The Hindu Editorial (Knowing the killer) – Sep 20, 2022

Sentencing after conviction is a knotty problem in cases relating to capital offences… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Knowing the killer) – Sep 20, 2022.

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The Hindu Editorial (Knowing the killer) – Sep 20, 2022:

bench (noun) – a court of law with a number of judges.
Constitution Bench (noun) – a bench of the Supreme Court having five or more judges on it. These benches are not a routine phenomenon. Constitution Benches are exceptions, set up only if some circumstances exist). (A bench of two or three judges is called a division bench).
seek (verb) – try, attempt, be intent on, aim for, work towards.
norm (noun) – standard, convention, criterion, guidelines, regulation.
mitigate (verb) – reduce, diminish, lessen.
sentence (verb) – pass judgement on, punish, convict.
conviction (noun) – sentence, judgement, verdict.
knotty (adjective) – complex, complicated, intricate.
capital offence (noun) – an offense that is punishable by the death penalty.
trial judge (noun) – a judge in a trial court.
trial court (noun) – a court of law where cases are tried at first. (try means to investigate and decide (a case) in a formal trial).
call upon (phrasal verb) – demand, require, ask formally.
ends of justice (phrase) – it refers to justice to all parties.
salutary (adjective) – good, helpful/useful, beneficial, practical, valuable.
lay down (phrasal verb) – formulate, stipulate, frame, prescribe, order, pronounce (a rule/principle).
impose (verb) – apply, enforce, exact, inflict.
rarest of rare (phrase) – it has a specific legal connotation (hidden meaning) in the context of the death penalty. It is often understood to mean and suggest that the crime was “exceptionally brutal”.
subsequent (adjective) – following, ensuing, succeeding, successive.
buttress (verb) – strengthen, fortify, bolster up, shore up, reinforce, prop up, underpin, support.
hold (verb) – decide, rule (a verdict).
gruesome (adjective) – horrible, grim, dreadful/terrible.
criterion (noun) – basis, standard, norm, specification (criteria is the plural form of criterion).
offender (noun) – criminal, culprit, wrongdoer, lawbreaker, perpetrator.
socio-economic (noun) – relating to the interaction of social (position, rank, or importance) and economic (income, pay, and wealth) aspects.
background (noun) – situation, backdrop, scenario.
state of mind (noun phrase) – mood, temper, disposition, frame of mind, emotional state.
in this regard (phrase) – in connection with the aspect/consideration/point referred to earlier.
convict (noun) – prisoner, inmate; criminal, lawbreaker, offender.
aggravating (adjective) – worsening, deteriorating, intensifying, compounding.
prosecution (noun) – legal action, legal proceeding, legal case.
stride (noun) – decisive step, advance, progress, forward movement.
humanise (verb) – civilize, improve; personalize.
uphold (verb) – confirm, endorse/approve, vindicate/validate.
vitiate (verb) – destroy, impair, spoil, ruin.
give a chance (verb) – to provide someone the opportunity to do something; give someone a break.
inadequacy (noun) – shortfall, deficiency, insufficiency.
veer (verb) – deviate, change (direction), turn.
elicit (verb) – obtain, bring forth/bring out, draw out, generate; induce, evoke, spark off, trigger, kindle (a reaction/answer/fact).
authorities (noun) – officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the government, the administration, the establishment, the bureaucracy, the system.
probation officer (noun) – a court officer who interacts with persons who have been sentenced to supervised probation on a regular basis.
probation (noun) – (in criminal law) it is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often instead of incarceration/imprisonment.
in favour of (phrase) – in support of, to the advantage of, approving of.
referral order (noun) – A Referral Order is a sentence of the court considered for young people (10 to 17 year olds) who have been convicted of a criminal offence, often appearing before the court for the first time.
as to (phrase) – with respect to; concerning, regarding, with reference to.
tilt the scales/balance (phrase) – to change the balance of a situation, so that one side is gaining advantage.
on the one hand (phrase) – it is used to introduce the first of two contrasting different, points, facts, or ways of looking at something. It is always followed later by “on the other hand” or ‘on the other’.
heinous (adjective) – wicked, horrible, terrible, awful, disgraceful, shameful, outrageous, hateful, shocking.
come up with (phrasal verb) – produce, propose, present, put forward.
comprehensive (adjective) – all-inclusive, broad-based; all-embracing, complete, thorough.
upbringing (noun) – raising, bringing up, fostering/rearing, care and training (of young children).
dilemma (noun) – quandary, predicament, difficulty.
gallows (noun) – execution by hanging.
subsist (verb) – continue, last, persist, endure, carry on.
statute book (noun) – a collection of all the laws made by a government.