The Hindu Editorial (​​Judges’ dilemma) – Feb 22, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (​​Judges’ dilemma) – Jan 22, 2025:

1. dilemma (noun) – difficulty, problem, trouble, quandary, predicament, conundrum; awkward/difficult situation.
2. judiciary (noun) – a branch of government in which judicial power is vested; judges collectively.
3. accountability (noun) – responsibility, liability, answerability.
4. ought to (modal verb) – must, should.
5. Lokpal (noun) – the literal meaning of LOKPAL, LOK – meaning people and PALA – meaning caretaker, i.e. “caretaker of people”. It is an anti-corruption ombudsman at the centre and Lokayukta at the State-level. (An ombudsman is an official who investigates complaints).
6. ruling (noun) – verdict, decision, judgement, adjudication, pronouncement.
7. amenable to (adjective) – (in law) legally answerable, subject to, liable to, responsible.
8. jurisdiction (noun) – authority, command, control, dominion, sovereignty, supremacy, power, influence, sway, leverage, clout.
9. stay (verb) – stop, delay, or prevent something temporarily (a judicial proceeding/trial through the order of a court).
10. suo motu (phrase) – Latin term means “on its own motion”. It is used where a government agency acts on its own knowledge.
11. undermine (verb) – weaken, subvert, sabotage, damage.
12. constitutional court (noun) – an institution established by the Constitution. The Supreme Court is the supreme judicial body and the highest court under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, and has the power of judicial review. The high courts that deal primarily with constitutional law are also called as the constitutional courts.
13. fall under (phrasal verb) – be included in, be classified as, be part of, belong to, come under; to be influenced by; to be affected by.
14. Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act), 1988 (noun) – An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to the prevention of corruption and for matters connected therewith.
15. prima facie (adjective) – “It is a Latin expression meaning ‘at first sight/look/view’, at firs appearance, based on first impression. It may be used as an adjective meaning ‘sufficient to establish a fact or raise a presumption unless disproved or rebutted’. It is used for a belief that is accepted as correct until proven otherwise; It literally means ‘at first face’.
16. suggest (verb) – indicate, denote, point to, signify.
17. remit (noun) – area of responsibility, area of activity, scope, ambit.
18. head (verb) – be the leader of, be in charge of; lead, direct, control, administer.
19. ground (noun) – reason, cause, basis, pretext.
20. The Lokpal (and Lokayukta) Act, 2013 (noun) – An Act to provide for the establishment of a body of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
21. concern (verb) – be about, deal with, have to do with, be connected with, relate to.
22. reference (noun) – mention of, comment on, remark about.
23. body (noun) – organization, association, federation, group. 
24. authority (noun) – officials, the people in charge, the bureaucracy, officialdom.
25. the Act (noun) – law, rule, statute, decree, ordinance, stipulation.
26. establish (verb) – set up, initiate, form, organize, create.
27. constitution (noun) – body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter. 
28. The Constitution of India (noun) – India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.
29. in respect of (phrase) – concerning, regarding, in/with regard to, with reference to.
30. statute (noun) – rule, ruling, act, law, ordinance, regulation.
31. respective (adjective) – particular, specific, corresponding, relevant, appropriate. 
32. statutory (adjective) – legitimate, legal, rightful, lawful.
33. statutory body (noun) – an institution that is established by an act of Parliament or state legislatures, deriving its authority from legislation instead of the constitution.
34. Section 14 of the Lokpal Act (noun) – Section 14 of the Lokpal Act lays down the jurisdiction of the Lokpal. It specifies the people against whom complaints can be filed. This includes the Prime Minister, other Ministers, members of Parliament, other central government officials and public servants. A clause of Section 14 notes the Lokpal has jurisdiction over “any person who is or has been a chairperson or member or officer or employee in any body or Board or corporation or authority or company or society or trust or autonomous body (by whatever name called) established by an Act of Parliament or wholly or partly financed by the Central government or controlled by it”.
35. foremost (adjective) – most important, main, central, major.
36. consideration (noun) – point, factor, matter, aspect.
37. held past participle of hold (verb) – (of a court) decide, rule.
38. Veeraswami vs Union of India (1991) case (noun) – In 1991, a five-judge Constitution Bench in K. Veeraswamy v Union of India had held that a judge of any court is a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.  The central finding was that Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are indeed classified as “public servants” under the Act. The judgement also stated that when a complaint is filed against a judge or Chief Justice of a High Court or a judge of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India must be consulted before a criminal complaint is “registered” against such a judge
39. set to (phrasal verb) – to be ready to, to be prepared to (do something)
40. address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
41. credible (adjective) – acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable.
42. in-house (adjective) – internal, private, secret (within an organisation).
43. charge (noun) – accusation, allegation, indictment.
44. disclose (verb) – reveal, make known, publish, communicate, release, make public.
45. mechanism (noun) – approach, medium, vehicle, instrument, apparatus.
46. independent (adjective) – fair, just, impartial, even-handed, fair-minded, unbiased, unprejudiced.
47. prosecution (noun) – legal action, legal proceeding, legal case.

Note : 

1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc. from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (​​Judges’ dilemma) – Jan 22, 2025: