Redressal

noun (uncountable); also spelled 'redress' (noun)

/rɪˈdresəl/

The action of remedying, correcting, or compensating for a wrong, grievance, or injustice; the act of setting right an imbalance or harm. In Indian administrative and legal discourse, 'grievance redressal' is a cornerstone concept: the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) receives over 2 million grievances annually, and the Citizens' Charter framework requires each public authority to establish a dedicated redressal mechanism. Article 32 and Article 226 of the Constitution confer writ jurisdiction as the supreme constitutional redressal mechanism.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Supreme Court's direction that district-level Lokayuktas must provide time-bound redressal of public grievances within 60 days — with automatic compensation for delay — transforms the ombudsman institution from a passive complaint box into an active accountability lever.

Synonyms

remedyreparationrestitutionrectificationreliefcompensation

Antonyms

neglectinjusticeaggravationdisregardimpunity

🌱 Word Family

redress (verb/noun), redress (noun), redressable (adj), undressed grievance (idiomatic), redresser (noun)

🔡 Root

Old French redrecier = to straighten again (re- = again; drecier = to straighten, from Latin directus = straight)

📜 Etymology

From Old French redrecier 'to set upright again, set right', composed of re- 'again' + drecier 'to arrange, straighten', from Vulgar Latin *directiare, from Latin directus 'straight, direct'. The word entered Middle English as 'redress' in the 14th century. The variant 'redressal' is largely an Indian English formation, prevalent in administrative and judicial usage in India as a nominative form distinct from the verbal 'redress'.

🧠 Memory Hook

RE-DRESS-AL: to RE-DRESS a wrong is to clothe it in justice again — to put the correct garment back on a situation that was stripped bare by error or abuse. Think of 're-dressing' a wound: it needs attention and correction.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2023 — Constitutional Bodies
Mains 2019 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Redressal” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ Governance 📖 Seen in: Good Governance — Metrics, Indices & G...

Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation