Combines writ jurisdiction for fundamental-rights enforcement under Article 32, wide appellate powers, and an advisory jurisdiction. Public interest litigation lets it be moved by letter in appropriate cases.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- supreme
- Court type
- Apex constitutional and appellate court
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Seat
- New Delhi
- Established
- 1950
- Composition
- Chief Justice of India and up to 33 judges, sitting in benches of two or more
- Appointment
- Collegium recommendation, followed by presidential appointment
- Caseload
- Over 60,000 pending matters
Where an appeal goes next
Final; review and curative petitions available in narrow circumstances
Decisions worth knowing
- Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala1973
Amendments cannot destroy the constitution’s basic structure.
- K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India2017
Privacy is a fundamental right.
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