Senior Advocate Haresh Jagtiani recently delivered a master class on 'Interpretation of Statutes' at the DM Harish School of Law, Hyderabad Sind National Collegiate (HSNC) University, Mumbai.
The lecture touched upon the need for interpretation of statutes and its critical role in the application of law.
Senior Advocate Jagtiani reasoned the source of ambiguities in law may be attributed to the ever-changing nature of society and the law, which have to be resolved by its interpretation.
He went on to noted that due to differences in the interpretation of statutes, judges may provide dissenting opinions.
“There is no possibility of mistaking midnight for noon, but at what precise moment twilight becomes darkness is hard to determine,” he explained.
He also recounted cases he argued in courts where he employed the usage of various rules for the interpretation of law. He commented on hypothetical examples as well to foster a critical analysis amongst the students of HSNC.
Vice Chancellor, HSNC University Mumbai, Col. Dr. Hemlata Bagla, opened the lecture with the intricacies of statues and her experience with the interpretation of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016.
Trustee and President, HSNC Board, Anil Harish welcomed the audience and spoke on the speaker's ability to transform the driest topics into engaging lectures.
The master lecture ended with a Question and Answer round from the students in the audience.