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Important Legal Definitions

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Constitutional & Public Law Doctrines

Definition

An interpretative tool where a court restricts the wide, literal meaning of words in a statutory provision to narrow its application, ensuring that the law stays within constitutional parameters rather than striking it down completely.

Example

In Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar, the Supreme Court read down Section 124A of the IPC (sedition), holding that it applies exclusively to speech that contains an incitement to imminent violence or public disorder.