Legal Dictionary
Meanings of Indian legal terms, abbreviations and designations in simple English.
52 terms
- AccusedLegal terminologyThe accused is the person against whom a criminal case has been started. An accused is not a convict: guilt has to be proved in court.
- AffidavitLegal terminologyAn affidavit is a written statement of facts that the person making it swears or affirms to be true, usually before a notary or an oath commissioner. False statements in it can lead to penalties.
- Anticipatory bailLegal terminologyAnticipatory bail is bail asked for in advance by a person who fears arrest for a non-bailable offence. If granted, the person is released on bail if arrested.
- AppealProcedureAn appeal asks a higher court to review and change the decision of a lower court or authority. The time allowed to appeal is limited, so it is worth acting quickly.
- ArbitrationProcedureArbitration is a private way of deciding a dispute. The parties agree to have an arbitrator or a panel decide it instead of a court, usually under an arbitration clause in their contract.
- BailLegal terminologyBail is the temporary release of a person accused of an offence, on conditions such as giving a bond and appearing in court when required, while the case is still pending.
- Bailable offenceLegal terminologyIn a bailable offence, bail is a matter of right: the person arrested has to be released on bail if they give the required bond or surety.
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha SanhitaBNSSLegislationThe BNSS sets out the procedure for criminal cases: how an FIR is recorded, how police investigate, how arrest and bail work, and how trials and appeals run. It replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
- Bharatiya Nyaya SanhitaBNSLegislationThe BNS is India's main criminal law. It lists offences such as murder, theft and cheating and sets their punishments. It replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for offences committed on or after 1 July 2024.
- Bharatiya Sakshya AdhiniyamBSALegislationThe BSA is the law of evidence: it decides what a court may accept as proof and how. It expressly covers electronic records. It replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
- Central Bureau of InvestigationCBICourt or bodyThe CBI is a central agency that investigates certain serious or high-profile cases, usually those referred to it by the government or the courts.
- Charge sheetProcedureA charge sheet is the police report filed in court at the end of an investigation, setting out what the police found and whom they propose to prosecute.
- Code of Civil ProcedureCPCLegislationThe CPC sets out the procedure that civil courts in India follow, from filing a suit to hearing it, passing a decree and appealing against it.
- Code of Criminal ProcedureCrPCLegislationThe CrPC was the law of criminal procedure from 1973. It has been repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), though it can still matter for older proceedings.
- Cognizable offenceLegal terminologyA cognizable offence is a more serious offence where the police can register an FIR and begin investigating without first getting a magistrate's permission, and can generally arrest without a warrant.
- ComplainantLegal terminologyThe complainant is the person who reports an offence to the police or makes a complaint to a magistrate or another authority.
- DecreeLegal terminologyA decree is the formal decision of a civil court that settles the rights of the parties in a suit. It is what a winning party enforces, which is called execution.
- DefendantLegal terminologyThe defendant is the person a civil suit is filed against, who has to answer the plaintiff's claim in court.
- Directorate of EnforcementEDCourt or bodyThe Enforcement Directorate is a central agency that investigates financial offences such as money laundering and foreign exchange violations.
- Ex parteLegal terminologyEx parte describes a decision or order made when one side was not present in court, usually because they were told about the hearing and did not attend.
- First Information ReportFIRProcedureAn FIR is the written record the police make when they receive information about a cognizable offence (a serious offence for which police can generally act without a magistrate's order). It starts the police investigation.
- Habeas corpusLegal terminologyHabeas corpus is a writ asking a court to order that a person who is detained be brought before it, so that the court can decide whether the detention is lawful.
- Indian Evidence ActIEALegislationThe Indian Evidence Act was India's law of evidence from 1872. It has been repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).
- Indian Penal CodeIPCLegislationThe IPC was India's criminal code from 1860. It has been repealed and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), but it can still apply to offences committed before the BNS took effect.
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LawMitran is not a law firm. This reference is educational information, and using it does not create an advocate–client relationship. Statutory text is available from the official source linked on each page; where the two differ, the official text prevails. Find a verified lawyer for advice on your situation.