Retrospective

adjective; also noun (countable, in the sense of an exhibition)

/ˌrɛtrəˈspɛktɪv/

Having effect or applicability from a date earlier than the present; looking or applying backward in time. In Indian constitutional law, retrospective legislation is generally permissible but subject to restrictions: it cannot retrospectively deprive persons of fundamental rights (Article 20(1) protects against retrospective criminal laws), and courts scrutinise retrospective taxation for reasonableness. A landmark case is Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal v. Union of India where the retrospective effect of tribunal awards was contested.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Article 20(1) of the Constitution prohibits retrospective criminal legislation, ensuring no person can be convicted for an act that was not an offence under law in force at the time of its commission — a protection distinct from the blanket bar on retrospective civil statutes.

Synonyms

retroactivebackward-lookingex post factoretroactiveprior-effective

Antonyms

prospectiveforward-lookingfuture-effectiveex nunc

🌱 Word Family

retrospect (noun/verb), retrospection (noun), retrospectively (adverb), retroactive (synonym adjective), prospect (antonymic noun)

🔡 Root

Latin retrospicere ← retro- (backward) + specere (to look)

📜 Etymology

From Latin retrospectum, the past participle of retrospicere (to look backward), formed from retro- (back, behind) and specere (to see). Related to inspect, spectacle, perspective. The English adjective appeared in the 17th century, first in the general sense of looking back, then in legal use for laws with retroactive effect.

🧠 Memory Hook

RETROSPECTIVE = RETRO (backward) + SPECTIVE (from specere = to look). Looking BACKWARD in time. Retro fashion looks backward to old styles — RETROSPECTIVE LAW looks backward to past acts and applies new rules to them.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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