Important Legal Definitions
Explore legal terms, clear definitions and practical examples.
Impossibility of Performance (Lex Non Cogit Ad Impossibilia)
Canons of Statutory Interpretation
Definition
"The law does not compel a man to do what is impossible." A canon of statutory construction establishing that if a statute imposes an absolute duty that is physically or legally impossible to perform, performance is excused without penalty.
Example
In State of Rajasthan v. Shamsher Singh, the Supreme Court applied this maxim to excuse the State from executing a detention custody requirement where the detainee was physically hospitalized in an ICU.