UPPSC APS key terms

Constitutional guarantee that no person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law; courts have read into it the right to a fair, just and reasonable procedure.

A writ ordering that a detained person be brought before a court so the legality of the detention can be examined; it protects personal liberty against arbitrary arrest or custody.

The power of the Supreme Court under Article 32 and High Courts under Article 226 to issue writs such as habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo warranto for enforcing rights.

A writ commanding a public authority or body to perform a legal duty it has refused or failed to perform; it does not lie against a private person or against the President or a Governor.

A writ issued by a superior court to quash an order already passed by an inferior court or tribunal that acted without jurisdiction or in violation of natural justice.

Unwritten procedural principles requiring that a person affected by a decision be given a fair hearing and that the deciding authority be unbiased, free from personal interest in the outcome.

Latin rule meaning 'hear the other side'; no one should be condemned unheard, so an affected party must receive notice of the case and a real opportunity to respond.

Basic freedoms guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution, enforceable in courts; they include equality, speech, life and liberty, and protection from exploitation, subject to reasonable restrictions.

A limitation on a fundamental right, such as free speech, permitted by the Constitution only if it serves a legitimate purpose and is proportionate, not arbitrary or excessive.

Judicial principle that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution so as to destroy its essential features, such as supremacy of the Constitution, secularism, separation of powers or judicial review.

The method under Article 368 by which Parliament may amend the Constitution, requiring a special majority and, for federal provisions, ratification by at least half the state legislatures.

Provision of the Indian Penal Code punishing murder with death or imprisonment for life and fine; the corresponding provision in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita renumbers it as Section 103.

The guilty mental state required for criminal liability, such as intention, knowledge or rashness; a harmful act alone does not make an offence without the prescribed state of mind.

The prohibited physical act or omission that, combined with the required mental state, constitutes a crime; it may include conduct, consequences and the circumstances in which they occur.

Causing death by doing an act with the intention of causing death or bodily injury likely to cause death, or with knowledge that the act is likely to cause death.

The obligation of a party to prove a fact in issue; in criminal trials the prosecution must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, while some statutory presumptions shift the burden to the accused.

The rule that an accused is treated as innocent until the prosecution proves guilt beyond reasonable doubt, so doubt generally benefits the accused and bail is the norm, not the exception.

Statute governing what facts may be proved in court and by what means, covering relevance, admissions, confessions, witnesses and documentary proof; now replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

A statement made by a person about the cause of their death or its circumstances; it is admissible even without oath or cross-examination if the maker was mentally fit and the statement is voluntary.

First Information Report: the earliest record of information about a cognizable offence given to police, which sets investigation in motion and may be used to corroborate or contradict the informant.

An offence for which police may register a case and arrest a suspect without a magistrate's warrant, usually because it is serious; non-cognizable offences require a magistrate's order.

Taking a person into custody to answer a criminal charge; the arrested person must be informed of the grounds, allowed to consult a lawyer and produced before a magistrate within 24 hours.

Release of an accused from custody pending trial, with or without sureties, on the court's satisfaction that the person will attend proceedings and not obstruct justice.

A matter finally decided by a competent court cannot be litigated again between the same parties, preventing repeated suits over the same cause of action and preserving finality of judgments.

A bar on trying a suit while another suit involving the same parties and substantially the same issue is pending before a competent court, aimed at avoiding conflicting decisions.

The right of a person to bring an action in court because they have a sufficient legal interest in the matter; without it, a petition is generally not maintainable.

Public Interest Litigation: relaxed procedure allowing any public-spirited person to approach a court for relief affecting a large section of the public, especially the poor or disadvantaged.

Organisation of government into legislature, executive and judiciary, each with distinct functions and checks on the others, so that no single organ exercises unchecked authority.

The power of courts to examine laws and executive actions for conformity with the Constitution and to declare them void if they exceed constitutional limits.

The system of local self-government in rural India created by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, with elected gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads and reserved seats for women and marginalised groups.

A constitutional arrangement dividing powers between a central government and constituent states, each exercising authority directly over citizens within its sphere.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Constitution directing the state towards social and economic welfare, such as employment, education and health; they are not directly enforceable in courts.

Seasonal reversal of winds bringing heavy rainfall to India, driven by differential heating of land and sea; the southwest monsoon from June to September dominates the agricultural calendar.

A mountain range running along India's west coast, a biodiversity hotspot and source of major peninsular rivers; it lies on the windward side of the southwest monsoon.

The latitude about 23.5 degrees north of the equator, passing through India and marking the northern limit of the sun's apparent overhead passage; it divides India into tropical and subtropical zones.

हिंदी व्याकरण में दो वर्णों के मेल से होने वाले परिवर्तन को संधि कहते हैं, जैसे विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय; संधि के स्वर, व्यंजन और विसर्ग भेद प्रचलित हैं।

दो या अधिक शब्दों के मेल से बने संक्षिप्त पद को समास कहते हैं, जैसे राजपुत्र = राजा का पुत्र; तत्पुरुष, कर्मधारय, द्वंद्व, बहुव्रीहि आदि इसके भेद हैं।

काव्य में सौंदर्य या चमत्कार उत्पन्न करने वाले तत्व को अलंकार कहते हैं; अनुप्रास और उपमा जैसे शब्दालंकार तथा रूपक और उत्प्रेक्षा जैसे अर्थालंकार इसके प्रमुख भेद हैं।

काव्य पढ़ने या सुनने से जो आनंदपूर्ण अनुभूति होती है उसे रस कहते हैं; श्रृंगार, करुण, वीर, हास्य आदि इसके नौ प्रमुख भेद माने जाते हैं।

A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the same language, such as 'begin' and 'commence'; exam questions ask candidates to identify the closest equivalent.

A word expressing a meaning opposite to another word, such as 'ancient' and 'modern'; choosing the correct opposite requires attention to the sense intended in context.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'to let the cat out of the bag' meaning to reveal a secret.

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition to give a new meaning, such as 'call off' meaning cancel or 'put up with' meaning tolerate; the particle changes the sense.

Two ways of presenting the same action: active voice makes the doer the subject, while passive voice makes the object the subject and uses a form of 'be' with the past participle.

Reporting words either exactly as spoken, inside quotation marks, or by shifting them into a subordinate clause with changes of tense, pronouns and time words.