ADL201 | Administrative Law

In a modern welfare State the functions of the Government has increased manifold. The State is indulging in various social and economic activities to ensure the well-being of the citizens. This increase in governmental functions is accompanied with more and more power and discretion in the hands of the Executive branch of the Government and its various instrumentalities and agencies. Such increase in administrative power is essential to fulfil the welfare objectives of the State. However unrestrained power often leads to misuse or abuse of power which often act detrimental to the rights and liberties of the people. Administrative Law is that branch of public law which aims to control the abuse or misuse of Governmental power and keep the executives and its various instrumentalities within the limits of their power.

Administrative Law is primarily a judge-made law and the course will primarily deal with study of different principles of Administrative Law which have been evolved by the courts to prevent arbitrary use of power and protect the rights of the citizens.

The objective of this course is to give the students an understanding of the evolution of administrative law, to make them appreciate the concepts and principles of administrative law and to help them understand the working of the administrative institutions within the norms of good governance and accountability.

Administrative Law is a mandatory course under the Bar Council. It is a foundation course but prior knowledge of Constitutional Law is essential to understand the nuances of Administrative Law principles.

The teaching methodology adopted for this course is theoretical discussions of the fundamental principles of Administrative Law and is largely based on reading of case laws and secondary materials.

The pedagogical method is a combination of lectures and socratic discussions.