“Non-obstante” is a latin phrase which means “notwithstanding”.
Sometimes it may happen that a same issue is dealt with in more than one law out of which one may apply in a general sense and another may apply in a specific way.
In such cases, the non-obstante clause is used to indicate that the provision of a particular law should take precedence over any conflicting provisions of any other law.
The non-obstante clause, thus, resolves inconsistencies in law. In other words, the provision containing the non-obstante clause will prevail over any other conflicting provisions.
The fact that a non-obstante clause prevents reliance on any other law mentioned in the clause has also been affirmed by the Supreme Court of India.
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