The word Tort comes from the Latin expression ‘Tortum’, which means to twist. It includes such conducts, which are not straight or lawful, but are twisted or unlawful. In the broader sense, tort can be said to be equivalent to the English term ‘wrong’.
So far no exact definition of tort has been incorporated and the process of development of this branch of law is still continuing. It is easier to describe tort than to define it. We may define tort as a civil wrong, as opposed to a criminal wrong, which is redressible by an action for damages and which is other than a mere breach of contract or breach of trustDamages awarded in tort are 'unliquidated' in nature, which means that such amount is not determined previously, but the determination of the same is left to the discretion of the court.The law of torts is mainly the product of judicial decisions.
There are very few tort litigations in India and one major reason may be the lack of consciousness about one’s rights. However, application of torts is a common feature in English or US legal systems.
To constitute a tort, it is essential that the following two conditions be satisfied:
There must be some act or omission on part of the wrong doer.
Such act or omission should result in violation of legal right of the aggrieved
Tort includes the following wrongs, to indicate a few:
