PRIMARY SOURCES
PRIMARY LEGAL MATERIALS
Primary legal materials encompass legislations and cases, including the Constitution,
Constitutional amendments, Acts, Rules, Ordinances, Regulations, and Notifications.
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE / OFFICIAL GAZETTE
Authorized periodical publications for public or legal notices.
Example: Gazette of India, published by the Department of Publication under the Ministry
of Housing and Urban Affairs, printed by the Government of India Printing Press.
Contents published in the Gazette of India are categorized into various sections, such as
notifications, appointments, promotions, and orders issued by different ministries and
government bodies.
IMPORTANCE OF GAZETTE
Considered authoritative and authentic for recording the actions of the Union/State
Government.
Acts come into force only after publication in the Gazette of India, indicating their official
status and effective date.
SOURCES OF LEGAL MATERIALS
Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India.
India Code: Digital repository of all central and State Acts.
State government websites for state legislations.
Private publications like Current Indian Statutes, AdvocateKhoj Bare Acts, and law
reports such as AIR, KLT.
LAW REPORTS
Essential for the operation of the theory of precedent.
Official reports authorized by statutes, such as the Indian Law Reports Act of 1875.
Due to delays and incompleteness of official reports, numerous private law reports are
published in India.
TYPES OF LAW REPORTS
Fulltext law reports include complete judgments with headnotes.
Summary reports offer condensed versions of cases.
Official reports are published under statutory authority, while nonofficial reports are from
private publishers.
LEGAL DATABASES
Platforms like Manupatra, LexisNexis, and SCC Online provide access to legal
information and case law.
DIGEST AND COMMENTARIES
Useful for finding case laws on specific subjects, often featuring subject indexes for easy
reference.
SECONDARY SOURCES
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, AND STATUTORY BODIES
Provide insights and recommendations on legal matters.
Example: Law Commission Reports available on the Law Commission of India's website.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORTS
Examined by committees appointed by Parliament, offering insights into legislative intent.
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
Contain discussions and speeches related to bills and legislative matters in Parliament.
CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY DEBATES
Records of debates and discussions during the formation of the Indian Constitution.
TEXTBOOKS, CASE BOOKS, COMMENTARIES
Offer detailed explanations and analyses of legal principles, cases, and statutes.
Include elementary expositions, historical development, divergent rules, case critiques,
and an overall picture of the law involved.
LAW DICTIONARY, LEGAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA
Define legal terms and provide comprehensive coverage of legal topics.
Include references to authorities and cases, serving as a case finder.
CASE DIGESTS, JURISTIC WRITINGS/TREATISES
Index and analyze reported cases, offering expert insights and analysis.
Provide detailed subject indexes, chronological analyses, historical development, and
trend analysis.
LEGISLATIVE ELEMENTS
LONG TITLE AND PREAMBLE
Introduce the purpose and objectives of an Act.
The preamble suggests the objective behind the Act, while the long title explains the
content of it.
SHORT TITLE, EXTENT, AND COMMENCEMENT
Specify the name, territorial application, and effective date of an Act.
Extent clause deals with the territorial extent of operation and sometimes indicates specific
applications.
Commencement clause indicates the date on which the Act comes into force, including
retrospective or prospective effect.
PARTS/CHAPTERS – SECTIONS – SUBSECTIONS CLAUSES SUBCLAUSES
Organize the content of an Act into structured sections, subsections, clauses, and
subclauses.
Sections divided into main, general, and miscellaneous parts, each with a title.
Subsections, clauses, and subclauses are indicated using numerical or alphabetical
notation.
