Statutes (Enactments) — Meaning and Classification

The Maharashtra Government announces a new rule for housing societies, and the news says, “A new law is coming.” A few weeks later Parliament passes a whole new criminal code, and the news says the same thing. Are these the same kind of thing? One is passed by a legislature after debate and voting. The other may be a notification drawn up in a ministry. A lawyer must be able to name each, say who made it, and sort it into its class. That sorting is what this topic teaches.

In two minutes

A statute is a written law made by a legislature, and every statute can be sorted by who made it, how long it lasts and what job it does.

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