With reference to the Supreme Court, answer the following:
What are the qualifications of the Judges of the Supreme Court?
Topic: Qualifications of a Supreme Court judge
Answer
A judge of the Supreme Court must be a CITIZEN OF INDIA, and in addition must satisfy ONE of the following: (1) He must have been a JUDGE OF A HIGH COURT, or of two or more such courts in succession, for at least FIVE YEARS; OR (2) He must have been an ADVOCATE of a High Court, or of two or more such courts in succession, for at least TEN YEARS; OR (3) He must be, in the opinion of the President, a DISTINGUISHED JURIST.
Three marks, and the figures carry them: FIVE years as a High Court judge, TEN years as an advocate. Note that the three are ALTERNATIVES, not cumulative — a candidate needs only one of them, plus Indian citizenship. The "distinguished jurist" clause belongs to the SUPREME Court only and would be wrong for a High Court question — a distinction papers test. Retirement is at 65 for the Supreme Court and 62 for a High Court.