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Introduction The term “Special Public Prosecutor” (SPP) occupies a tactical and often high‑visibility role in Indian criminal adjudication. Courts routinely require—or parties request—the appointment of an SPP in matters that are complex, politically sensitive, involve multiple accused, are before a special court (e.g., under NDPS, PMLA, Prevention of Corruption Act), or where the State’s regular…

Introduction Special Leave Petition (SLP) is the gateway to the Supreme Court of India under Article 136 of the Constitution. It permits the Supreme Court, in its extraordinary and supervisory jurisdiction, to grant leave to appeal against any judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order in any cause or matter passed by any court or tribunal…

Introduction The Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) is the police response specifically tailored to children — both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law. As the frontline agency that first interfaces with child victims, witnesses and accused, the SJPU is the fulcrum for delivering child-friendly justice, safeguarding procedural safeguards…

Introduction A “Special Educator” occupies a central place in India’s evolving statutory and judicial ecosystem for disability and inclusive education. Far from being merely a classroom role, the special educator is a regulated rehabilitation professional, a bridge between medical/therapeutic interventions and pedagogic practice, and often the key to enforcing statutory entitlements of children with disabilities…

Introduction The Solicitor General of India occupies a pivotal place in the interface between the Union government and the courts. Though commonly described in shorthand as the “deputy” to the Attorney General, the office of the Solicitor General is distinct in character: an instrument of the executive for conducting litigation and advising the government in…

Introduction Solicitation is a deceptively simple word that assumes several legal hues in Indian practice. At its core it denotes the act of asking for or attempting to obtain something from another person. In law, however, the term is context-sensitive: it appears in criminal statutes addressing prostitution and public obscenity, in professional-regulatory rules that govern…

Introduction “Solemnize” in the law of marriage denotes the formal performance of a marriage ceremony so as to bring a marital relationship into legal existence. In Indian practice, solemnization may occur under personal laws (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi) or under a civil statute (Special Marriage Act, 1954), and the manner of solemnization directly affects proof,…

Introduction Sodomy — a term of common-law origin used to describe anal or oral sexual intercourse — occupies a fraught space in Indian criminal jurisprudence. There is no statutory definition of “sodomy” in Indian law; its regulation and penal consequences have been constructed through the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Protection of Children from Sexual…

Introduction Social boycott denotes the organised exclusion of a person or group from normal social intercourse — denial of access to community institutions, public worship, water sources, trade, social events, or economic participation — with the objective of isolating, intimidating or punishing them. In India, where caste and community relations shape everyday life, social boycott…

Introduction “Small enterprise” is a legal and policy label with outsized practical importance: it determines eligibility for preferential procurement, credit and interest-rate concessions, exemption from certain taxes and compliance relaxations, and remedies under the delayed‑payments regime. Historically, the label was tied to a narrow numeric test — investment in plant and machinery — but since…

Introduction Signature identification — the process of proving, comparing and authenticating a person’s signature — is an everyday litigational exercise in Indian courts. It dictates the fate of contracts, transfers, admissions, wills, cheques, and numerous documentary disputes. For practitioners, the term spans three distinct domains: (a) classical proof of handwriting and signatures under the Indian…

Introduction Sheltered accommodation is a practical, rights-based housing and support option for persons with mental illness who can largely manage day-to-day affairs independently but require intermittent assistance with personal care, medication adherence, financial matters, social integration and crisis support. In the Indian context, sheltered accommodation sits at the intersection of mental health law, disability rights,…

Introduction A “shelter home” is not a merely descriptive social-welfare phrase in Indian law — it is an institutional form through which the State and civil society exercise, discharge and sometimes abdicate statutory obligations towards children who are vulnerable, abused, trafficked, missing, or otherwise in need of care and protection. For judges, counsel and administrative…

Introduction “Shared household” is a deceptively simple statutory phrase that lies at the heart of most proceedings under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA). It determines whether an aggrieved woman can claim the crucial remedy of a right to residence and related protective reliefs against dispossession, and it frames the scope…

Introduction Sexual orientation denotes a pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attraction to persons of the same sex, opposite sex, both sexes, or to none. In the Indian legal landscape sexual orientation has moved from being treated as a matter of moral opprobrium to a constitutional right-claim implicated in privacy, dignity, equality and personal liberty….

Introduction Sexual abuse is a legally and socially loaded concept: it encompasses a spectrum of non‑consensual sexual conduct — from unwanted touching and insulting gestures to forced sexual intercourse and the use of sexualised material to humiliate or control. In India, sexual abuse is simultaneously a criminal wrong, a recognised form of domestic violence, a…

Introduction Sex selection — the use of any procedure, technique, test or provision of anything to ensure or increase the probability that an embryo, foetus or child will be of a particular sex — is one of the most legally and socially charged concepts in contemporary Indian law. It sits at the intersection of medical…

Introduction Settlement — broadly, an agreement by which parties resolve an existing or imminent dispute — is one of the most consequential devices in Indian dispute-resolution practice. It appears across civil, criminal, family, commercial and arbitral fora and intersects contract law, procedure and public policy. For practitioners, understanding how settlements are created, recorded, enforced and…

Introduction A “service voter” occupies a niche but strategically important position in the Indian electoral system: a person who, by reason of employment in the armed forces, specified central paramilitary forces, certain government posts outside India, or as the spouse of such a person, is unable to be present at her or his ordinary place…

Introduction Service rules are the skeleton on which employment relationships in both the public and organised private sectors in India are built. They prescribe classification, recruitment, conduct, discipline, promotion, leave, suspension, termination, retirement, pension and appeal mechanisms for employees. For public servants they are the mechanism through which the State regulates exercise of disciplinary power…

Introduction Service provider is a technical but consequential term in statutes that govern state support for women in distress — most notably the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA). In practice, “service providers” are the frontline non‑state and state agencies (shelter homes, counselling centres, legal aid clinics, medical facilities, NGOs) that receive,…

Introduction Self-acquired property — broadly, property acquired by an individual out of his or her personal earnings, gifts inter vivos, purchases, or testamentary dispositions — is one of the elemental categories of property in Indian private law. Its classification has immediate consequences in disputes over succession, partition, matrimonial claims (maintenance, domestic violence relief, matrimonial relief…

Introduction Securities — understood in commercial practice as movable or immovable property, financial instruments or rights deposited, pledged or charged as a guarantee for the performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt — are the centrepiece of modern lending and corporate finance in India. Correct characterization, creation, perfection and enforcement of securities determine…

Introduction Sectarian violence — violent clashes, intimidation or discrimination directed at persons because of their religion, sect, caste or community affiliation — is a recurrent and legally complex phenomenon in India. Beyond the immediate criminality (homicide, arson, rioting), sectarian violence engages constitutional guarantees (equality, liberty, freedom of religion), public order law, police accountability, evidence-intensive prosecution,…

Introduction Saptapadi — literally “seven steps” — is the core nuptial rite of a traditional Hindu wedding in which the couple, taking seven steps (or circumambulations) in the presence of the sacred fire, make seven pledges to each other. In Indian family law practice, saptapadi operates at the interface of religion, custom and secular law:…

Introduction Sale — in the context of immovable property — is one of the most common, commercially sensitive and frequently litigated transactions in Indian law. At its core a sale is the transfer of ownership (title) in an immovable asset for a monetary consideration (the price). Despite that simple definition, practical sale transactions interact with…

Introduction Retrenchment compensation is a central remedial and preventive concept in Indian labour law. It governs the employer’s monetary obligation when a worker’s service is terminated for reasons other than disciplinary action — typically on account of redundancy, closure, or financial exigency. For practitioners advising managements or representing workmen, mastering the statutory scaffolding, procedural prerequisites,…

Retainership Fee — A Practical Guide for Indian Practitioners Introduction A retainership fee (or retainer fee) is a periodic payment made to a lawyer, consultant, freelance professional or firm to secure their availability and services as and when required. In the Indian professional ecosystem retainers play a decisive role in corporate legal management, litigation strategy,…

Introduction Reprimand — a compact phrase that denotes a formal expression of disapproval — operates across several strands of Indian law: criminal sentencing, juvenile justice, disciplinary proceedings (public service and professional), and judicial contempt/adjuration. Though superficially modest, a reprimand is a flexible remedial and regulatory tool: it can be transformed into an alternative to punitive…

Introduction Repatriate — to send a person back to his or her country of nationality or habitual residence after that person has been present in another country — is a small word with wide consequences in Indian practice. In the Indian legal landscape the concept touches multiple fields: immigration law (deportation/removal of foreigners), consular/administrative assistance…

Introduction Rent Controller is the statutory quasi‑judicial officer created under state rent control or tenancy enactments to decide disputes arising from leases, tenancy agreements and allied landlord‑tenant relationships. In practice the Rent Controller is the first (and often the only) specialist forum for claims of possession, rent fixation, arrears recovery, unlawful eviction, illegal subletting and…

Introduction Remuneration is more than a dictionary definition of “money paid for work or a service.” In Indian law, it is a polyvalent legal concept that migrates across company law, labour law, tax law and social security statutes. Its legal character—whether called salary, wages, perquisites, fees, commission, honorarium or director’s remuneration—determines statutory obligations (filings, caps,…

Introduction “Remand Home” is a shorthand, historically used in Indian criminal and juvenile parlance, for an institution where children alleged to have committed offences were temporarily detained pending inquiry or trial. In contemporary Indian law the terminology and statutory architecture have evolved: the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act, 2015)…

Introduction The Regional Transport Office (RTO) / Regional Transport Authority (RTA) is the frontline administrative machinery that gives statutory shape to motor-vehicle regulation in India. From issuance of driving licences and learner licences, registration certificates and fitness certificates to enforcement of permit conditions, RTOs/RTA perform functions that directly affect mobility, commercial activity, public safety and…

Introduction The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) is a pivotal, quasi‑administrative and quasi‑judicial organ within India’s motor transport regulatory architecture. Practically speaking, the RTA sits at the intersection of road safety regulation, commercial mobility policy and individual entitlements (licences, registration, permits). For practitioners, the RTA is the forum where many commercial‑transport disputes, permit controversies, and fitness/route…