India, Dec. 17 -- The term "jungle raj" has become a common political shorthand, hurled to describe a state or region suffering from poor governance, lawlessness, and administrative collapse. In the often-used phrase "jungle raj" in arguments about governance, "jungle" is used to mean a disorderly entity suffering from "anarchy".

The phrase "jungle raj" was not coined by a politician. It reportedly originated as an oral observation in 1997 by a judge in a Patna court, who used it out of frustration over poor civic conditions. It was used during the hearing of a contempt case regarding severe civic mismanagement, specifically a poor drainage system and waterlogging. The judge remarked that the situation was "worse than jungle raj" and rel...