The Hindu Editorial (Closing argument) – May 17, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (Closing argument) – May 17, 2025:

1. Presidential Reference (noun) – Whenever the government is in doubt about legal issues or matters of great public interest and even disputes involving the states or the states and the union, it takes recourse to a ‘presidential reference’. It means, the matter is refered to the supreme court, which deliberates upon it and sends back its considered opinion to the president.
2. seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
3. undermine (verb) – weaken, subvert, sabotage, damage.
4. put a lid on (phrase) – stop, end, finish, control, put a stop to, put an end to, destroy (something before it increases or becomes severe/serious).
5. prolonged (adjective) – lengthy, extended, everlasting, perpetual, protracted, unending, unrelenting.
6. arbitrary (adjective) – random, unreasonable, motiveless, illogical, capricious, personal (whim/choice), erratic/irregular.
7. arbitrary (adjective) – whimsical, capricious, arbitrary, random, erratic, unreasonable, irrational, illogical, groundless, unjustifiable, discretionary, personal, subjective.
8. assent (noun) – approval, agreement, acceptance, consent, concurrence.
9. Bill (noun) – A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed by both the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills (or) draft statute/law, proposed legislation, proposal (presented to parliament/congress/council for discussion).
10. Assembly (noun) – the legislature of State government in the Indian system of government with elected representatives by the voters of an electoral districts (constituencies); law-making body or governing body.
11. legislative assembly (noun): Also known as Vidhan Sabha; it is the lower house in the states and union territories of India that have a bicameral legislature. Members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected by the people through assembly elections. The term of the Legislative Assembly is five years unless dissolved earlier. A member of a Legislative Assembly is referred to as an MLA.
12. bench (noun) – a court of law with a number of judges.
13. 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).
14. division Bench (noun) – a bench of two or three judges is called a division bench.
15. held past participle of hold (verb) – (of a court) rule, decide.
16. withhold (verb) – stop, check; to refuse to give something; to refrain from giving permission.
17. erroneous (adjective) – inexact, incorrect, inaccurate, wrong, untrue, faulty, flawed.
18. well-reasoned (adjective) – practical, logical, rational, coherent.
19. course of action (noun) – course, plan (of action), mode of conduct, procedure, approach.
20. constitution (noun) – body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter. 
21. The Constitution of India (noun) – India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.
22. establish (verb) – indicate, signify, determine, display, exhibit, prove, demonstrate.
23. long awaited (adjective) – long-expected, long-anticipated, much-waited.
24. bring up (phrasal verb) – present, table, propose, introduce, bring forward, put forward, 
25. seek (verb) – ask for, request, appeal for.
26. Article 143 of the Constitution of India (noun) – Article 143 of the Indian Constitution confers advisory jurisdiction upon the Supreme Court of India. This unique provision empowers the President to seek the opinion of the apex court on matters of law or fact that are of public importance, either existing or likely to arise in the future. Under Article 143(1), if the President believes a matter of legal or factual signicance has arisen or may arise, and it is beneficial to obtain the Supreme Court’s opinion, he/she may refer it to the Court. The Court, after hearing the matter, may report its opinion to the President. Article 143(2) goes a step further: in cases of inter-state disputes that fall under the proviso of Article 131, the President shall refer the matter to the Court, and the Supreme Court shall report its opinion after due hearing.
27. contentious (adjective) – controversial, disputable, debatable. 
28. heightened (adjective) – increased, escalated, exacerbated, intensified, deepened, aggravated.
29. brazenness (noun) – boldness, arrogance, audacity, shamelessness, discourteousness, immodesty, discourtesy, incivility, lack of decency.
30. bad blood (noun) – disharmony, disunity, strife, dispute, dissent, argument.
31. mandate (noun) – approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative).
32. take into account (phrase) – consider, bear in mind, take into consideration, remember, keep in mind, factor in.
33. committee (noun) – panel, council, commission, body, advisory group.
34. federalism/federal framework/system (noun) – a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government.
35. Constituent Assembly (noun) – The Constituent Assembly of India, consisting of indirectly elected representatives, was established to draft a constitution for India. It existed for approx. three years, the first parliament of India after independence in 1947. 
36. indefinitely (adverb) – for an unspecified period; for an unlimited or unknown length of time; endlessly, forever, for good, for the time being.
37. hold up (phrasal verb) – delay, stop, put a brake on, obstruct, impede, hinder, stymie.
38. come into force (phrase) – come into effect, start to apply, effective, operative, in action, to become official, legitimate, or valid.
39. whimsical (adjective) – random, capricious, arbitrary, subjective, unpredictable, unreasoned, irrational.
40. appointee (noun) – one who is appointed to a job/position; representative, delegate, office holder.
41. vest with (phrasal verb) – give, grant, confer, entrust (someone with power, authority, rights, etc.)
42. infinite power (noun) – unlimited authority or control; absolute, boundless, or immeasurable power without any restriction or end.
43. least of all (phrase) – especially not, particularly not, more than anyone/anything else.
44. once and for all (phrase) – finally, conclusively, decisively, permanently; in a way that resolves something completely.
45. in line with (phrase) – consistent with, in accordance with, in agreement with, in keeping with, compatible with.
46. rake up (phrasal verb) – revive, bring up, recall, resurrect, recollect, remember, revive/remind the memory of (something unpleasant or embarrassing from the past). 
47. scholar (noun) – academic, intellectual, learned person, expert.
48. point out (phrasal verb) – indicate, mention, refer to, draw/call attention to, identify.
49. override (verb) – overrule, cancel, nullify, reverse, repeal, revoke, invalidate, abrogate, annul, abolish.
50. review petition (noun) – a petition applied by an aggrieved person to the court to review the order/judgment given by the same court.
51. mercy petition (noun) – a written petition by the convict to the President to grant pardon or show mercy to the death sentence given by the apex court.
52. curative petition (noun) – a petition by a person whose review petition has been dismissed by the Supreme Court and it is the last constitutional remedy available to that person.
53. writ petition (noun) – an application to a court for a writ (a formal written order) when when any of the fundamental rights are violated.
54. established (adjective) – accepted, traditional, entrenched, official, conventional, standard, well-known, recognized.
55. sound (adjective) – valid, reasonable, logical, convincing, credible, plausible, reliable.
56. framework (noun) – structure, system, scheme.
57. consensus (noun) – an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence, general opinion/view, common consent.
58. if at all (phrase) – in any way; to any extent. used to emphasize that something happens only to a very small degree.
59. residual (adjective) – remaining, leftover; lingering, lasting, enduring, abiding, persisting.

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 (Closing argument) – May 17, 2025: