Apartheid: 

The official policy of racial separation and ill treatment of

blacks followed by the government of South Africa between 1948 and
1989.
 
 
 
Assembly: An assembly of people’s representatives that writes a
constitution of a country.
 
 
 
Booth capturing: Supporters or hired musclemen of party or a
candidate gain physical control of a polling booth and cast false votes by
threatening everyone or by preventing genuine voters from reaching
polling booths.
 
 
 
 
 
Censorship: A condition
under which the freedom of expression is taken away. Citizens have to
take prior permission from the censor authorities of the government for
making a speech or publishing news and views. Anything that the
government finds objectionable cannot b published.
 
Claim: Demand for legal or moral entitlements a person makes on
fellow citizens, society or the
government.
 
 
 
 
Clause: A distinct section of documents.
 
 
Coalition: An alliance of people, associations, parties or nations. This
alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience.  
 
Coalition government: A government formed by an alliance of two or
more political parties, usually when no single party enjoys majority
support of the members in a legislature.
 
 
 
Code of Conduct: A set of norms and guidelines to be followed by
political parties and contesting candidates during election time.
 
 
 
Colony: Territory under the immediate political control of another state.
Communist state: A state governed by a communist party without
allowing other parties to compete for power. The state controls all the
big property and industry.
 
 
 
Constitution Assembly: An assembly of people’s representatives that
writes a constitution of a country.
 
 
 
Constitution: Supreme law of a country, containing fundamental rules
governing the politics and society in a country.
 
 
 
 
 
Constitutional amendment: A change in the constitution made by the
supreme legislative body in a country.
 
 
 
 
Constituency: Voters in a geographical area who elect a representative
to the legislative bodies.
Coup: A coup is the sudden overthrow of a government illegally. It may
or may not be violent in nature. The term is French for ‘a sudden blow
or strike to a state’.
 
 
 
Covenant: Promise made by individuals, groups or countries to uphold
a rule r principle. It is legally binding on the signatories to the agreement
or statement.
 
 
 
Dalit: A person who belongs to the castes which were considered as low
and not touchable by others. Dalits are also known by other names such
as the Scheduled Casts, Depressed Classes etc.
 
 
 
Democracy: Democracy is a form of government in which rulers, who
take the decision, are elected by the people; elections offer a choice and
fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers; all the people
are equal before the law and a democratic government rules within limits
set by constitutional law and citizens’ rights.
 
 
Draft: A preliminary version of a legal document.
 
 
 
Elections: An election is a formal decision-making process by which a
population chooses their representatives. Elections are the usual
mechanism by which democracy is operated.
 
 
 
Executive: A body of persons having authority to initiate major policies,
make decisions and implement them on the basis of the Constitution and
laws of the country.
 
 
 
Fundamental Duties: The Fundamental Duties are defined as the moral
obligations of all citizens to help promote a spirit of patriotism and to
uphold the unity of India.
 
 
 
 
Fundamental Rights: The constitution guarantees the rights of
individual against the state as well as against other individuals. These
rights protect citizens against the arbitrary and absolute power by the
state.
 
 
 
  Government: A set of institutions that have the power to make,
implement and interpret laws so as to ensure an orderly life.
In its broad sense, government administers and supervises over citizens
and resources of a country.
 
 
 
 
Judiciary: An institution empowered to administer justice and provide a
mechanism for the resolution of legal disputes. All the courts in the
country are collectively referred to as judiciary.
 
 
 
 
Legislature: An assembly of people’s representatives with the power to
enact laws for a country. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures have
authority to raise taxes and adopt the budget and other money bills.
 
 
 
Level playing field: Condition in which all parties and candidates
contesting in an election have equal opportunities to appeal for votes and
to carry out election campaign.
 
 
Martial law: A system of rules that takes effect when a military
authority takes control of the normal administration of justice.
 
 
 
Office Memorandum: A communication issued by an appropriate
authority stating the policy or decision of the government.
 
 
 
Opposition: This refers to elected representatives who are not members
of the ruling party and who play the role of questioning government
decisions and actions as well as raise new issues for consideration in the
Assembly.
 
 
 
Parliament: The parliament of India is the federal and supreme
legislative body of India . It is also known as ‘Sansad’.
Philosophy: The most fundamental principles underlining one’s
thoughts and actions.
 
 
 
Political Institutions: A set of procedures for regulating conduct of
government and political life in the country.
 
 
 
Political prisoners: Persons held in prison or otherwise detained,
perhaps under house arrest, because a government considers their ideas,
image or activities as a threat to the authority of state. Often exaggerated
or false cases are foisted on them and they are kept in detention without
following normal law.
 
 
 
Preamble: An introductory statement in a constitution which states the
reasons and guiding values of the constitution.
 
 
Public protest: when a large number of people come together openly
state their opposition to some issue.
 
Referendum: A direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to
either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be adoption of a
new constitution, a law or a specific governmental policy.
 
 
 
 
Reservations: A policy that declares some positions in government
employment and educational institutions ‘reserved’ for people and
communities who have been discriminated against, are disadvantaged
and backward.
 
Rigging: Fraud and malpractices indulged by a party or candidate to
increase its votes. It includes stuffing ballot boxes by a few persons
using the votes of others; recording multiple votes by the same person;
and bribing or coercing polling officers to favor a candidate.
 
 
 
State: political associations occupying a definite territory, having an
organized government and processing power to make domestic and
foreign policies. Governments may change, but the state continues. In
common speech, the terms country, nation and state are used as
synonyms.
 
 
 
 
Strike: Mass refusal by workers or employees to perform work due to
certain grievances or because of demands not met. In most democratic
countries the right to strike is legal.
 
 
 
Summon: An order issued by a court asking a person to appear before
it.
 
Trade Union: An association of workers for the purpose of maintaining
or improving the conditions of their employment.
 
 
 
Traffic: Selling and buying of men, women or children for immoral
purposes.
 
 
 
Treason: The offence of attempting to overthrow the government of the
state to which the offender owes allegiance.
 
 
Tryst: A meeting or meeting place that has been agreed upon.
 
 
 
Turnout: The percentage of eligible voters who cast their votes in an
election.
 
 
 
 
 
Universal adult franchise: It means that all adult citizens those who are
18 and above; have the right to vote irrespective of their social or
economic backgrounds.
Veto: The right of a person, party or nation to stop a certain decision or
law. The word comes from Latin, which means ‘I forbid’. A veto gives
unlimited power to stop a decision, but not to adopt one.
 
 
 
Writ: A formal document containing an order of the court to the
government issued only by High Court or the Supreme Court.