The maxim *Contemporanea Expositio Est Optima Et Fortissima in Lege* is invoked in statutory interpretation to mean:

1. ***Contemporanea Expositio Est Optima Et Fortissima in Lege*** literally means **'a contemporaneous exposition is the best and strongest in law'**. 2. Where the words used in a statute have undergone alteration in course of time, the words will be construed to bear **the same meaning as they had when the statute was passed**, on the principle expressed in the maxim. 3. Old statutes should be interpreted as they would have been at the date when they were passed. **Prior usage and interpretation by those who have an interest or duty in enforcing the Act**, and the legal profession of the time, are presumptive evidence of meaning when the meaning is doubtful. 4. However, if the statute is capable of only one interpretation, prolonged wrong interpretation does not bar the correct meaning being given by the Courts (except where title to property may be affected). _Source: ICSI CS Executive — Lesson 3, 'Contemporanea Expositio Est Optima Et Fortissima in Lege', p. 89._