General Clauses Act, 1897
This Act may be called The General Clauses Act, 1897 and is enacted to consolidate and extend the General Clauses Act, 1868 and 1887. The object of the Act is to provide uniformity of expression by giving definitions of a series of terms in common use. The General Clauses Act functions as one of the statutory aids of interpretation. This Act indicates the meaning of an expression in a generic and not in a rigid or exhaustive sense. It serves to shorten the language of statutory enactments. The purpose of this Act is to place in one single statute different provisions as regards interpretation of words and legal principles which would otherwise have to be specified separately in many different acts and regulations. The section 3 provides that the definitions given therein shall apply to all Central Acts and regulations made after the commencement of the General Clauses Act.
