Supreme Court of India
Also called: Article 124 · Topic: Judiciary: Independence, Structure, Judicial Review and Activism · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 10 "Grassroots Democracy – Part 1: Governance"; Class 7, Ch 10 "The Constitution of India: An Introduction"; Class 11, Ch 6 "Judiciary"
Meaning
The Supreme Court is India's highest court and final court of appeal. Art. 124 establishes it. It was inaugurated on 28 January 1950 and replaced the Federal Court (1937) and the Privy Council. It has four kinds of jurisdiction (power to hear cases):
- original jurisdiction over Union-state disputes (Art. 131)
- writ jurisdiction (Art. 32)
- appellate jurisdiction (hearing appeals)
- advisory jurisdiction (Art. 143)
Under Art. 141, the law it declares binds all courts in India. It sits in Delhi.
Example
The Constitution started with the CJI and 7 other judges. A 2019 law raised the strength to 34, meaning 33 judges plus the CJI (verify current). Its motto is Yato Dharmastato Jayah.
Don't confuse with
- Federal Court (1937): the Federal Court was set up under British rule and was not the final court of appeal, because appeals went on to the Privy Council in London. The Supreme Court replaced both.
Related concepts
- Integrated judiciary
- Yato Dharmastato Jayah
- Qualifications of Supreme Court judges
- Chief Justice of India
- Ad hoc judge
- High Court
- Common High Court
- Retired judges sitting in High Courts