Legislative Drafting (Principles and Techniques), 4th Edn.

Here, Lord Denning, that jural marvel of a judge has set the record straight. The author B.R. Atre, has wisely excerptued this passage in his preface.

``Whenever a statute comes up for consideration, it must be remembered that it is not within human powers to foresee the manifold sets of facts which may arise;.... when a defect appears, a judge must not alter the material of which it is woven but he can and should iron out the differences.``

The long legislative experience of the author has been an invaluable aid for him in enunciating the principles and techniques of legislative printing. His chapter-wise handling of a complicated subject certainly does credit to his rich familiarity with it. There is a practical dimension to the author`s instruction when he deals with basic techniques of legislative drafting. The drafter - a gender-neutral word - the author rightly emphasizes, must follow a dedication to simplicity and clear thinking....

The Chapter on techniques is replete with numerous recipes. Highly instructive and easily acceptable directives make the chapter on basic techniques a bible for the beginner in the job.

A significant part of the book is devoted to drafting to Constitutions, a difficult, delicate and spinal process to master, which is necessary to make a competent draftsman. Elaborate attention is paid to this branch since all corpus juris must submit to the values of the Constitution. Inevitably judicial review figures in the discussion. Federalism, unitary State, their fundamental features and the key rules to be considered while drafting constitutional instruments - all these have been briefly but adequately dealt with by the author.

I commend Atre`s contribution to judges, lawyers, legal draftsman and law teachers for equipping themselves better in an area where more such books are needed dealing with other dimensions of the jurisprudence of legislative draftsmanship.