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CS Executive · Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws · Interpretation of Statutes

A Central Act is passed and receives the President's assent on 10 March, but the Act does not state any date on which it will come into operation. Under the General Clauses Act, 1897, when does the Act come into operation?

A Central Act with no stated commencement date comes into operation on the day it receives the President's assent. The General Clauses Act fixes assent as the default date, so passage in one House, gazette publication or the start of a financial year does not decide commencement.

  1. AOn the day it receives the President's assentCorrect
  2. BOn the day it is published in the Gazette after one month
  3. COn the first day of the next financial year
  4. DOn the day the Lok Sabha passes the Bill

Explanation

Section 5(1) provides that where a Central Act is not expressed to come into operation on a particular day, it comes into operation on the day it receives assent, which for an Act of Parliament is the President's assent. Passage by the Lok Sabha is only one stage and does not bring the Act into force. Publication delay and financial year start are not criteria in the section.

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