Legislation — Meaning, Nature and Scope of Legislation as a source of law Kinds of Legislation

When the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced the Indian Penal Code, every criminal court in the country had to change its working vocabulary almost overnight. No judge had to wait for a case to arise; Parliament simply passed an Act and the rules changed. That speed and deliberateness is what sets legislation apart from custom and precedent. What exactly counts as legislation, who can make it, and how does a court read it when the words are unclear?

In two minutes

Legislation is law deliberately made by a body with authority to make it; it is supreme when it comes from the sovereign legislature (Parliament, State legislatures) and subordinate when made under delegated authority, and courts read it through settled rules of interpretation.

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