WorldAugust 23, 2026

undertrials

UN-der-trai-ulz

Definition

Persons who are held in custody or prison while waiting for their legal trial to be completed or a verdict to be rendered.

Etymology

Derived from the prefix 'under-' meaning 'subject to' or 'in the state of', combined with 'trial'. It emerged in legal English to specifically denote individuals currently in the process of being tried.

In the news

The article highlights that undertrials make up a massive majority of India's prison population, and the new laws seek to reduce their numbers through stricter investigative timelines.

How the New Criminal Laws Are Rewiring India’s Justice System

Read the full article ↗

Indianmasterminds

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