Important Legal Definitions
Explore legal terms, clear definitions and practical examples.
Per Incuriam
Judicial Orders, Injunctions & Precedents
Definition
"Through lack of care / carelessness." Describes a judgment rendered in ignorance or oversight of an applicable binding statute or a binding decision of a coordinate or larger bench; such a ruling carries no precedential authority.
Example
In State of U.P. v. Synthetics and Chemicals Ltd., the Supreme Court ruled that a decision rendered per incuriam—by failing to notice an explicit statutory section or a binding Constitution Bench judgment—does not lay down binding law.