What is the difference between Act and Law?

318 votes

Many people think that the two terms Act and Law have similar meanings and are interchangeable. However, there is a difference between the two in legal terminology. In simple terms, law is a system of rules that tells people how to govern their behavior in different situations and these systems are enforced by the responsible social institutions. An Act, on the other hand, is a form of legislation passed in the parliament in order to make or change a law. This can be considered as the main difference between act and law. Let us look at the terms in detail.
 

What is Law?

Law is a system of rules enforced through a social institution mainly to govern the behavior or the conduct of people in a particular society. Usually, laws are made in a parliament or a legislature as a collective idea; it could also be a result of a single legislator’s decision. There are so many laws referring to different situations and common people are usually aware of these laws and try to adhere to them as possible. Laws are always easy to understand. They are passed to the general public in simple language. For example, driving a vehicle without a valid driving license is against the law. Thus, people know that they should have a proper license with them while driving. Furthermore, laws help to maintain social order and they always guide and protect people. If a person is ill-treated, he/she can seek justice in a law court. If an individual goes against a particular law, he/she can be punished accordingly.
 
A law is always followed by a penalty. Laws exist in almost all the societies and they are made by an authorized set of people chosen by the general public, usually the members of the parliament. Moreover, different societies practice a different set of laws based on their specific norm systems, which may also change over the time.
 

What is an Act?

An act is a piece of legislation passed in the parliament in order to change an existing law or to make a new law. An act is more specific and more detailed than a law. Usually, an act is a constitutional plan which is created by the government. It is normally created in the parliament. The ministers of the parliament have to vote for the act in order for it to become a law. Until an act gets passed by the parliament to become a law, it is known as a bill. An act may be applied to a particular group or a particular part of the society only and that is why it becomes more specific. An act makes people aware of the requirements relevant to a particular situation and describes why and how people should adhere to a certain law. An act, once passed with higher assent by the members of the parliament, can be changed only by passing another act. Once an act is annulled, its provisions are not applied. The parliament of a country has the responsibility to make and implement acts as needed. Thus, the ideas of the government come to the public through acts, making them compulsory to follow.
 

Difference between Act and Law

The difference between act and law can be better understood with the points provided below:

1. The statutes created by the legislature, that concentrates on a particular subject, and contains provisions relating to it, is known as Act. Law is described as the rules and principles, set up by the stipulated authority and are meant to regulate the conduct of the members of the society.

2. Law is generic in nature that covers all rules and regulations made by the government at any point in time. On the other hand, the act is specific, as it is limited to a specific situation, like all the provisions relating to the contract are covered under Contract Act, or provisions relating to the partnership are included in partnership act and so forth.

3. A law is an established phenomenon, whereas an act is originally a bill, which is proposed in the parliament first, and when it gets approval from both the houses, i.e. the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and the President as well, it becomes an Act.

4. An act is descriptive, which explains why and how laws are enforced. Conversely, law explains what should be and should not be done in any context.

5. Law is enforced to protect people from unfair practices and to maintain public order. As against this, the fundamental reason for the creation of act is to let people know the rules and regulations about specific situations.

LawRato LawRato

246 votes

A law is an indispensable set of rules and regulations which must be adhered to. Acts are decrees that have been approved by the legislature. In India, this is the State Legislative Assembly (or Parliament of India). The law has a single focus over the bigger picture.

Advocate Chikirsha Mohanty LawRato