Home › CS Executive › jurisprudence › Interpretation of Statutes › *Pari materia* is a Latin phrase used in statuto…
*Pari materia* is a Latin phrase used in statutory interpretation. Which of the following best describes its meaning?
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C.
1. The ICSI text quotes the American formulation: **'Statutes are in *pari materia* which relate to the same person or thing, or to the same class of persons or things'**.
2. The phrase signifies **identity**, not mere likeness; it does not mean *similis* (similar).
3. The phrase is applicable to public statutes or general laws made at different times in reference to the same subject. When two pieces of legislation are of differing scopes, they cannot be said to be in *pari materia*.
4. Reference to a statute in *pari materia* is an **external aid** — it permits one statute to be used to interpret another that deals with the same subject.
_Source: ICSI CS Executive — Lesson 3, 'Reference to other Statutes', p. 95._
Related questions
Why does the ICSI material insist that a statute be construed 'in its context' rather thanRegarding the use of 'Parliamentary History' as an external aid in India, the position is Strict construction is to be applied to certain classes of statutes, while liberal (benefiWhat is the role of dictionaries as an external aid to statutory interpretation, accordingThe 'statement of objects and reasons' attached to a Bill, according to the ICSI material,The Rule of Harmonious Construction directs that a statute be read as a whole to avoid conThe maxim *Contemporanea Expositio Est Optima Et Fortissima in Lege* is invoked in statutoWhat is the modern view on the use of 'marginal notes' appended to sections of an Indian s