Word of the Day
“CORPUS DELICTI” (अपराध–सार)
Corpus delicti is a Latin term meaning “body of the misdeed or crime”. It sometimes refers to the body of the victim of a crime. However, the term has a broader meaning and includes a substantial/ material/ fundamental fact necessary to prove the commission of a crime.
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OTHER RELEVANT WORDS:
| WORDS
|
MEANINGS |
| Accomplice | A partner in a crime. One who knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally unites with the principal offender in the commission of a crime. The word accomplice has not been defined under the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (IEA). However, an accomplice is a competent witness as per Section 133 of the IEA. |
| Affiant | A person who makes and signs an affidavit. |
| Alford Plea | A special type of guilty plea by which a defendant does not admit guilt but concedes that the State has sufficient evidence to convict. This type of plea is normally made to avoid the threat of greater punishment by the Court. |
| Alibi | To be present elsewhere. It is a defence claimed by the accused that he was somewhere else at the time a crime was committed. Section 11 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 is based upon the principle of alibi. |
| Escrow/ Escrow Account
|
Money or a written instrument such as a deed that, by contractual agreement between two parties, is held by a neutral third party (held in escrow) until all conditions of the agreement are met.
An escrow account is a temporary pass through account held by a trusted third party during the process of a transaction between two parties. This is a temporary account as it operates until the completion of a transaction process. The transaction is implemented after all the conditions between the buyer and the seller are complied with. |
| “GIG” Economy (गिग इकॉनमी)
|
The term “gig” etymologically means” small/ temporary but quick result oriented. Basically, it is a slang word meaning “a job for a specified period of time” and is typically used in referring to musicians. The gig economy, though technology-driven, is an extension of unorganized labour force.
From the economic perspective, gig economy is a free market system with the temporary employee engaged for short-term in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. Examples of gig employees in the workforce could include freelancers, independent contractors, project-based workers and temporary or part-time hires. A gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and instead focus on a lifetime career The Swigy, Ola, Uber etc. are active players of the gig economy. The laws to regulate such market trend/ economy are still in nascent stage. |
| Hemiplegia | Hemiplegia is a neurological condition. It IS sometimes called hemiparesis and is a condition that affects one side of the body (Greek ‘hemi’ = half). It is caused by injury to parts of the brain that control movements of the limbs, trunk, face, etc. |
| Pendente lite | during the suit : while litigation continues (Eg: The Bank claimed pendente –lite interest till disposal of the suit) |
| Prognosis
|
The word prognosis was initially a medical term, but later on it broadened to encompass predictions/ forecasts made by experts of any field.
The prefix “pro” means “before”. Thus, the word prognosis literary means fore-knowing or foreseeing or foretelling. It is a view/ judgment or an opinion, based upon the experiences or existing trends/ symptoms, as to how something is likely to develop positively or negatively in future. Example, considering the prognosis of mounting inflow of trial of cases relating to sexual offences and child abuse, there is a need to think about constitution of more Special Courts to dispose of the pending trial expeditiously. |
| Recidivism/ Recidivist
|
The recidivism is the act of continuing to commit crimes even after having been punished. It is the continued, habitual, or compulsive commission of law violations after first having been convicted of prior offenses. A recidivist is a person who is released from prison and who later commits another crime, or reoffends, such as a parole violation or the commission of a new crime. |
| Sequitur | Conclusion/ Consequence/ Inference (Eg.: Mr. “X” was not financially sound, as reasonable sequitur he was unable to meet daily needs of his family. |
Prepared/ compiled by team LegalMines.
