The Supreme Court of India is highest judicial authority in country. It was established under Article 124 of the Constitution, which outlines its composition and jurisdiction.
Composition:
The Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and not more than 34 other judges. The President appoints these judges after consultation with other senior judges and lawyers. In addition to this, there are also retired or acting judges from high courts who can be appointed as ad-hoc justices on specific cases.
Jurisdiction:
The Supreme Court has original, appellate, and advisory jurisdictions.
- Under its original jurisdiction, it can hear disputes between different states or between the Centre and one or more states.
- Its appellate jurisdiction includes hearing appeals from lower courts that involve constitutional matters or issues related to civil or criminal law.
- In addition to this, the Supreme Court also has an advisory function where it provides opinions on questions referred by either the President or Governors of States regarding any legal matter they need help with.
Role in protecting Fundamental Rights:
One of most important functions performed by the Supreme Court is safeguarding fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution. For instance, it can issue writs like Habeas Corpus (which allows individuals detained unlawfully to seek release) if someone’s liberty is at risk due to arbitrary government action.
Moreover, it plays a crucial role in upholding democratic values by ensuring that laws passed by Parliament adhere strictly to Constitutional provisions- including those pertaining towards Right To Equality (Article 14), Freedom Of Speech & Expression(Article 19(1)(a)), etc
In conclusion, we can say that The Supreme court holds immense power when it comes down making decisions affecting millions across India – but only because such responsibility entrusted upon them through much thought process during drafting Indian Constitution itself almost seven decades ago now . With time though new challenges arise so does need evolve accordingly- Such evolution must continue taking into account what best serves interests citizens without compromising on principles enshrined in our constitution.
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