Important Legal Definitions
Explore legal terms, clear definitions and practical examples.
Preamble as an Aid to Interpretation
Canons of Statutory Interpretation
Definition
An internal aid to construction that sets out the general purpose, objective, scope, and philosophy of the statute, used to resolve doubts when the substantive enacting words are ambiguous.
Example
In Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, the Supreme Court held that the Preamble to the Constitution of India is an integral part of the Constitution and can be used to interpret ambiguous constitutional provisions.