Interpretation of statutes cannot be guided by perceptions of judicial hierarchy or notions of “inferior courts”, the Supreme Court has held, underlining that such approaches are antithetical to the rule of law. The court emphasised that statutory meaning must prevail over concerns about status, conflict of power or jurisdictional anomalies between courts. The court emphasised that statutory meaning must prevail over concerns about status, conflict of power or jurisdictional anomalies between courts. (Sanjay Sharma) A bench of justices PS Narasimha and R Mahadevan invoked constitutional theorist AV Dicey to reiterate that “however high you may be, the law is above you”, stressing that “law, and law alone, is the source of power”. The ruling on Thursday came while deciding whether an application to extend the mandate of an arbitral tribunal under Section 29A of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, must be moved before a high court merely because the arbitrator was appointed by it under Section 11, or whether such an application lies before the civil or commercial court as defined under the Act. …