Poppatlal Shah v. State of Madras
AIR 1953 SC 274 · Supreme Court of India
The title and preamble may be used to interpret ambiguous operative words, but they cannot control clear enacting language.
Unit IV · Interpretation of Statutes
Internal aids: long title, preamble, headings, illustrations, explanation, proviso and punctuation
Study aid only. Confirm statute numbers with the current bare Act and the official OU LL.B. (3-YDC) 2024–25 syllabus PDF.
Statute sections
| Act / instrument | Section | Name |
|---|---|---|
| General Clauses Act, 1897 | 3 | Definitions |
| Constitution of India | Preamble | Key to the minds of the framers |
Landmark cases
K.P. Varghese v. Income-tax Officer
AIR 1981 SC 1922 · Supreme Court of India
A proviso and the speech of the Finance Minister were used as aids to confine section 52(2) of the Income-tax Act to understatement of consideration.
Attorney-General v. H.R.H. Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover
[1957] AC 436 · House of Lords
The preamble is part of the context but cannot restrict unambiguous enacting words.
Previous-year questions
Mapped 6 / 10 / 15-mark questions on this topic. Frequency is how many papers repeat the question.
- 6 Preamble. · 5×
- 15 What are the internal aids to interpretation? · 3×
- 15 Examine how statutes and rules made under the constitution can be interpreted in the light of the preamble. · 1×
- 15 What are internal aids to statutory interpretation? Explain with the help of decided cases. · 1×
- 15 Explain the Grammatical Rule of Interpretation with the help of suitable illustrations. · 1×
- 15 Discuss in detail the internal aids of interpretation with the help of decided cases. · 1×
- 15 Enumerate the internal aids to interpretation. · 1×
- 15 What are the internal aids to construction state whether the constitution can be interpreted in the light of preamble. · 1×