There is the major contribution judiciary made, to the legislative relations
between the Union and the States. Before we proceed further, let us distinguish
between 'legislative' act and 'judiciary' act and sometimes it is difficult to
draw a line of demarcation between them. The function of a legislature is to
enact laws.
The judiciary is to decide the rights of the parties according to the law and to
submit to the mandate legislature. The courts interpret the mandate and decide
the rights of the accordingly. On the other hand, the legislative process is for
the legislature lay down the law which will govern parties and their
transactions and to the court to give effect to the Law. But in spite of all the
caution, some conflict and overlapping must arise in certain cases, owing to the
nature of thing.
"No amount of care in phrasing the division of power in a federal Scheme will
prevent difficulty when the division comes to be applied to the variety and
complexity of social relationship. The different aspects of life in a society
are not insulated from one another in such a way as to make possible a
mechanical application of the division of powers. There is nothing in human
affairs which corresponds to the neat logical division found in the
Constitution."
The paper seeks to highlight the idea that the law is the basis for the
implementation of the pith and substance doctrine that is enforced across common
law systems in some major judgments by the Supreme Court of India. The doctrine
shall be used to decide whether the law falls within the legislative power of
Articles 246 of the Constitution. In order to address the conflicts of
competence the pith and substance doctrine is applied. The reasons which prompt
it to act are therefore irrelevant if the legislature is competent to pass a
particular law.
Thus, the constitutionality testing of the laws dealing with the legislative
relations of the union and the state in India is being analyzed in this paper.
As a result, the Indian judiciary has been given the authority to review
constitutional actions passed by both the Parliament and the State Legislature.
The entries in the legislative list must be granted a broad and detailed
interpretation when interpreting the legislative authority. The clause must be
interpreted broadly and liberally.
In the event of a disagreement about whether a piece of legislation falls beyond
the competence of the legislature that enacted it, the court must first decide
what comprises the subjectmatter of the legislation and then compare the
vocabulary of the various entries that might be applicable to the case to
determine which entries are most relevant.
It can be said that Pith and Substance signify the true essence of law in
accordance with the interpretation of doctrine. The doctrine draws attention to
the fact that it is the core issue and not its side effects on another subject
that must be challenged. Pith refers to "essence of something' or "true nature"
while substance refers to "something's most important or integral component." It
may also be argued that pith and substance doctrine itself is related to the
discovery of the true essence of a law.
Thus, the constitutionality testing of the laws dealing with the legislative
relations of the union and the state in India is being analysed in this paper.
Objective/ Purpose Of The Paper:
- The objective of the research paper is to look how the Doctrine of Pith
and Substance has been implemented in India.
- To find out how Article 246 of the Indian constitution is related with
this doctrine.
- To discuss the current scenario of the doctrine.
Research Methodology:
The research is based on secondary sources. The information was obtained from a
number of government and non-government websites. The collection, arrangement,
analysis, and systematization of primary and secondary source material in this
study largely follows the doctrinal research process. The analysis is both
analytical and descriptive.
Introduction
There is the major contribution judiciary made, to the legislative relations
between the Union and the States. Before we proceed further, let us distinguish
between 'legislative' act and 'judiciary' act and sometimes it is difficult to
draw a line of demarcation between them. The function of a legislature is to
enact laws. The judiciary is to decide the rights of the parties according to
the law and to submit to the mandate legislature. The courts interpret the
mandate and decide the rights of the accordingly.
On the other hand, the legislative process is for the legislature lay down the
law which will govern parties and their transactions and to the court to give
effect to the Law. But in spite of all the caution, some conflict and
overlapping must arise in certain cases, owing to the nature of thing.
"No amount of care in phrasing the division of power in a federal Scheme will
prevent difficulty when the division comes to be applied to the variety and
complexity of social relationship. The different aspects of life in a society
are not insulated from one another in such a way as to make possible a
mechanical application of the division of powers. There is nothing in human
affairs which corresponds to the neat logical division found in the
Constitution."[1]
"It is not possible to make clean a cut between the powers of various
legislatures; they are bound to overlap from time to time."[2]
In India, the court cannot issue a writ or procedure against the legislature to
prohibit it from passing an unconstitutional statute[3], nor can the legislature
determine whether a law is valid or not when it is being passed. Of instance,
the government has the authority to make an enactment that makes a court ruling
binding. A legislative act like this will not be a 'judicial' act.
It is unable to consider any statute to be "unconstitutional," since the term
"unconstitutional law" is a misnomer in the sense of "parliamentary supremacy."
The judiciary rules on the constitutionality or otherwise of an act of
legislative only in the Federal and therefore written constitutions, since the
Constitution[4] is the Supreme Law of the land and all entities and persons
derive their powers from it. India's political status is more akin to that of
the United States than to that of the United Kingdom. The Indian Parliament has
the same degree of sovereignty as the US Congress and the assemblies of other
autonomous countries with a federal constitution.
Also in the Federal constitutions of various nations, courts have developed
certain standards for interpreting the constitutional powers delegated to both
the Center and the States[5]. The values are decided by a variety of
considerations, including the constitution's essence, the country's current
political situation, the country's social and economic issues, and, ultimately,
the social and political history and perspective of the judge who is called upon
to interpret the constitution.
This is essentially a Canadian Doctrine now firmly entrenched in the Indian
Constitutional Jurisprudence. This doctrine found its place first in the case of
Cushing V/S Dupey[6]. In this case the Privy Council evolved the doctrine, that
for deciding whether an impugned legislation wasintra vires, regard must be had
to its pith and substance. It was evolved by the Privy Council to ascertain the
constitutionality of Canadian and Australian statute regarding the violation of
the rules of the distribution of powers. The doctrine was adopted by the Federal
Court of India and also by the Privy Council in determining the
constitutionality under the Government of India Act, 1935.[7]
The framers of our Constitution established the Apex Court with the hope that
the future evolution of the Constitution of India was to depend on the direction
given to it by this Court.
and in fulfilling this expectation, "it has to keep poise between the seemingly
contradictory forces. In this process of interpretation of the Constitution on
certain occasion, it may appear to strengthen the union at the expense of the
units, at another, it may champion the cause of provincial autonomy or
regionalism… it is the great tribunal which has to draw the line between
individual liberty and social control."[8]
Thus the judiciary in India has been empowered to review the legislative acts,
of both the Parliament and of the State Legislature. While interpreting the
legislative power, the entries in the legislative list must prima facie be given
broad and comprehensive interpretation.[9] The provision must be given liberal
and generous interpretation.
In case of dispute arising whether a particular piece of legislation is within
the competence which passed it, the court must determine what pith and substance
constitutes the subject matter of legislation and see by comparing the language
of the different entries that may be possibly cover the case, under which
particular entries, it can be most appropriately fall.[10]
Meaning And Scope Of The Doctrine:
One of the oldest theories used to tackle constitutional issues in India is the
Doctrine of Pith and Substance. When the literal signification of the doctrine
is unfolded, the pith refers to the true nature or essence of something and the
substance in it is an important component and is thus referred to as the
doctrine as the "most important part of something which has its true essence."
The doctrine states that if the content of law lies within a legislature's legal
authority, it does not become unconstitutional simply because it concerns a
matter outside its permitted domain. Pith and substance is a term that implies
"real meaning and character."[11]
The doctrine refers to a violation of a Federal State's statutory power's
constitutional delimitation. The court uses it to determine if the suspected
encroachment is minor or significant. In general, it explains that the law's
existence says that a case must be questioned only by the true and necessary
subject and not by its side-effects or ancillary effects on something.
In relation to the interpretation of a statute, doctrine is seen as a way of
finding out the true meaning of a statute, and not the incidents that could have
arisen in its application, about which it has been formulated by legislators. As
a result, the concept of "pith and substance" presupposes that the challenged
statute is significantly beyond the constitutional competence of the legislature
that enacted it, yet only unintentionally encroached into the legislative domain
of another legislature.
The doctrine protects this unintentional encroachment if the legislation is
actually beyond the legal area of the legislature that adopted it. The theory
has been used to determine if a specific challenged law significantly encroaches
on legislative authority or is merely an unintentional encroachment that has
little material impact on the allocation of legislative power between the Union
and the States.
In accordance with Article 246, the doctrine of Pith and Substance covers the
three lists mentioned in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.[12] It
is used when there is a doubt about the legislature's competence to adopt a
specific act on the three lists. The Court must examine the content of the act
in this respect.
When legislation is not competent, for example, if it is in respect of an Entry
within the Federal legislature List, but the legislation is by a provincial
legislature, then the question of "occupied field"[13] that is to say, that the
federal legislature has not legislated on it, is irrelevant. Occupied or not,
the provincial legislation will be incompetent.
The doctrine of 'pith and substance' is the rule of ultra vires and the
difference between the operation of that rule and the effect of the doctrine of
"occupied field" was brought out in the opinion of the Judicial Committee in
Attorney General For Alberta V Attorney General For Canada[14]. After
noticing that in respect of the subjects specifically enumerated in S. 91 of the
British North America Act, the Dominion Legislature alone had exclusive
legislative authority, it was observed by court thus:
"It follows had the legislation coming in 'pith and substance' within one of the
classes specifically enumerated in S.91 is beyond the legislative competence of
provincial legislature under S.92. In such case, it is immaterial whether the
Dominion has or not dealt with the subject of legislation or to use other
well-known words, whether that legislative field has or has not been occupied by
the legislation of the Dominion Parliament"
The court must examine the substance of the act in this scenario. The statute is
considered to be fully applicable, or if the court considers, that the
legislation developed is substantially beyond the scope of the issue assigned to
the framers. However, if the court determines that the implementation of the Law
on another subject beyond the competence of the legislature has an adverse
impact, those conclusions shall be rejected. This is because a certain statute
may by the way interfere with an issue outside the ability of the legislature
but it does not make the entire Statute null and void.
Historical Background And Evolution Of The Doctrine:
It is possible to trace to Canada the genesis and evolution of the Doctrine of
Pith and the substance. In Canada the legal doctrine was used to determine which
authority should be the subject of specific laws for constitutional
interpretation.
Cushing v/s Dupuy[15] was the first case to mark the beginning of this doctrine
in which the court established the doctrine of ancillary or Incidental
encroachment. Notice that there is a similar constitutional agreement between
Canada and India. Afterwards when the doctrine was transmitted to India, the law
of that doctrine was applied with many landmark constitutional judgments.
Cushing v/s Dupuy[16]
Facts:
Three of the brewing firms - Mc Leod, Mc Naughten and Leveille - became
insolvent on 19 July 1877. In relation to the writ insolvency attachment , Dupuy
was his official assignee. On the other hand, Cushing, who was a notary, signed
a sales contract on which the company agreed to sell his properties on 12 March
1877. On the same day Cushing decided to lease the properties for three years to
the company's directors. On the same day, another certificate was made.
In addition, Cushing stated in the petition that the assets were in possession.
However, there had actually been no removal and the property still belonged to
the company. The key argument was whether the deal was a legal sale under
Sections 1027 and 1472 of the Civil Code of Lower Canada in the context of the
court proceedings.
Judgement:
The important things that this decision took into consideration were:
- The role of insolvency law and its existence in Canada.
- When can the local legislature exclude appeals as a right to the private
Council, and
- How can the State dispose of the royal prerogative?
Held
Following a detailed review of the present case, the Court held that sales in
accordance with Section 1027 of the Canadian Civil Code were not genuine.
Although the case of Cushing v. Dupuy, as mentioned in the latter part of the
present article, has been overtaken by subsequent rulings, it still remains one
of the most significant cases as it laid the groundwork for the doctrine of
ancillary or incidental encroachment.
The primary article of Article 246 of the Indian Constitution plays an important
role in preserving and decide accordingly the principle of that doctrine.
The F.N Balsara case was the first decision of the Supreme Court to enforce and
maintain this doctrine. While the Bombay Prohibition Act has by the way impacted
the central law powers in this case, the Supreme Court held that it was still
legitimate as the "pith" and "substance" of the act fall in List II not in List
I.[17]
The doctrine has also been used in India time and again. Lord Porter in
Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee V. Bank Of Commerce Ltd[18]. said that "what is pith and
substance is the effect of the enactment of which complaint is made and in what
list is its true nature and character to be found." Thus, the doctrine though
emerged in Canada but is also applicable to India due to the similarities
between both the countries.
Article 246 Of The Indian Constitution: How Is It Related To The Doctrine?
It is necessary to examine Article 246 of the Indian Constitution to better
understand the doctrine of pith and substance. The lists mentioned in the
Seventh Schedule of the Constitution refer to Union, State and Concurrent, in
Article 246. Given the federal nature of the Indian Constitution, the
distribution of authority between the Union and State governments is one of the
main features of that constitution, and it has been set out in the Seventh
Schedule that includes:
- List I- Union List (Parliamentary Legislation)
- List II- State List (State Legislation)
- List III- Concurrent List (Parliament and State Legislation)
The framers of the constitution established these three divisions. The Union
List is composed primarily of matters of national significance and hence it is
necessary for the government of the Union to intervene in these matters and
empower them to make law in these matters.
Moreover, the State list includes issues that are local and state-related and so
only the governments of the states must express their interest in these matters.
Finally, the concurrent list includes concerns where both the union and the
state government seem to have been common interests in that the power to
legislate in these issues rests on the governments both of the state and of the
Union.
Salient Features Of The Doctrine Of Pith And Substance:
- In situations it becomes applicable if the subject of a list contradicts
the subject matter of a another list.
- The purpose behind its adoption is to avoid restrictions on the powers
of legislators by declare each other's law null, and avoid limitations on
the powers of legislatures.
- It is intended to assess the true character and essence of the subject
and decide which head of list it falls under.
- The Doctrine provides the powers of the state to make a law covering the
issue of the Union List with flexibility.
Need And Applicability Of Doctrine Of 'Pith And Substance' In India
The doctrine has also been used in India to provide some stability in an
otherwise static power delivery scheme. The explanation for this doctrine's
implementation is that if a piece of law were deemed unconstitutional because it
encroached on powers, the legislature's powers would be severely limited.
"It is settled law of interpretation that entries in the Seventh Schedule are
not powers but fields of legislation. The legislature derives its power from
Article 246 and other related articles of the Constitution. Therefore, the power
to make the Amendment Act is derived not from the respective entries but under
Article 246 of the Constitution.
The language of the respective entries should be given the widest scope of their
meaning, fairly capable to meet the machinery of the Government settled by the
Constitution. Each general word should extend to all ancillary or subsidiary
matters which can fairly and reasonably be comprehended in it.
When the vires of an enactment is impugned, there is an initial presumption of
its constitutionality and if there is any difficulty in ascertaining the limits
of the legislative power, the difficulty must be resolved, as far as possible in
favour of the legislature putting the most liberal construction upon the
legislative entry so that it may have the widest amplitude."[19]
According to this doctrine, the entire piece of law is analysed to assess its
"true nature and character" in order to determine where it belongs on the list.
If the statute significantly falls beyond the powers conferred on the
legislature that passed it, it is not considered invalid "merely because it
trenches or encroaches on matters that have been delegated to another
legislature," due to its "actual meaning and character."
The theory of "pith and substance" presupposes that the legislation in issue is
primarily beyond the constitutional authority of the legislature that enacted
it, yet just unintentionally encroaches on the legislative domain of another
legislature. The theory protects from unintentional encroachment provided the
legislation is concise and substantive within the legal field of the body that
enacted it.
This doctrine is often used when determining whether a state has the authority
to enact legislation including a matter mentioned in the Union List of the
Constitution. The fundamental premise of this theory is that a State-created act
or provision is legitimate if the true essence of the act or provision is
regarding a subject on the State's registry.
Applicability Of The Doctrine In Cases Of Competence And Repugnancy And The Concept Of Incidental Encroachment
As previously said, the doctrine of pith and substance must be followed in
situations where the rights of the other legislature are encroached upon in
relation to the right to make legislation on the topics covered by the three
lists. If a legislature lacks the authority to pass laws on a specific issue,
there is no reason to inquire at the content of the legislation; the enactment
would remain unconstitutional. There have been several instances of the doctrine
being misinterpreted, not only in cases of excellence but also in cases of
repugnancy.
One of the few big cases in this respect is
Subramanyam Chettiar V Muttuswami
Goudan[20]. In this case the state of Madras enacted the Debt Relief Act,
1938 which provided that the court may scale down the debt of the agriculturists
that was owed to moneylenders. This provision was in conflict with Negotiable
Instruments Act,1881 which was a central legislation. The issue before the court
was whether the enactment was repugnant and thus be declared invalid.
The court in this case was of the view that when a piece of legislation is
enacted, its encroachment on the area of the other is inevitable because the
areas of the legislations may be so closely intertwined that a blind adherence
to the lists would render many enactments void. Thus, the court held that the
enactment was intra vires in nature and cannot be held to be invalid.
In this case, the decision was correct because the promissory notes matured well
before the enactment took effect, but in similar cases where the promissory note
maturity date is after the enactment takes effect, the decision could be flawed.
This is because, in my opinion, the encroachment is significant because it
interfered with money lenders' ability to recover their funds. As a result, the
law not only encroached on a central statute, but also on the interests of money
lenders.
The next being
Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee V. Bank Of Commerce[21]. In this
case the issue was regarding the validity of the Bengal Money Lenders Act,1940.
The act provided for limiting the amount as well as the interest that a lender
could recover on any loan. It was challenged on the ground of being ultra vires
the Bengal legislature. While the High Court of Calcutta held that the act was
intra vires, the federal court on appeal quashed the judgment saying that act
was ultra vires.
Finally, the case went to the Privy Council wherein the doctrine of 'pith and
substance' was applied and it was held that the substance of the act is
'moneylending' which is well within the competence of the state legislature and
falls under Entry 27 of List II of Government of India Act,1935. Although the
court believed that there was incidental encroachment on Entry 28 of List I
which was about the promissory notes, but again the encroachment was only
incidental and was not sufficient the render the whole act void.
In a later case i.e.
State Of Bombay V. Narottamdas Jethabhai[22] J.
Patanjali Shastri held that the degree of encroachment is no factor at all to
decide on the validity of the legislation. While applying the doctrine of 'pith
and substance' he went on to hold that as long as the substance of the
legislation is legitimate and the legislation is valid under the 'pith and
substance' test, the enactment will be valid even if it encroached fully on the
fields of the other legislature.
If this is the case, there is no point in demarcating the fields on which the
federal or state legislatures can legislate in the first place, in my view. The
whole object of making three lists in the Indian constitution would be defeated
if both legislatures made laws in the other's area in the name of pith and
substance.
Through these cases it very clear that not only in the cases of repugnancy but
also in the cases of competence, the doctrine of 'pith and substance' is
applied. Once the court is convinced that Article 254 is applicable, the
question that further lies is whether the doctrine of 'pith and substance' is
applicable and whether the doctrine can help to resolve such a repugnancy. In
the repugnancy what has to be looked into next is the degree of encroachment.
If the encroachment is incidental then the enactment is to be held valid but if
the encroachment turns out to be substantial then the enactment must be rendered
invalid. If not so the whole purpose of having three lists in the constitution
would be defeated. Thus, the doctrine is applied accordingly in the cases of
competence as well as repugnancy.
The Doctrine Of 'Form And Substance In Relation To 'Doctrine Of 'Pith And Substance'
The philosophy of pith and substance refers to what the law's nature or heart
is. The word "shape and substance" is just as familiar as "pith and substance."
In other cases, what is mostly used is the actual application of a law rather
than the vocabulary of the same.
Both pith and substance are used as synonyms in the doctrine of "pith and
substance," but this is not the case in the doctrine of "type of substance." As
evidenced by case law, there is a distinction between "form" and "substance."
The doctrine of "pith and substance" is often used in judicial decisions to
determine if a specific enactment comes under the subject provided under a
particular list. The content of the ruling, on the other hand, would entail a
careful review of the enactment's substantive aspects and consequences.
There are several cases where the doctrine of "form and material" has been
enforced by the courts.
Thakur Amar Singhji V. State Of Rajasthan[23] is
the first. The legitimacy of a land reform in the state of Rajasthan was at
issue in this situation. The real concern was whether the reform's behaviour on
Jagidari lands should be considered a "acquisition" or a "resumption." While
lacking the wording of the legislation that was introduced, the Supreme Court of
India looked at the actual implementation of the reform. The Supreme Court
determined that "acquisition" is a more descriptive term than "resumption" after
examining the current legal operation.
The most common cases where 'form and substance' is applied are the cases
involving taxation laws. A good example would be
Indian Aluminium Co. V State
Of Kerela[24]. In this case the question before the court the court was that
whether two entries[ Entry 27 relating to supply of goods and Entry 53 relating
to taxation on consumption and sale of electricity] in the state list form a
surcharge on electricity.
The act described 'surcharge' as a duty on supply. Here again the doctrine of
'pith and substance' was applied but by looking at practical aspect of the
enactment ascertaining the nature of the tax while keeping in mind the legal
operation. The language of the enactment was again disregarded.
Before now, we've seen how the doctrine of "pith and material" works in practise.
The theory of colorable law operates along similar lines. This doctrine is used
to resolve situations including parliamentary integrity.
The Doctrine Of Colorable Legislation In Relation To 'Doctrine Of 'Pith And Substance'
The philosophy emphasises that "what can't be done directly can't be done
implicitly." "The concept expressed by the phrase is that, although a government
purports to operate within the bounds of its jurisdiction in passing a law, in
essence and in practise, it transgresses certain powers, the transgression is
obscured by what appears to be a simple pretence or mask upon careful
examination." Thus, the doctrine is very closely related to the doctrine of
'pith and substance'. The doctrine finds its roots in the maxim "Quando aliquid
prohibetur ex directo, prohibetur et per obliquum".
The doctrine is used in the cases of Article 246 which demarcates subjects on
which the parliament can make laws as List I, in which the state legislatures
can make laws as List II and in which both can make laws as List III. It is used
to determine if the legislature has the power to make laws on a particular
subject matter.
In the case of
K.C. Gajapati Narayan Deo And Ors. V. State Of Orissa[25],
the doctrine is well clarified. In this case, the court held that because the
subjects on which governments may make laws are well defined, questions arise as
to whether the legislator in question has the authority to make laws on that
subject matter. In certain cases, the transgression is indirect, and in these
cases, the doctrine of "colorable law" is applied. The case of
Ashok Kumar V.
Union Of India[26] was then used to define the theory.
Dwarkadas Shrinivas V. Sholapur Spg. & Wvg. Co. Ltd. [27]. The Supreme
Court ruled in this case that where a ban is statutory in nature and binds the
body, the legislature cannot circumvent it by using indirect means. In other
circumstances, the real character and essence of the law ('pith and substance')
must be investigated.
Current Scenerio Of The Doctrine With Landmark Cases
Article 246 of the Indian Constitution specifically defines subjects which fall
firmly in the 7th Schedule of the three lists. The authority assigned to the
Union and to the list of States was clearly arranged so that no legislative body
could interfere with other legislatures.
In certain cases, though, the by-law is bound to take place and the court thus
applies the Pith and Substance doctrine to determine if the piece of legislation
in question is intra virus or ultra-virus in nature. Where the law is found to
be intra-vires, it is true and ultra-vires are unconstitutional. In deciding the
legitimacy of the laws, the degree of interference is not considered. Under the
provision of this law, the content of the statute shall be considered real, even
though it has supplementary consequences on the matter of the other
legislature.[28] It shall be considered correct.
In multiple judgements there were different opinions issued by the courts in
relation to the interpretation of the doctrine. The court, for example, in the
case of
Bombay Vs. R.M.D Chamarbaugwala, held that the doctrine could
help judge the intervention of legislation with regard to Business and
Commerce.[29]
The court in the case of
Atiabri Tea Co. Ltd. V. State Of Assam, said
that, the doctrine of pith and substance was only useful to determine cases
where the powers of enacting legislation on the subjects mentioned in three
lists would be invalid.[30] There is Union and State List cases. This is the
case. But if this doctrine applies to issues relating to the Competition List?
Yeah, that's it.
In the
Vijay Kumar Sharma V. State Of Karnataka[31] case, the Supreme
Court explained. The Court held that the Pith and Substance Doctrine was valid
except in cases where both the Central and the State legislature had the power
to make laws in the concurrent List. The authority provided to the two
legislatures, though, would be distinct. The Court also stated that in the cases
in which the laws of the Parliament and the state legislature are identical, the
provisions of Article 254(1) shall apply, and Parliament's legislation shall
take precedence.[32]
Landmark Judgements:
In order to have a better understanding of the doctrine of pith and substance we
need to refer to some of the landmark judgements.
State Of Rajasthan v/s G Chawla[33]:
In the present situation, a breach of current legislation by the use of sound
amplifiers in the state was of public concern. That was the question that the
legislature was called upon to determine before the court on questions of public
health and importance. List II Entry 6 gives the State Government the authority
to regulate the use of amplifiers to discourage noisy noises. In List I Entry 31
deals with a range of communications media like telephony, wireless radio,
telegraphs, etc., the Union Government is empowered to adopt legislation on the
use of amplifiers.
The Court ruled that the use of the amplifier is not subject to List I Entry 31.
The report states: while an amplifier belongs to the correspondence and
broadcasting apparatus, it is the government of the state and not the government
of the Union's responsibility to legislate on the law in its pitch and
substance.
Gujrat University v/s Krishna Ranganath Madholkar[34]:
According to the details of the case, the Union List covers the issue of
language of education at the university level, but the centre has not yet made a
provision for the medium. Gujarat University (Petitioner) then implemented a
plan and chose "English" as the language of education. But the question remains
whether the Petitioner has the authority to choose the medium of instruction in
the first place. The case ended up in front of the Supreme Court.
According to the majority decision in the case, neither the original statute nor
the subsequent provision empowers the Petitioner to prescribe the language of
instruction. J. Subba Rao wrote a dissenting opinion in response to this. He
mentioned that there can be no schooling without the means of information
transfer, and that the State government has the authority to legislate on
educational issues. As a result, if the Doctrine of Pith and Substance is
applied to the aforementioned enactment, it specifically comes under the
jurisdiction of the State Government.
Conclusion:
The Doctrine of Pith and Substance has now been inextricably well-established in
Indian constitutional jurisprudence, as shown by the preceding debate. It is a
fundamental legal doctrine that assists the courts in determining the legality
and fairness of legislation. Without it, the legislature's authority will be
severely limited, but the degree of independence it offers in terms of taking a
balanced strategy is definitely commendable.
This doctrine is a well-established legal concept in India, having been
recognized by numerous High Courts and the Supreme Court.
The Doctrine of Pith and Substance falls into effect if a statute is seen to be
encroaching or trespassing on an area where laws has been delegated to another.
The essence of the theory is that if a dispute occurs about whether a particular
law applies to a certain subject (which will then be listed in one of the
lists), the court, in deciding those matters, examines the nature of the matter.
As a result of the above, it may be noted that the Doctrine of Pith and
Substance states: "Whenever a dispute occurs as to whether a specific law
applies to a particular topic (which may be listed in one or more lists), the
courts primarily look at the substance of the matter." As an example, if the
material is on the union list, the law's accidental encroachment on the State
list would not render it invalid."
One of the key reasons for the doctrine's adoption and application in India was
to add stability to an otherwise static system governing power distribution in a
federal context. "If any law is to be ruled unconstitutional on the basis that
it encroached on the domain of another legislature, so these powers delegated to
the legislature would be enormously oppressive, and this would not serve the
function of the authority being given to the legislature," said another crucial
statement to be interpreted here.
The Doctrine of Pith ad Substance has been thoroughly discussed in this paper.
From the above, it can be inferred that the Doctrine has attempted to cross the
difference in deciding whether a particular law applies to a specific topic and
has been accidental in its operation in the Indian sense. The theory has also
aided in the preservation of the actual foundations of the legislature's
authority.
The theory of 'pith and substance,' which first appeared in the Canadian
Constitution, has historical importance in constitutional matters. The real
existence and essence of an enactment is the literal sense of the "doctrine of
pith and material." The doctrine is most often used in situations involving the
legislature's ability to pass legislation under Article 246 on subjects
mentioned in the three Lists of the Seventh Schedule, which clearly
distinguishes between the right of the federal and state governments to
legislate on such topics.
In addition, under Article 254, the theory is used to address questions of
repugnancy resulting from inconsistencies in the laws made by the Parliament and
state legislatures. In the event that the three lists are incompatible. List I
still take precedence over the other two lists, and List III takes precedence
over List II.
In the event of a conflict with laws passed by both legislatures under List III,
the legislation passed by the Union legislature would take precedence.
Furthermore, the degree of interference or encroachment must be weighed before
determining the legitimacy of an enactment. If the infringement is accidental or
ancillary, the law will be declared valid. If the invasion proves to be
important, the law will be declared null and void.
End-Notes:
- Laskin, Canadian Constitutional Law, 1951, p.4
- Prafulla Kumar v. Bank of Commerce, AIR 1947 PC 28
- AIR 1951 ALL 228(223)
- Mohanlal Chhaganlal Shah v Bissesarlal Chirawalla and Ors AIR 1947 Bom 268
- Re The Delhi Laws Act, 1912, v. the Part C States (Laws) Act, 1950 AIR
1951 SC 332 (371, 372, & 401)
- [1880] UPKC 22
- Durga Das Basu [n 8]
- C.A Deb VIII P 224
- Thakur Amar Singhji v State of Rajasthan AIR 1955 SC 5044(520); Ch. Tika
Ramji & others, etc v The State of Uttar Pradesh & others AIR 1956 SC 676(691);
Commissioner of Income tax, West Bengal v Raja Benoy Kumar Sahas Roy AIR 1957 SC
768
- A.S Krishna v State of Madras AIR 1957 297(301); Darshan Singh v State of
Punjab AIR 1953 SC 83; D.N Banerji v P.R Mukherjee and Others AIR 1953 SC 58(59)
- Durga Das Basu, (8th Edition, first published in 1950, Reprint 2012, Vol 8)
8692
- Indian Constitution. Art. 246.
- Ujagar Prints M/s v Union of India, AIR 1989 SC 516 : 1989 3 SCC 488
- Attorney General for Alberta v Attorney General for Canada, AIR 1943 PC
76
- [1880] UKPC 22.
- [1880] UKPC 22
- State of Bombay v. F.N Balsara, AIR 1951 SC 318.
- Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee v. Bank of Commerce Ltd, AIR 1947 PC 60
- Jijubhai Nanbhai Kachar v. State of Gujarat, 1995 Supp. (1) SCC 596.
- Subramanyam Chettiar v Muttuswami Goudan, (1941) 1 MLJ 267
- Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee v. Bank of Commerce Ltd, AIR 1947 PC 60
- State of Bombay v. Narottamdas Jethabhai, AIR 1951 SC 61
- Thakur Amar Singhji v. State of Rajasthan, AIR 1955 SC 504
- Indian Aluminium Co. v State of Kerela, AIR 1996 SC 1431
- K.C. Gajapati Narayana Deo and Ors. v. The State of Orissa, AIR 1953 SC
375.
- Ashok Kumar v. Union of India, (1991) 3 SCC 498
- Dwarkadas Shrinivas v. Sholapur Spg. & Wvg. co. ltd, AIR 1954 SC 119
- State of Bombay v. Narottamdas Jethabhai, AIR 1951 SC 61.
- AIR 1957 SC 699.
- AIR 1961 SC 232.
- (1990) 2 SC 562.
- Indian Const. art. 254(1).
- AIR 1959 SC 544.
- AIR 1963 SC 703.
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