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LL.B. (Three Years) Sem 3 Interpretation of Statutes Oct 2025 Question Paper with Solutions

SPPU Solved Question Papers

Interpretation of Statutes

Previous Year Question Paper with Solution

LL.B. (Three Years) · Sem 3

Oct 2025 Examination

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Mumbai

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First published on munotes.in on 5 November 2026.

Published by munotes.in, Mumbai.

Model answers written and edited by the munotes.in editorial desk.

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The University does not publish an official answer key for this paper. The answers in this volume are model answers, written to show how a full-mark answer is built. They are a study aid, not an authority on what an examiner marked.

The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Savitribai Phule Pune University at the Oct 2025 examination.

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Contents

The questions below are the paper as Savitribai Phule Pune University set it at the Oct 2025 examination, in the order it was set.

MarksPage

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MarksPage

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The Paper as Set

The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the Oct 2025 examination, reproduced as Savitribai Phule Pune University set them, in the order it set them. Nothing has been reworded, added or left out. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.

Duration 3 hours  ·  Total marks 70  ·  13 questions answered

How to use this volume

Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.

Read the original question paper

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SECTION I

PART A

Answer Any Two

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Q1)Explain the meaning of Interpretation of Statutes, is it different from Construction of Statutes? Give reasons for your answer.[15]

Answer

For full marks, cover: the meaning of interpretation and its purpose (Kanai Lal Sur); why interpretation is needed (Manohar Lal Chopra); the words decide (Padmasundara Rao, Hansoli Devi); the statute read as a whole (Hindustan Bulk Carriers); the meaning of construction; the distinction drawn by writers; why courts use the words together; examples (Kanwar Singh, Tirath Singh); the limit of construction; article 141; a table; a conclusion.

Introduction

A statute speaks through words, and words are often unclear. Courts must find what the words mean and how they apply to the facts before them. This work is called interpretation, and sometimes construction. The two words are often used together, but writers on the subject draw a distinction between them.

1. The meaning of interpretation

Interpretation is the process of finding the true meaning of the words used in a statute, and applying them to the facts.

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Its purpose. The aim is to find and give effect to the intention of the legislature. In Kanai Lal Sur v. Paramnidhi Sadhukhan, AIR 1957 SC 907, the Supreme Court said that intention must be found "in the words used by the Legislature itself".

2. Why interpretation is needed

  1. Imprecise language. Words have more than one meaning.
  2. General words. A statute speaks generally, and cases are particular.
  3. Unforeseen cases. The legislature cannot foresee every situation. In Manohar Lal Chopra v. Rai Bahadur Rao Raja Seth Hiralal, AIR 1962 SC 527, the Court noted that a code cannot provide for every case.
  4. Imperfect drafting. Errors and gaps creep in.
  5. Changing times. New technology and social change raise questions the drafters never faced.

3. The words decide

  1. In Padmasundara Rao v. State of Tamil Nadu, AIR 2002 SC 1334, the Court said: "The question is not what may be supposed and has been intended but what has been said."
  2. Plain words must be applied as they stand, even if the result seems hard (Hansoli Devi).
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4. The statute read as a whole

A provision is read in its context, as part of the whole Act. In Hindustan Bulk Carriers, the Court spoke of the need for "a consistent enactment of the whole statute". No part should be read in isolation.

5. The meaning of construction

Construction is the process of drawing conclusions about how a statute applies to a situation its words do not plainly cover. It uses the whole Act, its purpose and its context to reach a result.

6. Is interpretation different from construction?

Yes, in theory. Writers draw the line this way.

  1. Interpretation stays within the text and finds the sense of the words. It asks: what do these words mean?
  2. Construction goes beyond the bare text. It asks: given what the words mean, what follows for this case?

Reasons for the difference.

  1. Different questions. One asks about meaning, the other about application.
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  1. Different materials. Interpretation works on the words. Construction also uses the scheme, object and context of the Act.
  2. Different range. Interpretation is confined to the language. Construction extends it to situations the language did not foresee.

But in practice they overlap. Courts in India and England use the two words almost interchangeably. Both aim at one goal, the intention of the legislature. In Kanai Lal Sur the Court called the search for intention in the words "the first and primary rule of construction", using the word for what writers would call interpretation.

7. Examples

  1. Interpretation. In Kanwar Singh v. Delhi Administration, AIR 1965 SC 871, the question was what the word "abandoned" meant in a municipal law about cattle. The Court held it meant "let loose" or "left unattended", not "ownerless". That is the meaning of a word.
  2. Construction. In Tirath Singh v. Bachittar Singh, AIR 1955 SC 830, the words of a proviso were clear, but applying them literally to a party would have been absurd. The Court read the proviso with the whole provision and its object. That is construction.
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8. The limit of construction

Construction cannot fill a gap the legislature deliberately left. In Padmasundara Rao, the Court refused to supply an omitted case. The court "only interprets the law and cannot legislate it".

9. The binding effect (article 141)

The law declared by the Supreme Court binds all courts in India. So its interpretation or construction of a statute becomes part of the law itself.

The main rules used in both

  1. Literal rule. Words are given their ordinary, plain and grammatical meaning. Where they are clear, the court applies them, whatever the result. The court may not stretch the words to carry out a supposed intention (Tolaram Relumal).
  2. Golden rule. The ordinary meaning is followed unless it leads to absurdity, repugnance or inconsistency, and then it is modified only so far as needed. In Tirath Singh, the Supreme Court adopted this rule. It allowed the court to modify the meaning, and even the structure, of a sentence to avoid a result the legislature could not have intended.
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  1. Mischief rule. The court asks what problem the Act was meant to cure, and reads it to cure that problem.
  2. Harmonious construction. Provisions are read together so that each has effect. In Hindustan Bulk Carriers, the Court said a construction that reduces a provision to "useless lumber" or a "dead letter" is not harmonious construction.

So interpretation mainly uses the literal rule, while construction calls on the golden rule, the mischief rule and harmonious construction.

Aids used in both

Both interpretation and construction use internal aids, such as the preamble, definitions, provisos and explanations. They also use external aids, such as dictionaries, the Statement of Objects and Reasons and committee reports. External aids are used only where the words are ambiguous, and never against clear words.

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A critical comment

The distinction between the two words is useful for students, because it shows the two stages of a judge's work. But it should not be overstated. Every act of interpretation involves some construction, as the meaning of words depends on their context. And every act of construction starts with the words. The real limit is the same for both: the court must stay within what the words can bear.

10. Interpretation and construction compared

PointInterpretationConstruction
Works onThe words usedThe words with the whole Act, purpose and context
QuestionWhat do the words mean?What follows for this case?
RangeWithin the textBeyond the bare text
ExampleKanwar Singh: "abandoned"Tirath Singh: proviso read with object
LimitPlain meaning prevailsCannot legislate (Padmasundara Rao)
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11. A worked example

A municipal law punishes keeping "cattle" in a residential area. A man keeps goats.

  1. Interpretation: does "cattle" include goats? The court looks at the word, its definition in the Act and dictionaries.
  2. Construction: if the word is unclear, the court asks what follows from the object of the law, which is to protect public health. It may decide that goats fall within the mischief.
  3. Limit: if the Act clearly confines "cattle" to cows and buffaloes, the court cannot extend it to goats.

Conclusion

Conclusion. Interpretation of statutes means finding the true meaning of the words a legislature has used. Its aim is to give effect to the intention expressed in those words (Kanai Lal Sur; Padmasundara Rao). Construction goes a step further, drawing conclusions about cases the words do not plainly cover, from the whole Act and its object (Tirath Singh). So the two are different in theory, as one concerns meaning and the other application. In practice courts use them together, and both are limited by the rule that judges interpret but do not legislate.

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The rest of the answers

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