The Hindu Editorial (Systemic reckoning) – Apr 08, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (Systemic reckoning) – Apr 08, 2026:

1. Systemic (adjective) – structural, comprehensive, institutional.
2. reckoning (noun) – a time when past mistakes or misdeeds must be answered for or punished; retribution, accounting, settlement, justice.
3. Sattankulam murder case (proper noun) – it refers to the brutal custodial deaths of a father-son duo, P. Jayaraj and J. Benicks, at the Sattankulam police station in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, leading to a CBI probe and the conviction of the involved police officials.
4. sensitise (verb) – to make someone sensitive to or aware of an issue; make aware, educate, familiarize, make responsive.
5. excessive force (noun) – the use of more physical force than is necessary to achieve a legitimate law enforcement objective; brutality, disproportionate force, undue violence, extreme force.
6. hapless (adjective) – unlucky, ill-fated, cursed, wretched.
7. victim (noun) – sufferer, casualty, injured party, prey.
8. brutality (noun) – cruelty, savagery, viciousness, barbarity.
9. engaged (adjective) – actively committed, involved, participating, proactive.
10. judiciary (noun) – the branch of government in which judicial power is vested; judges, magistrates, the bench, the court system.
11. speak out (phrasal verb) – to express one’s feelings or opinions frankly and publicly; voice out, speak up.
12. khaki (noun) – police, law enforcement, constabulary, cops.
13. fraternity (noun) – a group of people sharing a common profession or interests; profession.
14. determined (adjective) –  resolute, purposeful, adamant, unwavering.
15. assemble (verb) – gather, collect, bring together, amass.
16. irrefutable (adjective) – impossible to deny or disprove; indisputable, undeniable, unquestionable, incontrovertible.
17. align (verb) – coordinate, match up, concur, harmonize.
18. uncover (verb) – reveal, expose, bring to light, unearth.
19. custodial killing (noun) – the death of a person while in the custody of law enforcement officials, often due to torture or excessive use of force; lock-up death, death in custody, extrajudicial killing, police murder.
20. innocent (adjective) – not guilty of a crime or offence; guiltless, blameless, faultless.
21. torture (noun) – agony, suffering, abuse, torment.
22. rely on (phrasal verb) – depend on, count on, bank on, lean on.
23. scientific evidence (noun) – factual proof derived from objective testing and forensics used to establish facts in a legal case; empirical proof, forensic evidence.
24. trial court (noun) – a court of law where cases are tried in the first instance, as opposed to an appeals court; court of first instance, lower court, primary court, sessions court.
25. convict (verb) – to declare someone to be guilty of a criminal offence by the verdict of a court of law; find guilty, sentence, adjudge guilty.
26. arraign (verb) – to call or bring someone before a court to answer a criminal charge; indict, prosecute, charge, accuse.
27. accused (noun) – a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime; defendant, respondent, suspect, prisoner.
28. death penalty (noun) – legally authorized punishment by execution; capital punishment, execution, death sentence, supreme penalty.
29. convict (noun) – a person found guilty of a criminal offence and currently serving a sentence; prisoner, inmate, felon, lawbreaker.
30. militate against (phrasal verb) – work against, go against, hinder, oppose.
31. rehabilitative (adjective) – relating to the process of restoring someone to a normal, constructive life after imprisonment or wrongdoing; restorative, reformative, corrective.
32. conviction (noun) – a formal declaration by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law that someone is guilty of a criminal offence; sentence, judgment, verdict, ruling.
33. send a strong message (phrase) – set an example, convey a firm stance, issue a warning.
34. wield (verb) – to hold and be able to use power, authority, or influence; exercise, exert, maintain, use.
35. unarmed (adjective) – not equipped with or carrying weapons; defenseless, weaponless, unprotected, vulnerable.
36. as if (phrase) – as though, just like, ostensibly, supposedly.
37. statutory right (noun) – a legal entitlement granted and protected by a law or statute; legal right, lawful entitlement, legislated power, lawful authority.
38. pass off (phrasal verb) – to be ignored, overlooked, or mistaken as something ordinary; be dismissed as, go unnoticed as, be mistaken for, go unremarked.
39. suspicious (adjective) – doubtful, questionable, dubious, shady.
40. overwhelming (adjective) – enormous, immense, massive, profound.
41. torture (verb) – to inflict severe pain or suffering on someone; abuse, torment, hurt, mistreat.
42. public outrage (noun) – a strong feeling of shock and anger expressed by the public; public anger, mass indignation, widespread fury, public uproar.
43. pick up (phrasal verb) – to take someone into police custody; arrest, detain, take in, apprehend.
44. charge (verb) – to formally accuse someone of a specific criminal offence; accuse, indict, prosecute, arraign.
45. violate (verb) – breach, contravene, flout, disobey.
46. lockdown (noun) – a state of isolation or restricted movement instituted as a security or health measure; restriction, shutdown, quarantine.
47. pandemic (noun) – a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease over a whole country or the world at a particular time; widespread disease, global epidemic.
48. detain (verb) – to keep someone in official custody, typically for questioning about a crime; confine, arrest, keep in custody.
49. confront (verb)  challenge, face, oppose.
50. assault (verb) – to make a physical attack on someone; attack, strike, beat, hit.
51. strip (verb) – to remove someone’s clothes, often forcefully and humiliatingly; undress, unclothe, disrobe, denude.
52. brutally (adverb) – cruelly, savagely, viciously, mercilessly.
53. overnight (adverb) – all night, during the night, through the night.
54. First Information Report (FIR) (noun) – a written document prepared by police in India when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence; police complaint, formal charge.
55. trumped-up (adjective) – deliberately invented or fabricated as an excuse or false accusation; fabricated, fake, false, concocted.
56. dubiously (adverb) – suspiciously, doubtfully, questionably, unreliably.
57. fit for remand report (noun) – a formal medical certificate declaring an accused person physically fit to be held in judicial custody; medical clearance, fitness certificate, medical report.
58. remand (noun) – the process of committing an accused person to custody to await trial; custody, detention, imprisonment, confinement.
59. jurisdictional magistrate (noun) – a judicial officer holding legal authority over the specific geographic area where a crime occurred; local judge, area magistrate.
60. mechanically (adverb) – acting like a machine, without thought, feeling, or critical assessment; automatically, routinely, mindlessly, unthinkingly.
61. remand (verb) – sent to custody, imprison, jail, detain.
62. judicial custody (noun) – the legal detention of an accused person ordered by a magistrate, typically served in a jail rather than police lock-up; jail term, imprisonment, penal confinement.
63. ultimately (adverb) – finally, in the end; eventually, in the long run, conclusively, lastly.
64. lead to (phrasal verb) – result in, cause, bring about, produce.
65. entitled (adjective) – privileged, empowered, authorized, sanctioned.
66. Judicial Magistrate (noun) – a judicial officer appointed to hear criminal cases and handle preliminary legal procedures; judge, judicial officer.
67. atmosphere (noun) – condition, circumstance, background.
68. hostile (adjective) – showing or feeling opposition or dislike; unfriendly, antagonistic, aggressive, confrontational.
69. intimidating (adjective) – daunting, terrifying, frightening, forbidding.
70. Bench (noun) – the judge or judges collectively presiding over a specific case in a court of law.
71. Division Bench (noun) – a bench of a High Court or the Supreme Court consisting of two or more judges; two-judge bench.
72. Constitution Bench (proper noun) – a special bench of the Supreme Court of India consisting of five or more judges, formed to decide cases involving substantial questions of constitutional law; five-judge bench.
73. take cognisance (phrase) – take official notice or legal awareness of an incident or issue.
74. suo motu (adverb) – an action taken by a court of its own accord, without any request by the parties involved; on its own motion, spontaneously, voluntarily, self-initiated.
75. take control of (phrase) – to assume authority, dominance, or management over a situation or investigation; take over, take charge of.
76. turning point (noun) –  critical moment.
77. testify (verb) – to give formal evidence as a witness in a law court; bear witness, give evidence, state on oath, swear.
78. colleague (noun) – co-worker, associate, peer, partner.
79. establish (verb) – to prove something to be true or factual by securing evidence; prove, demonstrate, verify, confirm.
80. DNA (noun) – biological and genetic material used fundamentally in forensic science to identify individuals; genetic code, genetic material.
81. seal the case (phrase) – to secure conclusive evidence that finalizes the outcome of a legal matter without a doubt; conclude, settle, finalize, clinch.
82. seal (verb) – secure, finalize, conclude, clinch.
83. uniform proportionality (noun) – the legal application of equal or balanced punishment and accountability across all individuals involved in a crime; equal measure, evenhandedness, equitable distribution.
84. assign (verb) – allocate, allot, designate, apportion.
85. culpability (noun) – the state of bearing responsibility for a fault or wrong; guilt, blame, fault, accountability.
86. withstand (verb) – to remain undamaged or unaffected by a rigorous process; resist, endure, survive, tolerate.
87. scrutiny (noun) – critical, careful observation or examination; inspection, examination, study, review.
88. as seen (phrase) – as observed or demonstrated in a specific past instance; as witnessed, as shown, as evident, as observed.
89. assassination (noun) – the premeditated murder of a prominent or important person; murder, killing, execution, elimination.
90. uphold (verb) – maintain, confirm, sustain, endorse.
91. sentence (noun) – punishment, judgment, penalty, verdict.
92. convicted (adjective) – having been formally declared guilty of a criminal offence by a court; found guilty, sentenced, condemned, adjudged guilty.
93. TADA court (proper noun) – Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act Court, referring to special courts established in India to adjudicate cases under the now-repealed anti-terrorism law.
94. Nonetheless (adverb) – in spite of that; nevertheless, however, yet, still.
95. excesses (noun) – violent or extreme actions that go beyond the limits of what is acceptable or legal; outrages, abuses, atrocities, violations.
96. go unpunished (phrase) – to escape facing consequences or justice for an offence or crime; get off scot-free, escape justice, avoid penalty, face no consequences.

Note:

1. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are our personal work. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context. 

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