Contingency Fund
Quick Summary (TL;DR)
Article 267 (Contingency Fund): Regulates taxation authority, public funds, revenue sharing, contracts, and property rights under Part XII.
In Simple Citizen Words
Article 267 ('Contingency Fund') in Part XII (Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits) regulates public money and property. It covers constitutional rules on valid taxation (Art 265), Consolidated and Contingency Funds (Arts 266–267), GST & tax devolution between Union and States (Arts 268–281), government borrowing and contracts (Arts 292–299), liability of the State to be sued by citizens (Art 300), and the constitutional Right to Property (Art 300A). Specifically: (1) Parliament may by law establish a Contingency Fund in the nature of an imprest to be entitled “the Contingency Fund of India” into which shall be paid from time to time such sums as may be determined by such law, and the said Fund...
Key Constitutional Provisions
Constitutional Mandate (Art. 267): Directly codifies the legal rule for 'Contingency Fund' under Part XII
Structured across 2 clause(s) with clear procedural conditions
Requires transparent Parliamentary law-making and democratic accountability rather than arbitrary executive action
Exceptions & Reasonable Restrictions
Under Article 265, no tax or fee can be levied or collected by executive order without an enacted law, and no money can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund without Parliamentary/Legislative appropriation.
Why This Matters in Daily Life
Protects citizens against arbitrary tax demands and illegal property seizure while enforcing strict fiscal discipline on governments.
Want deeper legal & historical context? Explore the official Bare Act or Supreme Court Precedents & CAD Debates: