Vanguard Fire And General Insurance Co. ... vs Fraser And Ross, Chartered ... on 15 July, 1958
Now the principle is that all statutory definitions
have to be read subject to the qualification variously
expressed in the definition clauses which created them and
it may be that even where the definition is exhaustive
inasmuch as the word defined is said to mean a certain
thing, it is possible for the word to have a somewhat
different meaning in different sections of the Act depending
upon the subject or context. That is why all definitions in
statues generally begin with the qualifying words, similar
to the words used in the present case, namely 'unless there
is anything repugnant in the subject or context'. Thus
there may be sections in the Act where the meaning may have
to be departed from on account of the subject or context in
which the word had been used and that will be giving effect
to the opening sentence in the definition section, namely
'unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or
context'. In view of this qualification, the Court has not
only to look at the words but also to look at the context,
the collocation and the object of such words relating to
such matter and interpret the meaning intended to be
conveyed by the use of the words under those circumstance".
(See : Vanguard Fire and General Insurance Co. Ltd.
Madras vs Fraser & Ross, AIR 1960 SC 971).