SPPU Solved Question Papers
Legal Language and Legal Reasoning
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 3
Oct 2025 Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 3 Legal Language and Legal Reasoning Oct 2025 Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 6 November 2026.
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Contents
The questions below are the paper as Savitribai Phule Pune University set it at the Oct 2025 examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the Oct 2025 examination, reproduced as Savitribai Phule Pune University set them, in the order it set them. Nothing has been reworded, added or left out. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 70 · 8 questions answered
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
SECTION I
PART A
Answer any five · 30 Marks
Q1)Discuss any five problems of contemporary legal language and their remedies.[15]
Answer
For full marks, cover: the nature of legal language and why it must be precise; any five problems of contemporary legal language (archaic words, Latin and French terms, long and complex sentences, redundancy and doublets, passive and impersonal style, jargon, gender bias, vagueness), each with an example; the remedy for each; the plain language movement; and a conclusion.
Introduction
Legal language is the language of statutes, judgments, pleadings and deeds. It must be precise, because rights and liabilities turn on its words. But in pursuing precision and tradition, it has become difficult for ordinary people, and sometimes even for lawyers, to understand. The plain language movement seeks to make it clear without losing accuracy.
Five problems and their remedies
1. Archaic words and phrases. Problem: Words such as "hereinafter", "hereinbefore", "whereas", "witnesseth", "aforesaid" and "the said" survive from older English. A deed may say "this deed witnesseth". Remedy: Use modern words: "this deed records", "in this deed", "the flat" instead of "the said flat". Keep only terms of art that have a settled legal meaning.
2. Latin and French expressions. Problem: Terms such as ab initio, mens rea, res judicata, suo motu and ultra vires puzzle lay readers. Law French survives in words such as "parol". Remedy: Use an English equivalent where one exists ("from the beginning" for ab initio). Where a Latin term of art must stay, explain it the first time it is used.
3. Long and complex sentences. Problem: Legislative sentences can run to hundreds of words. Section 43 of the Information Technology Act 2000 is a single sentence of nearly three hundred words, repeating "computer, computer system or computer network" ten times. Remedy: Break long provisions into short sentences and numbered clauses, one idea in each. Use definitions to avoid repetition.
4. Redundancy and doublets. Problem: Lawyers often use pairs or triplets of words with the same meaning: "null and void", "terms and conditions", "give, devise and bequeath", "cease and desist". These add length without adding meaning. Remedy: Use one word unless the second adds something: "void", "terms", "give".
5. Passive and impersonal style. Problem: Sentences such as "it is hereby ordered that the amount be paid" hide who must act. Nouns replace verbs: "make payment" for "pay". Remedy: Use the active voice and name the actor: "The defendant must pay the amount within thirty days."
6. Gender-biased language. Problem: Many laws use "he" for every person. Section 13 of the General Clauses Act 1897 makes the masculine include the feminine, but this is a fallback, not a good style. Remedy: Repeat the noun, use plurals, or use gender-neutral words. The Supreme Court's Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes (2023) suggests neutral terms in judgments.
7. Vagueness and ambiguity. Problem: Words such as "reasonable" or a misplaced "and" or "or" can create disputes. Remedy: Define key terms, place qualifying words carefully, and test the draft against likely readings.
The plain language movement
Plain language means writing that its intended reader can understand on the first reading. It keeps terms of art and legal conditions, but drops legalese. Its principles are: know the purpose and the reader, be accurate, be clear, be brief, and arrange the material in a logical order.
The courts have also asked for clarity. In Shakuntala Shukla (2021), the Supreme Court said that a judgment must be "reasonable, logical and easily comprehensible", and that "Clarity and precision should be the goal".
Conclusion
Conclusion. Contemporary legal language suffers from archaic words, Latin and French terms, long sentences, redundant doublets, a passive style, gender bias and vagueness. These problems make law hard to understand and increase disputes. The remedy is plain language: modern words, short sentences, active voice, one word where one will do, gender-neutral terms and careful definitions. Clear legal language makes the law accessible to the citizens it governs.
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