Judiciary and Legal Systems

The Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) was heard by the largest ever bench of 13 judges of the Supreme Court. This landmark case established the 'basic structure doctrine' - that Parliament's amending power cannot alter the Constitution's basic features. Smaller benches (7, 9, 11) are used for important cases but 13 is unprecedented.

The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of justice in the country's judicial hierarchy. It is the final court of appeal and the guardian of the Constitution. The High Courts operate below it, and the Privy Council was abolished.

In 2009-2010, RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal sought information about the CJI's assets declaration. When the Supreme Court refused, the matter went to the Delhi High Court, making this a historic first where the Supreme Court appeared as a petitioner before a lower court. G.E. Vahanvati was then Attorney General, Ravindra Bhat is a judge, and Prashant Bhushan is a lawyer-activist but not the applicant in this specific case.

The Attorney General of India (Article 76) is the first law officer of the nation and chief legal advisor to the Union Government. The Advocate General (Article 165) performs the same role for a state. Option C incorrectly reverses their order.

Original jurisdiction means the Supreme Court can directly hear certain cases for the first time, including disputes between the Centre and States under Article 131 of the Constitution. Advisory jurisdiction is when the President seeks the Court's opinion, and appellate jurisdiction is when the Court hears appeals.

"Number" is used with countable nouns (things that can be counted individually). "Amount" is used with uncountable nouns (things that cannot be counted individually, like liquids, substances). Judges are countable people, so "few in number" is correct, not "few in amount".

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court started functioning in 2004. This bench was established to improve access to justice for southern Tamil Nadu districts under its jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court ruling requiring judges to declare assets came under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This 2009 decision established that the judiciary is not exempt from transparency provisions, and judges must disclose their assets to the Chief Justice as per RTI provisions.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, consists of 15 judges who are elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms.

The Keshavananda Bharati case (1973) was heard by the largest-ever bench of 13 judges, who delivered a historic 7-6 majority verdict establishing the 'basic structure' doctrine. This landmark judgment limited Parliament's power to amend the Constitution's basic features. The options 7, 9, and 11 do not match this unprecedented bench size.

The Supreme Court has advocated for using technology like email to send summons and serve notices as a measure to reduce delays in court proceedings. This modernizes the process and cuts down on time spent in physical service of documents. Fast track courts (B) require government creation, not Supreme Court authority. Lok ayukthas (A) deal with anti-corruption, not case pendency.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) consists of 15 judges who are elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms. These judges represent different geographical regions of the world. The court is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

When a judge declares a judgment, it is typically 'against' something or someone, especially when contradicting or opposing government orders. 'On' would be used for supporting something, 'with' suggests agreement, and 'for' indicates favoring.

Election petitions are filed to challenge the validity of an election. Under the Constitution, the power to decide election petitions is vested in the High Courts. The High Court's decision can then be appealed to the Supreme Court.