Judiciary in India: Structure, Judicial Review, PIL and Landmark Judgments

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Main Examination, Paper V: General Studies-II, (A) Indian Polity and Constitution:

• Judiciary in India: Structure and functions, judicial review, Public Interest Litigation, Landmark Judgments.

Topics in detail

Structure

• Integrated judiciary: Supreme Court, High Courts, subordinate courts
• Supreme Court (Articles 124 to 147): composition, appointment, qualifications, removal of judges
• High Courts (Articles 214 to 231): composition, appointment, transfer of judges (Article 222)
• Subordinate courts (Articles 233 to 237): district judges, civil and criminal courts
• Appointment of judges: the Judges cases (1981, 1993, 1998), the collegium system, and the National Judicial Appointments Commission struck down in 2015

Jurisdiction and functions

• Original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in Centre-State disputes (Article 131)
• Writ jurisdiction: Supreme Court (Article 32) and High Courts (Article 226); habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, quo warranto
• Appellate jurisdiction (Articles 132 to 134) and special leave petitions (Article 136)
• Advisory jurisdiction (Article 143)
• Court of record (Article 129); review (Article 137); law declared by the Supreme Court binding on all courts (Article 141)
• Curative petition

Judicial review

• Basis: Articles 13, 32, 226 and 245
• Grounds: legislative competence, violation of Fundamental Rights, violation of basic structure
• Judicial activism and judicial restraint; separation of powers
• Judicial review of constitutional amendments and of the Ninth Schedule

Public Interest Litigation

• Relaxation of locus standi; epistolary jurisdiction (letters treated as petitions)
• Early cases: Hussainara Khatoon (1979) on undertrials; S. P. Gupta (1981); Bandhua Mukti Morcha (1984) on bonded labour
• Contributions to environment, prisoners' rights, child labour
• Misuse of PIL and the safeguards set by courts

Landmark judgments

• A. K. Gopalan (1950) and Maneka Gandhi (1978): procedure established by law and the widening of Article 21
• Kesavananda Bharati (1973): basic structure
• Olga Tellis (1985): right to livelihood
• M. C. Mehta cases: absolute liability (1987), pollution matters
• Indra Sawhney (1992): OBC reservation, creamy layer, 50 per cent ceiling
• S. R. Bommai (1994): limits on Article 356
• Vishaka (1997): guidelines on sexual harassment at the workplace
• D. K. Basu (1997): safeguards on arrest and detention
• Shreya Singhal (2015): Section 66A of the IT Act struck down
• K. S. Puttaswamy (2017): right to privacy a Fundamental Right
• Shayara Bano (2017): instant triple talaq
• Navtej Singh Johar (2018): Section 377 read down
• Common Cause (2018): right to die with dignity, living wills

Contempt and alternative dispute resolution

• Contempt powers of the Supreme Court (Article 129) and High Courts (Article 215); Contempt of Courts Act, 1971
• Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; Mediation Act, 2023
• Lok Adalat awards: final and binding, with no appeal

Issues and reforms

• Pendency of cases and vacancies in courts
• Access to justice: free legal aid (Article 39A), Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, Lok Adalats
• Tribunals (Articles 323A and 323B) and their independence
• e-Courts project and virtual hearings
• Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008
• Proposal for an All India Judicial Service (Article 312)
• Judicial accountability and the process of removal of judges

Overlaps

The Gujarat High Court and the subordinate courts of Gujarat are on Gujarat: State Government, Legislature and High Court.