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The Rule of Reasonable Construction is captured in the Latin maxim *Ut Res Magis Valeat Quam Pareat*. What does this maxim signify?
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A.
1. The Latin phrase ***Ut Res Magis Valeat Quam Pareat*** literally means 'it is better for a thing to have effect than to be made void'.
2. Per the ICSI text, the rule says that the **words of a statute must be construed so as to give a sensible meaning** to them; a provision of law cannot be so interpreted as to divorce it entirely from common sense; every word or expression used in an Act should receive a natural and fair meaning.
3. Option B confines interpretation to the dictionary, ignoring the rule's mandate to look at policy and object.
4. Options C and D distort the rule — the Court cannot rewrite the statute, but it can depart from the dictionary meaning to advance the remedy and suppress the mischief.
_Source: ICSI CS Executive — Lesson 3, 'Rule of Reasonable Construction', p. 87._
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