<p>The book is organised into ten chapters, each introduced with a carefully chosen judicial epigraph that frames the chapter&#39;s central inquiry. The authors describe the jurisprudence of promissory estoppel as &#39;a ball of wool, tightly jumbled up and knotted,&#39; and the structure of the book is designed to unravel that tangle methodically.</p>

<p>Chapter 1 &mdash; Introduction&nbsp;sets out the doctrinal landscape, defines the components of the phrase &#39;promissory estoppel,&#39; situates the doctrine within Indian statutory and equitable frameworks, and establishes the book&#39;s public law focus</p>

<p>Chapter 2 &mdash; A Colonial Stowaway&nbsp;narrates the entry of the doctrine into Indian jurisprudence from English equity&mdash;examining its origins in Lord Denning&#39;s formulations, its initial reception by Indian Courts, and the contribution of judicial activism to its adoption</p>

<p>Chapter 3 &mdash; A Product of Judicial Activism&nbsp;examines the relationship between the growth of promissory estoppel in India and the phenomenon of judicial activism, engaging directly with questions about the legitimacy of judge-made law in a constitutional democracy</p>

<p>Chapter 4 &mdash; A Schism in the Law&nbsp;analyses the competing strands of Supreme Court jurisprudence that have, at different points, taken fundamentally different views on whether and when the doctrine operates against the government</p>

<p>Chapter 5 &mdash; No Estoppel&nbsp;against the Statute deals with one of the most frequently litigated limitations of the doctrine&mdash;the rule that promissory estoppel cannot compel the government to act contrary to a statutory mandate &mdash; and examines the contours of this rule through case law</p>

<p>Chapter 6 &mdash; Executive Necessity and Promissory Estoppel&nbsp;addresses the circumstances under which the government may validly withdraw a representation by invoking supervening public interest, executive necessity, or a change in policy</p>

<p>Chapter 7 &mdash; Promises and the Political Circus&nbsp;is the book&#39;s most colourful chapter&mdash;engaging with the question of whether political statements, election promises, and representations made by the highest executive functionaries can give rise to enforceable estoppel</p>

<p>Chapter 8 &mdash; The Public Interest Exception&nbsp;examines the equitable limitations on the doctrine when its enforcement would prejudice the larger public good, and analyses how Indian Courts have balanced individual reliance against collective interest</p>

<p>Chapter 9 &mdash; Legitimate Expectation vis-&agrave;-vis Promissory Estoppel&nbsp;provides a detailed comparative analysis of the two doctrines&mdash;their shared equity roots, their divergence in constitutional grounding, and the circumstances in which legitimate expectation affords a stronger or more certain remedy than promissory estoppel</p>

<p>Chapter 10 &mdash; A Case for Certainty in the Law&nbsp;serves as an extended epilogue&mdash;a candid, reflective, and at times pointed commentary on the inconsistencies in judicial application of the doctrine, the confusion between promissory estoppel and judicial estoppel in some Supreme Court decisions, and the broader imperative of certainty and predictability in public law</p>
