In ordinary speech, "right" is used loosely — a right to an opinion, a right to be respected, a right to a seat in a bus. Jurisprudence gives the word a stricter meaning. A legal right is an interest recognized and protected by a rule of legal justice. It has two essential ingredients:
1. An interest of the right-holder — something of value to them (wealth, liberty, reputation, privacy);
2. Legal protection of that interest — the State, through courts, will enforce it against others.
This yields the classic definition: a legal right is a capacity residing in one man of controlling, withthe assent and assistance of the State, the actions of others (Holland). The key insight is that a right is not the thing itself — I do not "own" my land in the sense of holding the physical earth in my hand — rather, my right is a relation between me and others, backed by law: others must let me use the land, must not trespass, must not interfere.
For Nepali students, the clearest illustration is the Constitution's fundamental rights chapter. The right to freedom of expression under the Constitution of Nepal (2015) is not a vague aspiration; it is a legal right because an independent court can enforce it, and Article 133 and the Supreme Court's extraordinary jurisdiction exist precisely to protect such rights.