What is Doctrine of Colourable Legislation?

The Doctrine of Colourable Legislation prevents legislatures from overstepping constitutional limits by disguising their true intent.

It means that a legislature cannot do indirectly what it cannot do directly. If a law's true intent is to infringe upon an area outside the legislature's authority, then that law is deemed invalid, regardless of its wording or presentation.

In K.C. Gajapati Narayan Deo v. State of Orissa (1953), the Supreme Court struck down a law that was enacted under a colourable pretence to violate property rights, affirming that the legislature’s true motive matters more than its stated form.