Important Legal Definitions

"The reason for the decision." The foundational legal principle, rule, or core reasoning formulated by a judge that is strictly necessary to resolve the material facts in controversy, forming the binding precedent for subsequent lower courts.

In Donoghue v. Stevenson (adopted across Indian tort law by the Supreme Court in Union of India v. Savita Sharma), the ratio decidendi is that a manufacturer owes a legal duty of care to the ultimate consumer to prevent injury caused by defects in goods.