How to Read Bare Acts in Judiciary Exams?

Bare Act is very important for candidates who aspire to become lawyers. It is the exact text of a particular enactment by the legislature. In order to have command over the law and improve analytical skills, reading bare acts in judiciary exams is essential. This article provides detailed information on how to read Bare Acts in Judiciary Exams and how to prepare notes. 

How to Read Bare Acts for Judiciary Exams

There are a few important techniques to follow while reading the Bare Acts for Judicial Services exam. Download Free Judiciary Exam Question Papers for understanding the difficulty level of the exam and knowing which type of questions can be asked. 

Know the Purpose

• The first thing to be aware of before reading Bare Acts is to understand the purpose and objects of that particular act. 
• Every act has a long title that defines the object of that act. 
• Make sure to relate every section, clause, and illustration with their purposes to understand the law. 

Read the Interpretation

• Every Act provides an interpretation clause at the starting of the Act, this interpretation clause or definition clause defines or explains some terms which are used in the Act.
• Not all acts provide an interpretation in section 2 but, some acts may provide in other sections. 
• Example: Section 3 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 provides an interpretation clause in Section 3.

Interpret Literally

• While reading the Bare Act you should keep in mind to read the bare act as it is. 
• Judges follow a principle of the literal interpretation of the bare act.
• Without any guesses of bare act meaning, read it as written.

Break the Sentences into parts and read

• Complicated sentences are difficult to understand. Hence, split or break the sentences for better understanding.
• Ensure to read slowly and understand each sentence carefully.

Pay Attention to Certain Terms

• While reading the bare acts, make sure to pay attention to certain terms like “and”, “or”, “may”, “shall”, “should” etc. 
• These terms cannot be treated casually as they change the entire meaning of the sentence. 

Choosing the Edition of Bare Acts

• One of the most important points to remember while reading the bare act is to choose either the diglot edition of the Bare Act or the English version.
• As per expert advice, Diglot Bare Act should be preferred where on one side sections or articles are written in English, and on the other side sections or articles are written in Hindi.
• This could help candidates to read in Hindi if they are unable to understand certain phrases in English. 

How to Memorize Bare Acts for Judiciary Exams

Follow the below quick tips to memorize or remember Bare Acts for Judiciary Exams.

• Go through the content or the index page of the Bare Act in the morning.
• Try to learn at least 10 sections in a day.
• Also, make a habit to revise at least 15 sections each day. 
• Write the section and article names in a notebook. Practice it multiple times during your law course. 
• Read the sections repeatedly to remember.
• Prepare mnemonics of sections to remember them for the long term. Any word, phrase, or line can make you remember so many sections.

How to make notes for Bare Acts Asked in Judiciary Exams

Each candidate's Preparation for Judicial Services Exam will vary. Hence, preparing notes depends on the candidate's preparation methods. Here are few points to keep in mind while making notes for Bare Acts:

• List out the topics to be covered in the subject. 
• You can mark important terms in the topics that have to be studied with high priority.
• For prelims, it is possible to study each topic present in the index. Hence, note down important topics to be studied or to be focussed on the index itself. 
• This would be easy for you to study only those topics.
• Use different colour pens for easy recognition of terminologies. 
• You can also use abbreviations while preparing any topic.
• Use sticky notes or bookmark for noting down any important definitions, meanings, or terminology. 
• This will help in studying topics easily and concentrate more on the important concepts. 
• You can use the sticky note for writing topics covered in each section.