PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Organs of Government
Examine the evolution of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India as a constitutional court.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
r! 1950 founding → five jurisdictions (131 original, 136 appellate/SLP, 143 advisory, 32 writ, 137 review) → constitutional guardian; Art 32 = protector of FRs (Ambedkar, “soul”) R2 SC born as a court of defined jurisdictions → examine the shift towards a constitutional court that guards and shapes the Constitution
Body flow
Guardian role + Art 32 / Ambedkar → early restraint (Gopalan, Shankari Prasad, Sajjan Singh) → Golak Nath limits amending power over FRs → Kesavananda basic structure → constituent power scrutinised → Maneka expands Art 21 / substantive review — S.P. Gupta widens locus standi + PIL / access → Arts 136 + 142 / complete justice → Bommai, Minerva Mills, Coelho → review over federalism, amendments, the Ninth Schedule
Counter-view
Nariman: guardians of the Constitution → guardians over it (basic- structure expansion risks overreach)
Conclusion routes
R1 From enumerated jurisdictions → a constitutional court that both dea protects and shapes the Constitution R2 Evolution as a widening of jurisdiction, not a break from text → the guardian became a shaper while staying anchored in the Constitution
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
