"In case of conflict between a provision of an International Treaty and a provision of a state statute…

In Jolly George Varghese v. Bank of Cochin (1980), the Supreme Court considered Article 11 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which bars imprisonment merely for inability to pay a contractual debt. Krishna Iyer J. held that unless a treaty is incorporated into municipal law, the municipal statute (here section 51 of the Code of Civil Procedure) prevails where the two conflict.

Vishaka (1997) and Apparel Export Promotion Council (1999) used international conventions to fill gaps where there was no conflicting domestic law. Maganbhai Patel (1969) concerned the executive power to make treaties.