The rule of law is the foundation of the British Constitution and is actively in operation in the field of Administrative Law. Primarily, rule of law implies that ‘everything must be done according to law’. Rule of Law requires that every government authority must be able to justify all its actions as authorized by law, which would otherwise be a wrong or infringement of human liberty. In other words, every act of government which affects the legal rights, duties or liberties of any person must be legal. Any aggrieved person may approach the courts of law in absence of any legal force behind such administrative action. Rule of law is thus a system of rules which aims to prevent discretionary power of administrative agencies. Though the British Constitution is largely unwritten, it is based upon the separation of powers. Thus, disputes relating to legality of acts of government are decided by judges as they are independent of the executive.
