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 Thakkar Commission (formally known as the Thakkar-Natarajan Commission) was constituted in 1998 to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The commission submitted its report in 2000. The Jain Commission was related to Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, while the Sachar Committee dealt with the minority community's status.

The landmark Keshavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala case was heard by a historic constitutional bench consisting of 13 judges. This is the largest bench ever assembled in the Supreme Court of India.

Justice M. Hidayatullah served as Acting President twice - briefly in 1969 after President Zakir Husain's death, and again in 1982 during President Zail Singh's illness. He is the only Chief Justice of India to have served as Acting President. Option A and B have spelling variations of his name.

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 Uttarakhand High Court is located in Nainital, established in 2013 after the state's formation. Dehradun serves as the temporary capital but doesn't house the High Court. Gairsen is the planned future capital, and Chamoli is a district.

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.

M.C. Chhagla served as the first Chief Justice of Bombay High Court after India's independence in 1947. Nani Palkhiwala was a renowned jurist but not the first Chief Justice. Pherozeshah Mehta and Gopal Krishna Gokhale were prominent Indian leaders from the earlier independence movement era.