Polity
Judiciary
Judiciary — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for the Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Court articles, Judges Cases, jurisdictions, basic structure cases and PIL.
The Supreme Court, High Courts, subordinate courts, judicial review, PIL and activism on one page. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often. Figures marked “as of” change; check them before the exam.
Supreme Court: Key Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Articles | 124–147, Part V, Chapter IV |
| Inaugurated | 28 January 1950; first CJI H.J. Kania |
| Predecessor | Federal Court, 1937 (Government of India Act, 1935) |
| Seat (Art 130) | Delhi, or elsewhere by the CJI with the President’s approval |
| Strength | 8 in 1950 → 34 (2019) → 38 incl. CJI (2026 Act; Ordinance 16 May 2026); fixed by Parliament |
| CJI (as of Oct 2026) | Justice Surya Kant, 53rd CJI, from 24 Nov 2025 to 9 Feb 2027 |
| Qualifications (Art 124(3)) | Citizen + 5 yrs HC judge / 10 yrs HC advocate / distinguished jurist |
| Retirement | 65 |
| Oath | Before the President (Third Schedule) |
| Removal (Art 124(4)) | “Proved misbehaviour or incapacity”; special majority in each House, same session |
| Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 | Notice: 100 LS or 50 RS members; 3-member committee |
| Removals so far | None (Ramaswami motion failed 1993; Soumitra Sen resigned 2011; Yashwant Varma inquiry report tabled 12 Aug 2026) |
| Art 126 / 127 / 128 | Acting CJI (President) / ad hoc judge (CJI + President’s consent) / retired judges |
| Art 124(7) | No practice in any court after retirement |
| Art 121 | Parliament cannot discuss a judge’s conduct except on a removal motion |
Judges Cases and Appointments
| Case | Year | Holding |
|---|---|---|
| S.P. Gupta (First) | 1981 | Consultation ≠ concurrence; executive primacy |
| SC AoR Association (Second) | 1993 | CJI primacy; collegium born |
| Special Reference No. 1 (Third) | 1998 | CJI + 4 for SC; CJI + 2 for HCs |
| NJAC case (Fourth) | 2015 | 99th Amendment, 2014 and NJAC Act struck down 4:1 |
Supreme Court Jurisdiction
| Article | Jurisdiction / power |
|---|---|
| 71 | President / Vice-President election disputes |
| 129 | Court of record; contempt |
| 131 | Exclusive original: Union vs States, State vs State (no private parties) |
| 32 | Writs for Fundamental Rights |
| 132 / 133 / 134 | Constitutional / civil / criminal appeals; 134A certificate (44th Amendment) |
| 136 | Special leave, discretionary; not Armed Forces tribunals |
| 137 | Review of own judgments |
| — | Curative petition: Rupa Ashok Hurra (2002) |
| 138 / 139 | Enlargement of jurisdiction / writs for other purposes |
| 139A | Transfer of cases (42nd Amendment) |
| 141 | SC’s law binding on all courts |
| 142 | Complete justice |
| 143 | Advisory; not binding; may decline under 143(1), must answer under 143(2) |
| 144 | All authorities act in aid of the SC |
| 145(3) | At least 5 judges for constitutional questions and Art 143 references |
High Courts and Subordinate Courts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Articles | 214–231, Part VI, Chapter V; subordinate courts 233–237 |
| Number | 25 (as of 2026); oldest Calcutta (1862); newest Andhra Pradesh (1 Jan 2019) |
| Common HC | Art 231 (7th Amendment, 1956) |
| Strength fixed by | President (Art 216) |
| Appointment (Art 217) | President, after consulting CJI, Governor and HC Chief Justice |
| Qualifications | Citizen + 10 yrs judicial office / 10 yrs HC advocate (no jurist route) |
| Retirement | 62 (15th Amendment, 1963) |
| Oath | Before the Governor |
| Transfer | Art 222 (President after consulting the CJI) |
| Acting CJ / additional / retired | 223 / 224 (up to 2 yrs) / 224A |
| Writs / superintendence | Art 226 (FR + any other purpose) / Art 227 (not military tribunals) |
| Post-retirement practice | Allowed in SC and other HCs (Art 220) |
| Salaries / pensions | Consolidated Fund of the State / of India |
| District judges (Art 233) | Governor + HC; 7 yrs as advocate or pleader |
| Other judges (Art 234) | Governor + State PSC + HC |
| Control (Art 235) | High Court |
| Lok Adalat | Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987; award final, no appeal |
| Gram Nyayalaya | Act of 2008 |
High Court of Chhattisgarh
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seat | Bilaspur (Bodri campus), not Raipur |
| Established | 1 November 2000, MP Reorganisation Act, 2000 |
| Order | 19th High Court |
| First Acting CJ / first CJ | R. S. Garg / W. A. Shishak |
| Sanctioned strength | 22 (as of 2026) |
| Chief Justice (as of Oct 2026) | Krushna Ram Mohapatra (from Sept 2026; Ramesh Sinha retired 4 Sept 2026) |
| CG in the Supreme Court | Nandini Sundar v. State of Chhattisgarh (5 July 2011, SPOs); Art 131 suit against NIA Act (filed Jan 2020) |
Judicial Review and Activism
| Case / fact | Point |
|---|---|
| Marbury v. Madison (USA) | 1803: origin of judicial review |
| Golaknath | 1967; 11 judges; FRs unamendable |
| Kesavananda Bharati | 24 April 1973; 13 judges; 7:6; basic structure |
| Indira Gandhi v. Raj Narain | 1975; free and fair elections |
| Minerva Mills | 1980; 368(4),(5) struck; judicial review basic |
| Waman Rao | 1981; Ninth Schedule cut-off 24 April 1973 |
| S.R. Bommai | 1994; secularism, federalism |
| L. Chandra Kumar | 1997; review under Arts 32 and 226 basic |
| I.R. Coelho | 2007; 9 judges; Ninth Schedule laws reviewable |
| PIL | Bhagwati, Krishna Iyer; Hussainara (1979); S.P. Gupta (1981); Balwant Singh Chaufal guidelines (2010) |
| Activism examples | Vishaka 1997; D.K. Basu 1997; Prakash Singh 2006; Lily Thomas 2013; PUCL (NOTA) 2013; electoral bonds 2024 |
| Overreach examples (debated) | Anthem in cinemas (2016, optional 2018); highway liquor ban (2016) |
| Restraint example | BALCO 2002 (disinvestment policy) |
| Advisory opinion, 20 Nov 2025 | No court-fixed timelines for assent to Bills; no “deemed assent” |
| Pendency (2026) | Well over 5 crore cases; ~92,000 in SC on 1 Jan 2026 |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| SC strength: Parliament | vs | HC strength: President |
| SC retirement 65 | vs | HC retirement 62 |
| SC: jurist route exists | vs | HC: no jurist route |
| SC retired judge: no court | vs | HC retired judge: SC and other HCs |
| Art 126 acting CJI (President) | vs | Art 127 ad hoc judge (CJI + President’s consent) |
| Art 127 ad hoc (SC) | vs | Art 224 additional (HC) |
| Art 131 original, governments only | vs | Art 32 writs, any person |
| Art 143(1) may decline | vs | Art 143(2) must answer |
| Art 137 review | vs | Curative petition (2002, judge-made) |
| Art 226 writs | vs | Art 227 superintendence |
| Art 124(4) judges’ removal | vs | Art 61 President’s impeachment |
| Golaknath: no amendment of FRs | vs | Kesavananda: amend all but the basic structure |
Favourite MCQ trap
“The number of judges of the Supreme Court and of each High Court is fixed by Parliament.” Half wrong. Parliament fixes the Supreme Court’s strength by law (38 including the CJI from 2026), but the President decides the strength of each High Court under Art 216.
Second favourite trap
“The Chief Justice of India’s advisory opinion under Article 143 binds the President.” Wrong twice. The opinion is the Court’s, not the CJI’s alone (a bench of at least five judges), and it is not binding.
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