Important Legal Definitions

An exception to the rule against bias stating that an authority, though allegedly biased or interested, is legally competent and mandated to act if no other alternative forum or person exists under the statute to decide the matter.

In Charan Lal Sahu v. Union of India, the Central Government's statutory role as sole representative of the Bhopal gas leak victims was challenged because the Union owned equity in the subsidiary; the Supreme Court invoked the doctrine of necessity to sustain the Act.