A Writ of Prohibition is an order issued by the Supreme Court or High Courts to :

The correct answer is **C) the lower court prohibiting continuation of proceedings in a case.** A Writ of Prohibition is a writ issued by a higher court (Supreme Court or High Court) to a lower court or tribunal to prevent the latter from exceeding its jurisdiction or usurping a jurisdiction that it does not possess. It is issued to stop an inferior court or quasi-judicial body from continuing proceedings that are *ultra vires* (beyond its legal power or authority). Let's analyze the other options: * **A) A government officer prohibiting him from taking a particular action:** This is more characteristic of a Writ of Mandamus (to compel action) or possibly Quo Warranto (to challenge authority) if the action is without authority, but not Prohibition. * **B) The Parliament/Legislative Assembly to pass a law on Prohibition:** Courts generally cannot issue writs to legislatures to stop them from passing laws. The constitutionality of a law can only be challenged *after* it has been passed. * **D) The Government prohibiting it from following an unconstitutional policy:** While courts can strike down unconstitutional policies, a Writ of Prohibition is specifically directed at preventing an *inferior court or tribunal* from exceeding its jurisdiction, not at stopping the executive from following a policy in general (which might involve a writ of Mandamus or Quo Warranto, or simply striking down the policy through judicial review). Therefore, Prohibition is preventive and issued against judicial or quasi-judicial bodies to stay within their bounds.