With reference to the Supreme Court as the Apex Court of the country, answer the following:
Mention any three cases that come under the Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Topic: Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court
Answer
Original Jurisdiction is the power to hear a case DIRECTLY, in the first instance. Three such cases: (1) Disputes between the Government of India and one or more States. (2) Disputes between the Government of India and one or more States on one side and one or more other States on the other. (3) Disputes between two or more States; and cases concerning the enforcement of Fundamental Rights, in which the Court may issue writs under Article 32.
One mark per case. Opening with a one-line definition of original jurisdiction frames the answer and costs nothing. Notice the pattern in the first three: they are all disputes between GOVERNMENTS, which is the essence of the Supreme Court’s role as a FEDERAL court — no other court in India may hear them. The Fundamental Rights head is the fourth and the one that brings in the five writs.