The Hindu Editorial (​​Sex and violence) – Feb 17, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (​​Sex and violence) – Jan 17, 2025:

1. judiciary (noun) – a branch of government in which judicial power is vested; judges collectively.
2. immunity (noun) – exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment, impunity, indemnity, non-liability.
3. immunity (noun) – exemption, exclusion, exception, indemnity, freedom, exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment.
4. ruling (noun) – decision, judgement, verdict.
5. held past participle of hold (verb) – (of a court) rule, decide.
6. offence (noun) – crime, illegal/unlawful act, wrongdoing.
7. rely on (phrasal verb) – depend on, trust, believe in, turn to, lean on, bank on, count on.
8. presumption (noun) – assumption, supposition, belief/expectation, conclusion.
9. consent (noun) – permission, acceptance, approval, agreement.
10. marital (adjective) – matrimonial, relating to marriage/wedding.
11. convict (phrase) – declare/find guilty, sentence.
12. Sessions Court (noun) – In India, the apex court within the district dealing with criminal cases is named as “sessions court” as per the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). While the court dealing with civil cases as per the Code Of Civil Procedure is called “district court”.
13. subsequently (adverb) – afterwards, later on, in due course.
14. appeal (noun) – plea, request, petition, supplication, application.
15. acquit (verb) – declare innocent; discharge, release, free (from a criminal charge).
16. at the core of (phrase) – the most important part of something; the basic part of something.
17. lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring on/bring about.
18. excuse (verb) – justify, defend, ignore, disregard; exempt, let off, release.
19. at hand (phrase) – in present possession, at one’s disposal, readily available, available, close by.
20. Exception II of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (noun) – it states sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.
21. Indian Penal Code (IPC) (noun) – The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The draft was passed into law on 6 October 1860. The Code came into operation on 1 January 1862. The Indian Penal Code of 1860, subdivided into 23 chapters, comprises 511 sections. IPC deals with crimes and punishments.
22. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, 2023 (noun) – An Act to consolidate and amend the provisions relating to offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It is the official criminal code in India and it replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It came into effect on 1 July 2024 after being passed by the parliament in December 2023.
23. recognize (verb) -acknowledge, accept, admit.
24. marital/spousal rape (noun) – it refers to unwanted intercourse by a man on his wife obtained by force, threat of force or physical violence or when she is unable to give consent. 
25. the Independent Thought vs Union of India & Anr. case (2017) (noun) – In 2013, a child rights organization, Independent Thought, filed a writ petition in public interest before the Supreme Court. This petition challenged the constitutionality of Exception 2 to Section 375 of the IPC which decriminalised sexual intercouse by a husband with his wife between the ages of 15 and 18 years. On October 17, 2017, the Supreme Court of India, in Independent Thought v. Union of India1 held that sexual intercourse between a man and his wife aged between 15 to 18 years is rape.
26. Anr. (abbreviation)  it denotes Another. It means other parties are also involved.
27. overturn (verb) – cancel, repeal, revoke, overrule, undo, disallow, reverse.
28. sentence (verb) – convict, punish, pass judgement/verdict on.
29. rigorous  (adjective) – strict, severe, stern, stringent, harsh.
30. imprisonment (noun) – incarceration, captivity, custody, arrest, restraint, confinement, internment, detention.
31. bring attention to (phrase) – turn/put the spotlight on; to focus on someone or something; highlight, accentuate, underscore, underline.
32. ambiguous (adjective) – arguable, debatable, equivocal, ambivalent; unclear, puzzling.
33. terrain (noun) – landscape, area, land, territory (the distinctive features of a field of activity).
34. defer (verb) – stay, suspend, put off, hold off; postpone, delay.
35. hearing (noun) – lawsuit, proceedings, inquiry, legal proceedings, legal action.
36. plea (noun) – appeal, request, petition, supplication, application.
37. criminalise (verb) – make something (an activity) illegal.
38. lie with (phrasal verb) – to be the responsibility of; to be the duty of; to be the function of.
39. legislature (noun) – law-making body or governing body; parliament, congress, council, assembly.
40. the legislature (noun) – the House; a deliberative body of persons, usually elective, who are empowered to make, change, or repeal the laws of a country or state. India follows a bicameral (two chambers/parts) system at both the centre and state level.
41. undermine (verb) – weaken, subvert, sabotage, damage.
42. institution of marriage (noun phrase) – it is the social and legal arrangement between two people who are married. It’s a relationship that allows couples to live together, have children, and be part of a family.
43. National Family Health Survey (NFHS) (noun) – a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. Three rounds of the survey have been conducted since the first survey in 1992-93. The survey provides state and national information for India on fertility, infant and child mortality, the practice of family planning, maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, anemia, utilization and quality of health and family planning services.
44. National Family Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5) (noun) – the fifth in the NFHS series, NFHS-5 conducted in 2019-20, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and each state and union territory. All five NFHS surveys have been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India.
45. experience (verb) – suffer, undergo, be subjected to, go through, encounter, face.
46. seek (verb) – request, ask for, appeal for.
47. stark (adjective) – clear, distinct, evident, obvious, striking.
48. reality (noun) – truth, actuality, existing thing/case.
49. serve as (verb) – act as, function as.
50. wake-up call (noun) – something which alerts a person to a problem and makes him/her to do some remedial action.
51. lawmaker (noun) – a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator, representative.
52. enforcement (noun) – imposition, implementation, execution.
53. law enforcement (noun) – it describes the agencies and employees responsible for enforcing laws, maintaining public order, and managing public safety.
54. at large (phrase) – as a whole, generally, extensively.
55. liberty (noun) – freedom, independence, self-determination, non-compulsion, leeway.
56. equality (noun) – the fact or status of being equal; equal rights, equal opportunities, non-discrimination.
57. dignity (noun) – self-respect, self-worth, sensibilities, sense of pride.
58. in place (phrase) – ready, set up, established
59. shift (noun) – change.
60. societal (adjective) – relating to society or relating to social relations.

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 (​​Sex and violence) – Jan 17, 2025: