Legal diary glossary
Urdu–English legal diary glossary
Plain-English meanings of the Urdu and Punjabi words used in Pakistan’s courts and case diaries — with the common statutory references and how lawyers say them.
A
- Adam pairviعدم پیروی
- Adam pairvi means non-prosecution — a case may be dismissed when the party who brought it fails to appear and pursue it.
- Apeelاپیل
- Apeel means an appeal — asking a higher court to review and set aside or modify a lower court’s decision.
C
- Cause listکاز لسٹ
- A cause list is the list of cases fixed for hearing before a court on a given day; lawyers also keep a personal cause list of their own cases.
- Challanچالان
- In criminal practice, the challan is the police report submitted to court after investigation under section 173 of the CrPC.
D
F
- Faislaفیصلہ
- Faisla means the decision or judgment of the court; an order may be “reserved” (mehfooz) when the court will announce it later.
- FIR (parcha)ایف آئی آر / پرچہ
- An FIR (First Information Report), often called “parcha”, is the report of a cognisable offence recorded by the police under section 154 of the CrPC.
H
- Haq mehrحق مہر
- Haq mehr is the dower — money or property the husband pays or promises to the wife as part of the Muslim marriage contract.
- Hukm-e-imtinaحکم امتناعی
- Hukm-e-imtina means a stay order or injunction — a court order restraining a party from doing something, or keeping the position unchanged, until further orders.
I
J
- Jawab-e-dawaجوابِ دعویٰ
- Jawab-e-dawa is the written statement — the defendant’s formal reply to the plaint in a civil suit.
- Jirahجرح
- Jirah is cross-examination — questioning of a witness by the opposite party after examination-in-chief.
K
- Kachehriکچہری
- Kachehri is the everyday word for the district courts complex — where civil judges, magistrates and sessions courts sit.
- Khulaخلع
- Khula is the dissolution of a Muslim marriage at the wife’s instance, granted by a Family Court, usually on her returning the dower or another benefit received.
M
- Muchalka (surety bond)مچلکہ
- A muchalka is a bond — in bail matters, the personal or surety bond the court requires before releasing an accused on bail.
- Muddaiمدعی
- Muddai is the plaintiff in a civil suit or the complainant in a criminal case; the opposite party is the muddai alaih (defendant).
- Mulzimملزم
- Mulzim means the accused — the person charged with or alleged to have committed an offence.
- Munshiمنشی
- A munshi is a lawyer’s clerk — the person who keeps the case register, tracks dates, files papers and collects the next dates from courts.
N
- Nan-o-nafqaنان و نفقہ
- Nan-o-nafqa means maintenance — financial support a husband or father is required to provide to his wife and children.
- Nigraniنگرانی
- Nigrani means revision — a petition asking a higher court to examine the legality or propriety of a subordinate court’s order.
P
- Peshiپیشی
- Peshi means a hearing — the day a case is listed before a court and the lawyer, parties or witnesses must appear.
S
T
- Tameelتعمیل
- Tameel means service — delivering the court’s summons or notice to a party or witness so they know to appear.
- Tareekh (agli tareekh)تاریخ
- Tareekh means a date; in court practice “agli tareekh” is the next date of hearing fixed by the court at the end of a peshi.
W
- Wakalatnamaوکالت نامہ
- A wakalatnama is the document by which a client authorises an advocate to appear and act for them in a case.
Y
- Yaktarfaیکطرفہ
- Yaktarfa means ex parte — proceedings or a decision made in the absence of one party.
Z
- Zamanatضمانت
- Zamanat means bail — the release of an accused person from custody, usually on furnishing surety bonds, while the case continues.
- Zamanat baad az giraftariضمانت بعد از گرفتاری
- Zamanat baad az giraftari is post-arrest bail — an application for the release of an accused who is already in custody.
- Zamanat qabl az giraftariضمانت قبل از گرفتاری
- Zamanat qabl az giraftari is pre-arrest bail — protection from arrest granted by a Court of Session or High Court before the accused is taken into custody.