The power of the Supreme Court of India to settle disputes between the Centre and the States falls under which jurisdiction?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Original jurisdiction. Article 131 gives the Supreme Court exclusive original jurisdiction over disputes between the Government of India and one or more States, or between States themselves, where a question of law or fact affecting a legal right is involved. Only the Supreme Court — as the court of first and sole instance — can hear such a dispute.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Appellate jurisdiction (Articles 132-136) lets the Supreme Court hear appeals against judgments of High Courts or lower courts; a Centre-State dispute is not an appeal — it originates directly at the Supreme Court.  (b) Advisory jurisdiction (Article 143) is invoked only when the President refers a question of law or fact to the Court for its non-binding opinion; it does not adjudicate binding Centre-State disputes.  (c) Not a distinct head of jurisdiction named anywhere in the Constitution — a loosely used umbrella phrase, not the Constitution's own term for this specific power (Article 131 = original jurisdiction).

Concept: The Supreme Court's jurisdiction has distinct heads: original (Article 131 — Centre-State/inter-State disputes, heard as the court of first and only instance), appellate (Articles 132-136 — appeals from High Courts on constitutional, civil, criminal matters and via Special Leave), advisory (Article 143 — a Presidential reference), and writ (Article 32 — enforcing Fundamental Rights). Only original jurisdiction covers federal Centre-State disputes.

State PCS 2021 Q93 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q93 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer