It literally means ‘we command It commands the person to whom it is addressed to perform some public or quasi-public legal duty which he has refused to perform and the performance of which cannot be enforced by any other adequate legal remedy.
It is, therefore, clear that mandamus will not issue unless the applicant has a legal right to the performance of legal duty of a public nature and the party against whom the writ is sought is bound to perform that duty. The purposes for which a writ may be issued are as follows, (a) for the enforcement of fundamental rights.
Whenever a public officer or a Government has done some act which violates the fundamental Right of a person, the court would issue a writ of Mandamus restraining the public officer or the Government from enforcing that order or doing that act against the person whose fundamental right has been in fringed, (b) mandamus is available from a High Court for various other purposes.