Category 1: Verb + Dropped Particles
| Indian English Usage | Standard English / Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carry business | carry on business | “On” is essential; CPC itself uses “carry on business” |
| wind up a case | dispose of a case | “Wind up” is reserved for companies; cases are “disposed of” |
| take up a matter | list / post a matter | In court scheduling, “post” or “list” are court-specific terms |
| call out a witness | summon a witness | “Call out” is informal; “summon” is the legal term of art |
| go into evidence | lead / adduce evidence | “Go into” is colloquial; “lead” and “adduce” are standard |
| bring in documents | produce / file documents | “Bring in” is lay language; “produce” is the CPC term |
| put in an application | file an application | “Put in” is informal; “file” is the standard court term |
| take up an appeal | prefer / file an appeal | “Prefer an appeal” is the standard legal expression |
| set right an error | rectify / correct an error | “Set right” is informal; “rectify” is preferred in legal drafting |
| look into a matter | examine / inquire into a matter | “Look into” is informal; “inquire into” is the legal phrase |
Category 2: Wrong Preposition Usage
| Indian English Usage | Standard English / Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| in a future day | on a future date | Days and dates always take “on” not “in” |
| on the said address | at the said address | Addresses take “at” not “on” |
| satisfied of the reasons | satisfied as to / with the reasons | “Satisfied of” is an Indianism; “satisfied as to” is standard |
| discuss about the matter | discuss the matter | “Discuss” never takes “about” — the object follows directly |
| reply the notice | reply to the notice | “Reply” always requires “to” before its object |
| return back the document | return the document | “Back” is redundant with “return” |
| revert back | revert | “Revert” already means to go back — “back” is redundant |
| order for payment | order payment / direct payment | “Order for” is an Indianism; the verb takes a direct object |
| request for an adjournment | request an adjournment / apply for an adjournment | “Request for” is an Indianism; “request” takes a direct object |
| service to a party | service on a party | Legal service is always “on” a party, never “to” |
| based on these facts he argued | on the basis of / relying on these facts | “Based on” used as a dangling participle is grammatically incorrect |
| appeal against the decree | appeal from the decree | The CPC uses “from”; “against” is informal though widely used |
| as per the judgment | in accordance with / under the judgment | “As per” is an Indianism; not used in formal legal writing |
Category 3: Wrong Verb Collocations
| Indian English Usage | Standard English / Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| take effort | make effort / endeavour | Effort is always “made” never “taken” |
| take a decision | make / render a decision | Courts “render” decisions; parties “make” decisions |
| give a judgment | pronounce / deliver a judgment | Judgments are “pronounced” or “delivered” — not “given” |
| give an order | pass / make an order | Orders are “passed” or “made” in legal usage |
| pass a judgment | pronounce / deliver a judgment | “Pass” collocates with decrees and orders, not judgments |
| do a mistake | make / commit an error | Mistakes are “made” or “committed” |
| avail the remedy | avail oneself of the remedy / resort to the remedy | “Avail” is reflexive and must be “avail oneself of” |
| mention before the court | submit / urge before the court | “Mention” has a specific technical meaning; using it loosely is imprecise |
| prepone a hearing | advance a hearing | “Prepone” is an Indianism; “advance” is the correct opposite of “postpone” |
| do the needful | take the necessary steps / comply accordingly | “Do the needful” is a classic Indianism with no place in legal writing |
| intimate him | notify / inform him | “Intimate” used as a synonym for “inform” is an Indianism |
Category 4: Noun Usage Errors
| Indian English Usage | Standard English / Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| doubt on the issue | doubt about / doubt as to the issue | “Doubt on” is an Indianism |
| companions of a party | persons accompanying the party | “Companions” has no legal meaning in court context |
| stay order | order of stay / stay of proceedings | “Stay order” is an Indianism; the correct form uses “stay” as a noun |
| out of station | away / not available / on tour | “Out of station” is an Indianism with no standard English equivalent |
| end result | result / outcome | “End result” is redundant — both words mean the same thing |
| remand custody | judicial custody / remand | “Remand custody” is redundant — “remand” implies custody |
| whereabouts is unknown | whereabouts are unknown | “Whereabouts” is always plural and takes a plural verb |
| exparte | ex parte | Must always be written as two words — it is a Latin phrase |
| interalia | inter alia | Must always be written as two words — it is a Latin phrase |
| the said person | the person / the aforementioned person | “The said” is archaic legalese; modern drafting prefers a clear reference |
Category 5: Relative Pronoun and Clause Errors
| Indian English Usage | Standard English / Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| what all paragraphs | which paragraphs | “What all” is a distinctive Indianism with no standard equivalent |
| that which he stated | what he stated | “That which” is archaic; “what” is the standard modern form |
| the court which passed | the court that passed | “That” is preferred for restrictive relative clauses |
| persons who all attended | persons who attended | “Who all” is an Indianism; “who” alone suffices |
| howsoever it may be | however it may be | “Howsoever” is archaic except in specific contractual contexts |
| wherefrom he came | from where / from which he came | “Wherefrom” is archaic legalese best avoided in modern drafting |
Category 6: Adverb and Conjunction Errors
| Indian English Usage | Standard English / Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| as and when required | when required / as required | “As and when” is a redundant conjunction — use one or the other |
| each and every party | every party / each party | “Each and every” is a redundant doublet — choose one |
| null and void | void | “Null and void” is a redundant doublet — “void” alone suffices in modern drafting |
| terms and conditions | terms / conditions | Often redundant — one word usually suffices depending on context |
| unless and until | unless / until | One word almost always suffices |
| any and all claims | all claims / any claim | Redundant doublet |
| true and correct | accurate / correct | Redundant doublet |
| forthwith | immediately / without delay | “Forthwith” is archaic; modern courts prefer plain language |
Category 7: Informal Expressions Used in Legal Contexts
| Informal / Indian Usage | Standard Legal Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| something like a plaint | in the nature of / akin to a plaint | “Something like” is conversational |
| end up in injustice | result in / occasion injustice | “End up in” is informal |
| does not come to court | fails to appear / does not appear | “Appear” is the correct legal term of art |
| somebody applies | a party / the applicant applies | “Somebody” is vague and informal |
| find out issues | frame / determine / ascertain issues | “Find out” is colloquial |
| put into action | execute / enforce | “Put into action” is lay language |
| no much value | not much / little value | “No much” is ungrammatical — a common spoken error carried into writing |
| bring in a fresh suit | institute / file a fresh suit | Suits are “instituted” or “filed” — never “brought in” |
| write off a debt | waive / write off a debt | “Write off” is acceptable in financial contexts but “waive” is preferred in legal instruments |
Category 8: Imprecise Legal Terminology
| Imprecise Usage | Correct Legal Term | Note |
|---|---|---|
| behavioural attributes of a witness | demeanour of a witness | “Demeanour” is the universal common law term of art |
| companions in court | persons accompanying the party | No such legal category as “companions” exists |
| substitution of service | substitute service / in substitution of service | “Substitution” used as an adjective is grammatically incorrect |
| defence side | defendant / the defence | “Defence side” is informal courtroom usage |
| prosecution side | the prosecution / the State | “Side” is informal in both instances |
| court hall | courtroom / court | “Court hall” is an Indianism; “courtroom” is standard |
| interlocutory application | interlocutory application / interim application | Both acceptable; “interlocutory” is the more precise term |
Category 9: Punctuation and Article Errors Common in Indian Legal Writing
| Common Error | Correct Usage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| “court’s decision” without “the” | “the court’s decision” | The definite article before institutional nouns is frequently omitted in Indian writing |
| “in court” | “before the court” | Lawyers appear “before” a court, not “in” it |
| exparte, interalia, primafacie | ex parte, inter alia, prima facie | All Latin phrases must be written as separate words |
| Viz. without comma | viz., or namely | “Viz.” must be followed by a comma; or replace with “namely” |
| i.e. and e.g. confused | i.e., means “that is”; e.g., means “for example” | These are frequently confused in Indian legal writing |
| Missing article before “cause of action” | “disclose a cause of action” | The indefinite article is routinely dropped before this phrase |
| “order for” without object | “order payment” / “direct compliance” | The verb “order” takes a direct object without “for” |
