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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Judicial Review | Power of courts to test constitutional validity of laws and executive acts | 5/10-mark core concept |
| Basic Structure Doctrine | Certain features of Constitution cannot be amended — Kesavananda (1973) | 10-mark |
| PIL (Public Interest Litigation) | Petition filed by any person on behalf of public interest; locus standi relaxed | 5/10-mark |
| Writ | Court order commanding a person or authority to do or not to do something | 5-mark |
| Habeas Corpus | Writ requiring production of detained person before court | 5-mark |
| Mandamus | Writ commanding public official to perform a legal duty | 5-mark |
| Certiorari | Writ quashing order of inferior court/tribunal | 5-mark |
| Quo Warranto | Writ challenging authority of person holding public office | 5-mark |
| SLP (Special Leave Petition) | Article 136 discretionary appeal against any court's order | 5-mark |
| Original Jurisdiction | Power to hear case as a court of first instance (SC under Article 131) | 5-mark |
| Collegium | CJI + 4 senior-most SC judges recommending judicial appointments | 5/10-mark |
| NJAC | National Judicial Appointments Commission — struck down by SC in 2015 | 5/10-mark |
| Locus Standi | Legal right to file a case; relaxed in PIL | Context |
| Judicial Activism | Proactive judicial interpretation to protect rights and enforce accountability | 10-mark |
| Judicial Overreach | Courts exceeding their role by making policy decisions for executive/legislature | 10-mark |
| NJDG | National Judicial Data Grid — real-time pending case data across all courts | 5-mark |
| FASTER | Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records — SC orders to prisons | 5-mark |
| ICJS | Interoperable Criminal Justice System — links police, courts, prisons, forensics | 5-mark |
| Ultra Vires | Beyond the powers granted; used when a law/act exceeds constitutional limits | Legal term |
| Advisory Jurisdiction | SC's power to give opinion on Presidential reference (Article 143) | 5-mark |
| Epistolary Jurisdiction | Treating letters/postcards to court as PIL petitions | PIL context |
| Suo Motu | Court taking cognisance of a matter on its own initiative | PIL context |
| e-Courts | Courts with digital infrastructure for filing, hearing, and delivering judgments | 5-mark |
| Virtual Courts | Courts conducting hearings via video conferencing (accelerated post-COVID) | 5-mark |
| Three Judges Cases | S.P. Gupta (1982), SCAORA (1993), Presidential Reference (1998) — evolved collegium | 10-mark |
Sources: Constitution of India (Articles 124–147, 214–231, 32, 226); Supreme Court judgments — Kesavananda Bharati (1973), Maneka Gandhi (1978), Vishakha (1997), SCAORA (2015); e-Courts Mission Mode Project Phase III documentation (2023); NJDG annual data; RPSC Mains PYQs 2013–2023; Law Commission of India Report 120 (Arrears and Backlog in Courts).