habeas corpus
English meaning: Habeas Corpus
English Definition
(English)Habeas corpus (Latin: 'you shall have the body') is a writ — a court order — demanding that a detaining authority produce the detained person before a court and justify the detention. It protects against illegal imprisonment by the state. In India, the Supreme Court and High Courts can issue writs of habeas corpus under Articles 32 and 226. The ADM Jabalpur case (1976 Emergency) controversially suspended it.
English Definition
A legal writ requiring that a person under arrest be brought before a judge or into court, ensuring they cannot be held unlawfully. It is a fundamental safeguard against arbitrary detention and a cornerstone of the rule of law.
Example
“During the Emergency (1975-77), the Supreme Court's ADM Jabalpur judgment controversially held that habeas corpus could be suspended — later widely condemned as a failure of judicial independence.”
In English: “The ADM Jabalpur judgment suspended habeas corpus during India's Emergency, a decision later repudiated by the Court itself.”
Synonyms
- writ of liberty
- anti-detention writ
Antonyms / Opposites
- arbitrary detention
- preventive detention
Literary Heritage
“The one great principle of the English law is to make business for itself.”
“The one great principle of the English law is to make business for itself.”
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- English
- English
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- Latin
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- Indo-European
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