In Indian Constitution, fundamental rights are given to the citizens of the country. Fundamental rights are the most crucial for the development of the people of India. Part III of the Indian Constitution includes the fundamental rights of people like the right to speech, right to equality, right to freedom etc. Solely stating these rights in the constitution and giving these rights to the people is not enough. These rights should be protected also. For the protection of these fundamental rights, Article 32 and Article 226 of the Indian Constitution give remedies. Article 32 and Article 226 of the Indian Constitution give the right to approach the Supreme Court and High Court. This right can be practised by anyone whose rights are violated. There are many writs provided under the Indian Constitution which protect the fundamental rights of the citizens of the country. Many online law certification courses are available on the Writs provided under the Constitution of India which protects the rights of people.
What is a Writ? Writ refers to an order which is issued by the authority. The writ is understood as a formal written order which is issued by the court having the authority to do so.
A writ petition is an application which is to be filed before a court asking for the issue of the writ in a case where the fundamental rights of citizens are violated.
Types of Writs - In Indian Constitution, Article 32 and Article 226 deal with the issue of writs. There are 5 types of writ provided under the Constitution which have different meanings and applications. These 5 types of the writ are:
Habeas Corpus: This writ means ‘you may have the body of’. This writ is applied in those cases where the person is detained illegally. The court uses this writ and directs the person to court for checking the legality of his custody. This writ can be issued by the courts in the following circumstances:
- When a person is detained even when the person has not breached the law.
- When a person is arrested with a deceitful purpose.
Mandamus: This refers to ‘we command’. It is a command which is given to a person who is working as a public servant and who has not fulfilled his duty. This command is given by the courts. This writ can be issued against a person, corporation, an inferior court or any government body for the same cause i.e. when they fail to perform their duties.
Certiorari: The term certiorari refers to ‘certified to be informed.’ This writ is issued by the superior court to an inferior court for passing the pending case to a higher court or giving the judgment soon. In 1991, the apex court which is the supreme court ruled that this writ can be issued against authorities also if their judgment is violating the rights of the people. This writ can be issued in the following cases:
- There should be a court that has the authority or right to act judicially.
- If the judgment of a lower court violates the law.
- If the judgement given by an inferior court contains some error.
Prohibition: The Writ of prohibition means to hinder or to discontinue and it is popularly recognized as ‘Stay Order’. This writ is issued when a lower court or a body tries to disobey the limits or powers vested in it. The writ of prohibition is given by any High Court or Supreme Court to any lower court, or semi-legal body prohibiting the latter from continuing the procedures in a specific case, where it has no jurisdiction to try. It cannot be imposed against administrative organisations, statutory authorities, or private people or enterprises. It is solely applicable to legal and semi-legal bodies.
Quo Warranto: This term Quo warranto means ‘by what authority or by what warrant’. It is issued by the court for the purpose of knowing the legitimacy or under what power the person is holding an office. It helps to prevent the unlawful holding of office by any individual. This writ cannot be issued under the following situations:
- To remove any minister from his authority.
- It cannot be issued against the chief minister for non-performance of his duties.
- In the case of a ministerial office or private office.
How to File a Writ Petition? For filing a writ petition in any of the courts, a proper procedure should be followed. Firstly, the party who needs to file this writ needs to approach an organisation with identity proof, residential proof and all the other necessary documents and proofs. Then the advocate will draft a petition which will include all the details and facts of the case about how the rights were violated. After this, the draft is sent to the court and the person gets a date for the hearing on which courts accept the petition and send the notice to the other party. Then a date is given on which both the parties should compulsorily be present in court. The judge hears both sides of the case and then passes a judgement. This procedure should be followed to file a writ petition. Various Online law certification courses are there by which experts give the knowledge about all these things and law aspirants could learn better.
Conclusion -Many rights are provided to the citizens under Indian Constitution but the most important rights are fundamental rights which are provided under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution like the right to equality, right to freedom, right to speech etc. These rights are so crucial for the people of India and as these rights are available so their violation is also possible. So to protect the fundamental rights of people writs are there in Article 32 and Article 226. There are 5 types of writs in our constitution which can be filed in the High Court or Supreme Court for the violation of the Fundamental Rights of the people. Various Online legal courses are being provided nowadays which help law students to understand the concept of writs and the process of how these writs are filed in the courts.