation is that statutes must prima facie be given
this ordinary meaning. If the words are clear, free from ambiguity there is no
need to refer to other means of interpretation. But if the words are vague and
ambiguous then internal aid may be sought for interpretation.

Internal Aids

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If the words of a statute are ambiguous then the context must be taken
into consideration. The context includes other provisions of the statute, its
preamble, the existing state of law and other legal provisions. The
intention behind the meaning of the words and the circumstances

under

which they are framed must be considered.

Preamble
The Act Starts with a preamble and is generally small. The main objective
and purpose of the Act are found in the Preamble of the Statute. Preamble is
the Act in a nutshell. It is a preparatory statement. It contains the recitals
showing the reason for enactment of the Act. If the language of the Act is
clear the preamble must be ignored. The preamble is an intrinsic aid in the
interpretation of an ambiguous act.
In Kashi Prasad v State, the court held that even though the preamble cannot
be used to defeat the enacting clauses of a statute, it can be treated as a key
for the interpretation of the statute.

Title
Title is not part of enactment. So it cannot be legally used to restrict the plain
meaning of the words in an enactment.

Long title

The heading of the statute is the long title and the general purpose is
described in it.
E.g. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, the long title reads as follows
An Act to make provisions for the prevention of adulteration of food.
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In Re Kerala Education bill, the Supreme Court held that the policy and
purpose may be deduced from the long title and the preamble.

In Manohar Lal v State of Punjab, Long title of the Act is relied as a guide
to decide the scope of the Act.

Short Title

The short title of the Act is purely for reference only. The short title is merely
for convenience. E.g. The Indian Penal Code, 1860.

Marginal notes
Marginal notes are the notes that are printed at the side of the section in an
Act and it summarizes the effect of the section. They are not part of the
statute. So they must not be considered. But if there is any ambiguity they
may be referred only as an internal aid to the construction.
In Wilkes v Goodwin, the Court held that the side notes are not part of the
Act and hence marginal notes cannot be referred.

Proviso
A proviso merely carves out something from the section itself. A proviso is a
subsidiary to the main section and has to be construed in the light of the
section itself. Ordinarily, a proviso is intended to be part of the section and
not an addendum to the main provisions. A proviso should receive strict
construction. The court is not entitled to add words to a proviso with a view to
enlarge the scope.

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Headings
A group of Sections are given under a heading which act as their preamble.
Sometimes a single section might have a preamble. S.378-441 of IPC is
Offences against property.
Headings are prefixed to sections. They are treated as preambles. If there is
ambiguity in the words of a statute, headings can be referred.
In Durga Thathera v Narain Thathera, the court held that the headings
are like a preamble which helps as a key to the mind of the legislature but do
not control the substantive section of the enactment.

Definition/ Interpretation clause

The legislature can lay down legal definitions of its own language, if such
definitions are embodied in the statute itself, it becomes binding on the
courts.
When the act itself provides a dictionary for the words used, the court must
first look into that dictionary for interpretation.
In Mayor of Portsmouth v Smith, the court observed The introduction of
interpretation clause is a novelty.

Punctuation
Punctuation is disregarded in the construction of a statute. Generally there
was no punctuation in the statutes framed in England before 1849.
Punctuation cannot control, vary or modify the plain and simple meaning of
the language of the statute.

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Explanations
IN certain provisions of an Act explanations may be needed when doubts
arise as to the meaning of the particular section.
Explanations are given at the end of each section and it is part and parcel of
the enactment.

Conjunctive and Disjunctive words

The word and is conjunctive and the word or is disjunctive. These words
are often interchangeable. The word and can be read as or and or can be
read as and.

Gender

Words using the masculine gender is deemed to include females too.

Exceptions and savings clause

To exempt certain clauses from the preview of the main provisions, and
exception clause is provided. The things which are not exempted fall within
the purview of the main enactment.
The saving clause is also added in cases of repeal and re-enactment of a
statute.

Schedules
Schedules form part of a statute. They are at the end and contain minute
details for working out the provisions of the express enactment. The
expression in the schedule cannot override the provisions of the express
enactment.
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Inconsistency between schedule and the Act, the Act prevails. (Ramchand
textiles v sales tax officer)

Illustrations

Illustrations in enactment provided by the legislature are valuable aids in the

understanding the real scope.

Meaning of the words

The definition of the words given must be construed in the popular sense.
Internal aid to construction is important for interpretation.

LEGAL FICTION
Legal fiction is defined as:1. A legal assumption that a thing is true which is either not true, or
which is probably false.
2. An assumption of law that something which is false is true.
3. A state of facts exists which has never really existed.
A legal fiction is a devise by which the law deliberately departs from the
truth of things for some reason. E.g. A foreigner was treated to be a
Roman citizen for the purpose of jurisdiction.
Legal fiction is treated in the provisions of an enactment by using the
term is deemed.

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The deeming provision is for the purpose of assuming the existence of fact
does not really exist.

In New India Assurance Co. Ltd v Complete Insulation Pvt Ltd, the
Supreme Court held that legal fiction created under S.157 of the Motor
Vehicles Act, 1988, the transfer of 3 rd party insurance is deemed to have
effect from buyer to seller.

In Bengal Immunity Co Ltd v State of Bihar, The Supreme Court that the
legal fiction should not be extended beyond its legitimate limits.
In Pandurang Vinayak v State of Bombay, the Supreme Court held that
for the purpose of legal fiction, the word ordinance is to be read as
enactment.
In Bombay corporation v CIT Bombay, S 43 of the Income Tax Act
provided that under certain circumstances, an agent is for all the purpose
of this Act, deemed to be an agent of a non-resident person. Such agent is
deemed to be an assessee.
In Avatar Singh v State of Punjab, it was held that rules framed in
contravention of the Electricity Act, 1910 are separate and hence theft of
electricity is not an offence under the IPC.

Legal fiction is an important subsidiary rule of interpretation of Statute.

It is useful in deciding case where certain things are presumed to exist in
fact of their non-existences.

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EXTERNAL AID TO INTERPRETATION

Other than the internal aid to interpretation which are part of a statute itself
there are other aids which are not part of the statute. These are known as
external aid to interpretation. The court can consider recourse outside the
Act such as historical settings, objects and reasons, bills, debates, text books,
dictionaries etc.
Recourse to external aid is justified only to well-recognized limits.

Historical settings
The surrounding circumstances and situations which led to the passing of the
Act can be considered for the purpose of construing a statute.

Objects and reason.

The statements and object cannot be used as an aid to construction. The
statements of object and reason are not only admissible as an aid to
construction of a statute.
Objects and reasons of a statute is to be looked into as an extrinsic aid to find
out the legislative intent, only when the language is obscure or ambiguous.

Extemporaneous exposition

In interpreting old statutes, the construction by the judges who lived at the
time of the enactment could be referred as 9it is best to understand the
intentions of the makers of the statute.

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Government publications
They are:A) Reports of commissioner or committee
B) Other documents.
Only if the above documents are expressly referred to in the statute, they can
be looked at for the purpose of construction.

Bill

Only when the language is ambiguous, bills can be referred.

Select Committee Report

To ascertain the legislative intent of a doubtful meaning of a statute, report
of legislative committee of the proposed law can be referred.
The report of the Select committee can be looked into from an historical angle
to find out what was the previous law, before and at the time of enacting the
statute.
8. Debate and proceedings of the legislature.
A speech made in the course of a debate on a bill could be referred to find out
the intent of the speaker. Speeches made in the parliament can also be
referred.

Judicial interpretation of words

It is an accepted principle of law that if a word has received clear judicial
interpretation, then the word is interpreted according to the judicial
meaning.
E.g. Rule in Ryland v Fletcher, absolute liability has become a fixed and
standing rule.
If definition is not given, popular meaning must be construed.
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Analogy and legal fiction

Analogy means governed by the same general principle.

Text books and dictionaries.

The use of dictionaries is limited to circumstances where the judges and
Counsels use different words.
In such cases the court may make use of standard authors and well known
authoritative dictionaries. Text books may also be refereed to for assistance in
finding out the true construction of a statute.

International Conventions.
International conventions are generally not resorted to for the purpose of
interpretation, but it helps as an external aid for the purpose of resolving
ambiguities in the language.

History of legislation

The history of legislation usually denotes the course of events which gibe rise
to enactments. The court may refer historical facts if it is necessary to
understand the subject matter.

Previous English law

It is not legal and correct to apply decisions of English acts to the

construction of an Indian statute.

Others external aids include interpretation by the executive, foreign decisions

which include policy of the legislature and government policy, purpose of the
Act conventions and practices.
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Spirit and reason of law.

The purpose of a statute is the reason of enactment, but the spirit or
reason of law is connected with the legislative intent.
Acts in Pari material
When a statute is ambiguous, the intention of the legislature may be
gathered from statutes relating to same subject. The definitions cannot be
generally imported.
Other external aids include interpretation of later Acts with the help of
earlier Acts and words and expressions used in different Act.

INTERPRETATION OF PENAL STATUTES

General principle
The rule that a statute enacting an offence or imposing a penalty in strictly
construed is now only of limited application and it serves in the selection of
one when two or more construction are reasonably open.
The rule was originally evolved to mitigate the rigor of monstrous sentences
for trivial offences and although that necessity has now almost vanished, the
difference in approach made to a penal statute as against any other statute
stick persists.
According to Lord Esher, the settled rule of construction of penal section is
that if there is reasonable interpretation which will avoid the penalty in any
particular case we must adopt that construction. If there are two reasonable
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constructions can be put upon a penal provision, the court must lean toward
that construction which exempts the subject from the penalty rather than the
one which imposes penalty.
There are two elements of crime; the Actus Reus and the mens rea.
In Noakes v Dancaster Amalgamated collieries ltd, Maxwell cited that where
to apply words literally would defeat the obvious intention of the legislation
and produce a wholly unreasonable result. Then the court must do some
violence to the words and so achieve that obvious intention and produce a
rational construction.
But the full bench rejected the argument of futility based on Noakes V
Dancaster amalgamated colliery ltd in tolarams case. On appeal the
Supreme Court held that court is not competent to stretch the meaning of the
expression used by the legislature in order to carry out the intention of the
legislature- Mahajan.J .
Even if one were to disregard the rule of construction based on futilities the
only reasonable way of construction is provided by ensuring that the language
is not stretched and rule of strict construction is not violated.
In M.V.Joshi v M.V Shimpi, it was held that it is now well settled that in the
absence of clear compelling language, the provision should not be given a
wider interpretation.
A penal statute must be construed according to its plain, natural and
grammatical meaning. (R v Hunt 1987)
In deciding the essential ingredients of the offence, substance and reality of
the language and not its form will be important. When the intention is not

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clearly indicated by linguistic construction then regard must be given to the

mischief at which the act is aimed.
Rule of construction in penal statutes does not prevent the court from
interpreting a statute according to its current meaning and applying the
language to cover developments in science and technology not known at the
time of passing the statute.
In R v Ireland (1987), Psychiatric injury caused by silent telephone calls was
held to amount to assault and bodily harm under the person Act, 1861 in the
light of the current scientific appreciation of the link between the body and
psychiatric injury.
In applying and interpreting a penal statute, public policy is also taken into
consideration. In R v Brown, the House of Lords held that consensual
sadomasochistic homosexual encounters which occasioned actual bodily harm
to the victim were assaults.
Following are some of the propositions important in relation to strict
construction of penal statutes.
1. if the scope of prohibitory words cover only some class of persons or
some well defined activity, their scope cannot be extended to cover more
on consideration of policy or object if the statute.
2.

Prohibitory words can be widely construed only if indicated in the

statute. On the other hand if after full consideration no indication is
found the benefit of construction will be given to the subject.

3. If the prohibitory words in their own signification bear wider meaning

which also fits in with the object or policy of the statute.

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Mens rea in statutory offences.

This principle is expressed in the maxim Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit
rea which means that the existence of a guilty intent is an essential
ingredient of a crime at common law.
Mens Rea is the state of mind stigmatized as wrongful by the criminal law.
Crimes involving mens rea are of two types.
a. crimes of basic intent ( does not go beyond Actus Reus)
b. Crimes of specific intent (foresight of its consequence and has a
purposive element).
c. Words such as voluntarily, knowingly, dishonestly, fraudulently are
used to signify the state of mind.]

The modern tendency is in favour of the view that principles of construction

do not vary with statutes.
The juristic parlance today uses the expression that a proper construction
should be made whether the statute is penal or fiscal.
Normally the words used in the statute are to be construed in their ordinary
meaning. However such approach always does not meet the ends of fair and a
reasonable construction. Exclusive reliance on the bare dictionary meaning of
words may not provide proper construction.
That is why in deciding the true scope and effect of the relevant words in any
statutory provision as observed by Halsbury, the words should be construed
in the light of their context rather than what may be either their strict
etymological sense or their popular meaning apart from the context.
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Thus one has to analyze the different parts of a statute and consider what
effect they may have on interpretation.

CONCLUSIONS
Having thus identified a few principles for interpretation of the Constitution,
the ultimate conclusion that can be deduced is that no fixed principle, can
beneficially serve constitutional adjudication. Neither the originalists
approach nor preferred freedoms approach nor balancing of interests
singly or collectively are enough for a sound constitutional adjudication. Its
main reason is that a Constitution is composed more significantly of
principles than rules. This provides judges some amount of discretion in the
matter of interpretation of constitutional provisions but this does not mean
that they may rely on their own value preferences in construing constitutional
provisions. As has been stated above, constitutional provisions are described
by some as great generalities and by others as great ambiguities. The
above descriptions are to a great extent apt. The provisions are ambiguous in
the sense that in each case the judge is called upon to furnish his own
meaning but they cannot be called vague because they are sufficiently
meaningful concepts capable of lending guidance to enable the judge to
operationalise constitutional guarantees. It is the function of the court to give
effect to the logical theory contained in the Constitution that animates and
binds together its provisions. The preamble of the Indian Constitution is,
therefore, generally taken aid of to understand other provisions of the
Constitution because it may be said to contain the spirit of the Constitution.
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The Constitution is a document of liberal principles, predicated on the

primacy of a persons worth. It is the function of judges, as instruments of the
Constitutions logic, to give effect to pre-existing individual rights in the
decisions of cases.
The growth of the Constitution through interpretation by courts, is a
necessity for protection of the individual rights guaranteed by the
Constitution. Power exercised by the court in interpreting the Constitution
through unelected judges is not anti-democratic. Democracy cannot survive in
a system in which civil rights and freedoms have no protection. The
preservation of freedoms requires the elimination of concentration of power
and the distribution of whatever power has to be achieved as a part of a
system of checks and balances. The notion of democracy is not merely a
simple majoritarian idea. The democracy also means participation; and it
means tolerance and freedom. A judiciary reasonably independent from
majoritarian whims can contribute much to democracy; and so can a judiciary
active, dynamic, and creative enough to be able to assure both the
preservation of a system of checks and balances vis--vis the political
branches and adequate controls vis--vis those other non-governmental or
quasi-governmental centres of power which are so typical of our modern
societies. The courts potential for being accessible is its greater strength over
other governmental organs. The key to the courtroom is simply a complaint
and the judicial business is largely conducted in public. The judicial process is
no less democratic than the political ones, for it is essentially participatory in
nature. Its commencement and contents being determined by those
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individuals, agencies or groups which are most directly involved in, hence
best informed on, the interests at stake. Legitimacy of judicial interpretation
of the Constitution is the recognition that it is an institution with ability to
protect minorities against majoritarian political, legal, economic, indeed
societal pressure and will. It is an institution which protects and upholds
enduring values enshrined in the Constitution and this it is able to do more
because it is not elected and does not represent any particular group or
section of society and being isolated from any kind of pressure is best placed
to discover the principles of constitutional law and protect the constitutional
rights
On the basis of principles culled out above, an integrated approach in
interpretation of a Constitution is required in the light of social, economic
and political necessities of a particular period in which the court is called
upon to interpret. Previous precedents of the court are only for guidance. The
process of interpretation involves making the Constitution a workable law or
instrument by treating it as a dynamic living document which needs to be
suitably interpreted to meet exigencies of different periods. Socio-economic
context in which the court is called upon to interpret, therefore, always
assumes greater importance. The advice of eminent jurist Mauro Cappelletti
is:
To enable the Apex Court, to more effectively deal with important
constitutional issues requiring interpretation of Constitution, time and
again, I have made the point that it is a basic and most dangerous policy

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error to design Supreme Courts, national or otherwise, as organs bound to

decide legions of cases brought to them, at the cost of overload and
superficiality of decisions, rather than providing them with techniques
and/or protecting them with access-screening capable of allowing them to
concentrate their decision-making activity on cases of greater importance
for the uniform interpretation, evolution, and modernization of the law.
The entire exercise of interpretation of the constitutional provisions by the
court is to make the Constitution meaningful to the citizens of this
country for whose betterment the Constitution is meant.
Let me conclude with the hope expressed by an eminent member of the
Constituent Assembly late Shri K.M. Munshi who looks at the Constitution
not merely as a legal or political document but as one with lofty moral
background and spiritual basis:
The Constitution is not merely a legal document, nor is it a political
document either. True, it was drafted by lawyers with the help of the
political leaders who had won the battle of freedom. Theirs was a
historical role: that of building a framework within which our national
unity and democratic way of life might flourish.
Essentially, our Constitution has a moral background to secure
justice for every section of our society; as also a spiritual basis, to
preserve and protect all religions in the exercise of their functions.

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The leaders of my generation have left in the Constitution a legacy of

freedom, of the rule of law, freedom of speech and religion, and, above all,
integrity and stability which the country has never enjoyed for over 1500
years.
India has been the motherland of the spirit. Political changes and
economic adjustments are passing phases. What is of permanent value
and a source of relief is that she will continue, in spite of difficulties, to
inspire men to a higher life through faith, discipline and dedication.
Let the hopes of the framers of the Constitution and our Father of the Nation
Mahatma Gandhi inspire all constitutional functionaries and the people of
India to preserve their spiritual heritage and mould their lives on
constitutional principles.

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