Telangana High Court Process Server key terms

A formal document issued by a court ordering a person to appear before it or to answer a suit, plaint or petition on a stated date. It starts the defendant's obligation to respond.

The legally recognised act of delivering a summons or notice to the person concerned in a manner permitted by law, so that the court gains power over that person.

A court official whose duty is to personally deliver summonses and other court processes to the addressees and report the outcome to the court honestly and promptly.

A sworn written statement by the person who served the summons, describing when, where and how it was delivered and to whom, and signed before an authorised officer.

Evidence acceptable to the court that a summons actually reached the addressee, usually the server's affidavit, the signed acknowledgement or the endorsement on the copy of the summons.

A short note written on the summons or its duplicate recording the date and manner of service, the name of the person served and, if service failed, the reason for failure.

The signature or written receipt given by the addressee or an authorised adult family member confirming that the summons was received on a particular date.

When the addressee declines to accept the summons, the server records the refusal and, if the copy is left at the address, the law may treat service as complete.

A mode of service ordered by the court when ordinary personal service cannot be effected, such as affixing the summons at the residence or publishing it in a newspaper.

A proceeding or order made on the application of one party alone, without hearing the other side, often used when a defendant has not appeared despite service.

The person against whom a civil suit or criminal complaint is brought and who must be served with the summons so that the case can proceed.

The person who files a civil suit or petition seeking relief from the court against one or more defendants.

The written statement of claim filed by a plaintiff in a civil suit, setting out the facts, the cause of action and the relief sought from the court.

The defendant's formal reply to the plaint, admitting or denying the allegations and stating any separate defence or counter-claim.

The set of facts that gives a person the legal right to sue another and that must exist before a court can entertain the suit.

The legal authority of a particular court to hear and decide a case, determined by territory, subject matter or the value of the claim.

The limit on the money value of suits that a given court may hear, fixed by statute according to the court's grade and location.

The geographical area within which a court may exercise its authority, such as a district, a division or a specific local limit.

The formal expression of an adjudication by a civil court that conclusively determines the rights of the parties in the suit.

The reasoned statement by a court giving its decision in a case, stating the findings on the issues and the relief granted or refused.

A formal direction of a civil court that is not a decree, such as an order about procedure, interim relief or costs, and which may be appealable.

The process by which a decree-holder enforces a decree through the court, which may include attachment of property or arrest of the judgment-debtor.

A written authority issued by a court directing an officer to carry out an act, such as arrest of a person or attachment of property.

An offence in which the accused has a right to be released on bail and for which a court or police officer may grant bail.

A serious offence in which release on bail is not a matter of right and only a court may grant bail after considering the circumstances.

An offence for which a police officer may investigate and arrest without a warrant or the permission of a magistrate.

An offence that the police cannot investigate without the order of a magistrate and for which arrest generally requires a warrant.

The statutory period within which a suit, appeal or application must be filed; a case filed after that period may be dismissed as time-barred.

The postponement of a hearing or proceeding by a court to a later date, often on the request of a party or for want of time.

Describing a temporary measure, order or relief granted during the pendency of a case, before the final decision is given.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, while a percentage expresses a number as a fraction of one hundred, useful in data and interest problems.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values, giving a single figure that represents the group as a whole.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, at a fixed rate, without adding interest to the principal.

Interest calculated on the principal plus any interest already earned, so that the amount grows at each period of calculation.

A form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given premises that share a common term, tested for logical validity.

A reasoning question that asks you to identify the relationship between one pair of items and apply the same relationship to another pair.

A reasoning exercise in which letters, words or numbers are replaced by a rule-based code, and the candidate must decode or encode new items.

A sequence of numbers, letters or figures following a hidden pattern, where the candidate must identify the rule and find the missing item.

A word that has the opposite meaning to another word, such as 'guilty' and 'innocent', tested in vocabulary sections of language papers.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as 'begin' and 'commence', used in vocabulary questions.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words, such as 'to break the ice' meaning to start a conversation.