Judicial Review of Delegated Legislation: A Comparative Study of India, Pakistan, England, and the United States
Keywords:
Judicial Review, Delegated Legislation, Substantive Ultra Vires, Procedural Ultra Vires, Administrative LawAbstract
Delegated legislation is an essential component of modern-day governance. It enables administration to deal with complex regulatory requirements efficiently. Yet, its broad scope and potential for misuse call for an effective judicial review mechanism. This paper critically examines the judicial review of delegated legislation in four jurisdictions—India, Pakistan, England, and the United States—through a comparative analysis of legal frameworks in those countries. It explores the constitutional and statutory foundations, grounds for judicial review, landmark judicial pronouncements, and common grounds for judicial review, of each system. It further analyses the different approaches adopted by courts in each jurisdiction. Through a comparative research methodology, this paper extracts lessons from best practices, and propose reforms to enhance judicial review mechanisms in Pakistan. The findings of this paper contribute to a deeper comprehension of how judicial review works in protecting arbitrary rule-making, with an aim to ensure democratic accountability under the rule of law.
References
Agricultural Market Committee v. Shalimar Chemical Works (1997) 5 SCC 516.
Anthony, R. A. (1991). Interpretive rules, policy statements, guidances, manuals, and the like–should federal agencies use them to bind the public. Duke lJ, 41(1), 1311.
Asimow, M. (1983). Delegated Legislation: United States and United Kingdom. Oxford J. Legal Stud., 3, 253.
Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd. v. Wednesbury Corporation [1948] 1KB 223.
Azeem, H. M., Tariq, M., & Rafique, M. Z. (2023). Navigating the Complexity of Administrative Actions: A Taxonomy and Legal Analysis. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 11(3), 3600–3608.
B., M. V. (2020). Delegated Legislation: A Study of Its History, Evolution, and Contemporary Position in India, United States of America and United Kingdom. Issue 5 Int’l JL Mgmt. & Human., 3(1), 690.
Bakshi, P. M. (1978). DELEGATED LEGISLATION IN INDIA. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43950613
Breitenbach, A. (1992). The Justifications for Judicial Review. South African Journal on Human Rights, 8(4), 512–535. https://doi.org/10.1080/02587203.1992.11827878
Brown v. Gardner, 513 U.S. 115 (1994).
Carr, C. T. (2016). Delegated Legislation. Cambridge University Press.
Cellular Operators Association of India v. TRAI, AIR 2016 SC 2336.
Chng, K. (2024). Re-examining judicial review of delegated legislation. Legal Studies, 44(1), 81–98.
Craig, P. P. (2016). Administrative Law. Sweet & Maxwell.
De Smith, S. A. (1949). Delegated Legislation in England. Western Political Quarterly, 2(4), 514–526. https://doi.org/10.1177/106591294900200402
Elias, R. A. (2016). The legislative history of the Administrative Procedure Act. Fordham Environmental Law Review, 27(2), 207–224.
Elliott, E. D. (1991). Re-inventing rulemaking. Duke LJ, 41(1), 1490.
Forsyth, C. (1996). Of Fig Leaves and Fairy Tales: The Ultra Vires Doctrine, the Sovereignty of Parliament and Judicial Review. The Cambridge Law Journal, 55(1), 122–140. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008197300097762
Gilani, S. R. S., Ali, M. A., & Zahoor, M. S. (2023). Limitations on Parliamentary Sovereignty in the UK: A Critical Analysis. Journal of European Studies (JES), 39(1), 47–47.
Goyal, G. (2023). Analysis of Constitutional Validity of Delegation of Legislative Powers in India. Issue 2 Indian JL & Legal Rsch., 5(1), 1.
Graciela, B. (2020). Notice-and-comment rulemaking in comparative perspective: Some conceptual and practical implications. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 15(1), 95–125.
Haji Ghulam Zamin v. A. B. Khondkar PLD 1965 Dacca 156.
Hickman, K. E. (2006). Coloring Outside the Lines: Examining Treasury’s (Lack of) Compliance with Administrative Procedure Act Rulemaking Requirements. Notre Dame L. Rev., 82(1), 1727.
Hukamchand v. Union of India, AIR 1972 SC 2427.
Hussain, K. (2022). Analysis of Delegated Legislation by the Executive on the Touchstone of Public Welfare Concept: A Case Study of Pakistan [Thesis, International Islamic University, Islamabad.]. http://prr.hec.gov.pk/jspui/handle/123456789/20327
In St. Johns Teachers Training Institute v. Regional Director National Council of Teacher Education (2003) 3 SCC 321.
Khan, H. (2013). Principles of Administrative Law. OUP Pakistan.
Khandelwal, D. (2024). Doctrine of Procedural Ultra Vires: A Critical Analysis. Issue 1 Int’l JL Mgmt. & Human., 7(1), 673.
Kritikos, A. J. (2017). Resuscitating the Non-Delegation Doctrine: A Compromise and an Experiment. Missouri Law Review, 82(1), 441.
Kruse v. Johnson, [1898] 2 QBD 91.
Lanham, D. J. (1974). Delegated legislation and publication. Mod. L. Rev., 37, 510–524.
Massey, I. P. (2008). I.P. Massey’s The Administrative Law. Four Star Publishers.
Mechanick, A. (2022). The Interpretative Foundations of Arbitrary or Capricious Review. Kentucky Law Journal, 111, 477.
Mittal, S., & Yadav, N. (2023). Comparative Study of the Legislative/Parliamentary Control of Delegated Legislation: India and UK. Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research, 5 Issue 2, 1.
Munira, S. A. (2022). The Power of Delegated Legislation and its Constitutional Parameters: A Critical Analysis [PhD Thesis, East West University]. http://103.133.167.11:8080/handle/123456789/3621
Murkens, J. E. K. (2021). A Written Constitution: A Case Not Made. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 41(4), 965–986. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqab016
Mustafa Impex Karachi v. the Government of Pakistan PLD 2016 SC 808.
Ondřejek, P., & Horák, F. (2024). Proportionality during Times of Crisis: Precautionary Application of Proportionality Analysis in the Judicial Review of Emergency Measures. European Constitutional Law Review, 20(1), 27–51. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1574019624000051
Parpworth, N. (2012). Constitutional and Administrative Law. OUP Oxford.
Province of Punjab v. Rana Ziladar Khan 2013 SCMR 219.
Pünder, H. (2009). Democratic legitimation of delegated legislation—A comparative view on the American, British and German law. International & Comparative Law Quarterly, 58(2), 353–378.
R (Miller) v. The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland, [2019] UKSC 41.
R (on the Application of GC) (FC) v. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2011] UKSC 21.
R (on the Application of The Public Law Project) v Lord Chancellor [2016] UKSC 39. https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2015-0255
R v. Health Secretary Ex p U.S. Tobacco [1992] 1QB 353.
Rana, M. Z. R., Azam, A., Akbar, M. S., & Azeem, H. M. (2024). Delegated Legislation in Administrative Law: An Analysis of its Expansion and Forms. Pakistan Research Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3). https://prjss.com/index.php/prjss/article/view/149
Sathe, S. P. (2004). Administrative Law. LexisNexis Butterworths.
Shukla, V. N. (1959a). Judicial Control of Delegated Legislation in India. Journal of the Indian Law Institute, 1(3), 357–374.
Shukla, V. N. (1959b). Judicial Control of Delegated Legislation in India. Journal of the Indian Law Institute, 1(3), 357–374.
Srivastava, A. (2019). The Notion of Delegated Legislation in India-A Critical Analysis. Scholars International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 2(11), 348–351.
Sunstein, C. R. (2016). Practically binding: General policy statements and notice-and-comment rulemaking. Admin. L. Rev., 68, 491.
Sunstein, C. R. (2018). The American Nondelegation Doctrine. Geo. Wash. L. Rev., 86(1), 1181.
Swarnim, P. (2020). Judicial, Legislative and Other Controls over Delegated Legislation in India. Issue 3 Int’l JL Mgmt. & Human., 3(1), 1362.
Syed Zaheer Hussain Shah, Hafiz Muhammad Azeem, & Asif Ayub. (2024). Exploring the Principles of Judicial Review in Delegated Legislation. Social Sciences Spectrum. https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.03.04.76
Takwani, C. K. (2005). Lectures on Administrative Law (3rd ed.). Eastern Book Company,.
The Indian Express Newspapers v. Union of India, (1985) 1 SCC 641.
The State of Tamil Nadu v. P. Krishnamoorthy (2006) 4 SCC 517.
Vakil, K. D. (2011). Procedural deviance of delegated legislation from parent act. Available at SSRN 1877247. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1877247
Wade, W., & Forsyth, C. (2014). Administrative Law. Oxford University Press.
Waluchow, W. J. (2006). A Common Law Theory of Judicial Review: The Living Tree. Cambridge University Press.
Walumba Lumba v. Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] UKSC 12.
Wharam, A. (1973). Judicial Control of Delegated Legislation: The Test of Reasonableness. The Modern Law Review, 36(6), 611–623.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Muhammad Saqlain Haider, Waqar Ahmad, Hafiz Muhammad Azeem, Zubair Iqbal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
LEGALOPEDIA EDUCATINIA (PVT) LTD