Continuation of orders, etc., issued under enactments repealed and re-enacted
Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 deals with continuation of orders, etc., issued under enactments repealed and re-enacted. Where any [Central Act] or Regulation, is, after the commencement of this Act, repealed and re-enacted with or without modification, then, unless it is otherwise expressly provided any [appointment notification], order, scheme, rule, form or bye-law, [made or] issued under the repealed Act or Regula The Act came into force on 11 Mar 1897.
Where any 1[Central Act] or Regulation, is, after the commencement of this Act, repealed and re-enacted with or without modification, then, unless it is otherwise expressly provided any 2[appointment notification], order, scheme, rule, form or bye-law, 2[made or] issued under the repealed Act or Regulation, shall, so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions re-enacted, continue in force, and be deemed to have been 2[made or] issued under the provisions so re-enacted, unless and until it is superseded by any 2[appointment notification,] order, scheme, rule, form or bye-law, 2[made or] issued under the provisions so re-enacted 3[and when any 1[Central Act] or Regulation, which, by a notification under section 5 or 5A of the 4Scheduled Districts Act, 1874, (14 of 1874) or any like law, has been extended to any local area, has, by a subsequent notification, been withdrawn from the re-extended to such area or any part thereof, the provisions of such Act or Regulation shall be deemed to have been repealed and re-enacted in such area or part within the meaning of this section].
Section 24, The General Clauses Act, 1897 (Act 10 of 1897).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Fibre Boards (p) LTD Bangaloare vs Cit Bangalore
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Nariman J. held that, unlike section 6 which saves accrued rights, section 24 simply continues uninterrupted the subordinate legislation (notifications, orders, schemes, rules and bye-laws) made under a Central Act that is repealed and re-enacted with or without modification; the revenue's argument that section 24 reaches only instruments that themselves confer rights on the claimant was rejected. Applying section 24 to a provision repealed by omission and re-enacted with modification, the 1967 notification declaring Thane an urban area was held to continue for the purposes of the re-enacted section 54G, and the High Court had erred in never referring to section 24 at all.
On this section: This is the leading modern exposition of section 24: it fixes the section's object as continuity of subordinate legislation across a repeal-and-re-enactment, separates that office from section 6, and applies it to a repeal effected by omission.
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State of Punjab vs Harnek Singh
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Where a penal statute is repealed and re-enacted with similar or expanded provisions dealing with the same subject matter, and the saving provision in the re-enacting statute refers to the General Clauses Act, Section 24 of the General Clauses Act (which applies to repealed and re-enacted Acts) continues to apply unless explicitly excluded. Accordingly, notifications, orders, and administrative authorizations issued under the repealed statute continue in force under the re-enacted statute if not inconsistent with its provisions, and such notifications are deemed to have been issued under the re-enacted statute unless formally superseded or withdrawn. This applies through the legal fiction created by the saving clause that the new Act was in force when the old actions were taken.
On this section: Continuation of orders issued under repealed and re-enacted Acts. Court held Section 24 applies to repealing and re-enacting statutes like the 1988 Act, ensuring notifications continue unless inconsistent or superseded.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument states that it was made under this provision — the power to make it comes from here, so a change to any of them changes what this section requires in practice. Newest first.
Questions about Section 24
What have the courts held on Section 24 of the General Clauses Act?
Fibre Boards (p) LTD Bangaloare vs Cit Bangalore is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: This is the leading modern exposition of section 24: it fixes the section's object as continuity of subordinate legislation across a repeal-and-re-enactment, separates that office from section 6, and applies it to a repeal effected by omission. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below, all of them from the Supreme Court.
How do I find court cases under Section 24 of the General Clauses Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: General Clauses Act 24, section 24 General Clauses Act, section 24 of the General Clauses Act. People searching for it also type general clauses act 24 a and general clauses act section 24a. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Fibre Boards (p) LTD Bangaloare vs Cit Bangalore.
What should I read with Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 5 (Coming into operation of enactments), section 5A ([Repealed.]), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. The rules and notifications made under it are where it actually bites, and there is one: most recently Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (Maintenance of Records)Maharashtra Rules,2025 (2025).
When did Section 24 of the General Clauses Act come into force?
Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, cited as General Clauses Act 24, came into force on 11 Mar 1897, having been enacted on 11 Mar 1897. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.