1. Home
  2. GK Questions
  3. Indian Polity
  4. The Judiciary

The Judiciary — GK Questions with Answers

10 Indian Polity Questions20 Indian Polity Questions50 Indian Polity Questions100 Indian Polity Questions Current Affairs 2026 Today's GK Quiz Static GK हिन्दी
14 questions
  1. Which of these protect the autonomy of the Supreme Court? (1) President must consult the CJI when appointing SC judges (2) The CJI can remove SC judges (3) Judges’ salaries are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India (4) All SC staff are appointed by the government after consulting the CJI (UPSC 2012)
    1. 1 and 3
    2. 3 and 4
    3. 4 only
    4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) 1 and 3

    Judges are removed only by Parliament’s process, and the CJI — not the government — appoints the Court’s staff (Art 146).

  2. Which fall in the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court? (1) Government of India vs one or more states (2) Disputes over elections to Parliament or a state legislature (3) Government of India vs a Union Territory (4) Disputes between two or more states (UPSC 2012)
    1. 1 and 2
    2. 2 and 3
    3. 1 and 4
    4. 3 and 4
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) 1 and 4

    Art 131 covers only Union–state and inter-state disputes; election disputes go first to High Courts.

  3. Which statement on Lok Adalats is correct? (UPSC CSE)
    1. They can settle matters only at the pre-litigation stage, not pending cases
    2. They can deal only with civil, not criminal, matters
    3. Every Lok Adalat has only serving or retired judicial officers
    4. None of the above
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) None of the above

    They take both pending and pre-litigation matters, compoundable criminal cases too, and include lawyers and social workers.

  4. Lok Adalats: (1) An award is deemed a civil court decree and no appeal lies against it (2) Matrimonial/family disputes are not covered. Which is correct? (UPSC 2008)
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both
    4. Neither
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) 1 only

    Family disputes such as maintenance are regularly settled in Lok Adalats.

  5. (1) V.R. Krishna Iyer served as Chief Justice of India (2) He is regarded as one of the pioneers of PIL. Which is correct? (UPSC 2008)
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both
    4. Neither
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 2 only

    Krishna Iyer was a Supreme Court judge but never CJI.

  6. (1) A retired permanent High Court judge cannot plead in any court except the Supreme Court (2) To be a High Court judge one needs at least 5 years in judicial office. Which is correct? (UPSC 2006)
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both
    4. Neither
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) Neither

    Art 220 also allows pleading in other High Courts; the requirement is 10 years.

  7. Who is the custodian of the Constitution of India? (UPSC 2015)
    1. The President
    2. The Prime Minister
    3. The Lok Sabha Secretariat
    4. The Supreme Court
    Show answer

    Answer: (D) The Supreme Court

    Through judicial review the Supreme Court guards and finally interprets the Constitution.

  8. Deciding Centre–state disputes is part of which jurisdiction of the Supreme Court? (UPSC 2014)
    1. Advisory jurisdiction
    2. Original jurisdiction
    3. Appellate jurisdiction
    4. Writ jurisdiction
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Original jurisdiction

    Art 131 — original and exclusive jurisdiction.

  9. Who can raise the number of Supreme Court judges? (UPSC 2014)
    1. The President
    2. The CJI
    3. Parliament
    4. The Law Commission
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) Parliament

    Parliament did so most recently by the 2026 Act (34 → 38).

  10. The minimum number of judges to hear a case on interpreting the Constitution or a reference under Art 143 is:
    1. 3
    2. 5
    3. 7
    4. 9
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 5

    Art 145(3) — a Constitution Bench of at least five.

  1. The doctrine of prospective overruling was first applied in:
    1. Golaknath case
    2. Kesavananda Bharati case
    3. Minerva Mills case
    4. None of these
    Show answer

    Answer: (A) Golaknath case

    Golaknath (1967) applied its ruling only to the future.

  2. Pensions of High Court judges are charged on the:
    1. Consolidated Fund of the State
    2. Consolidated Fund of India
    3. Contingency Fund of India
    4. Public Account of the State
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) Consolidated Fund of India

    Salaries come from the state’s fund, but pensions from the Consolidated Fund of India.

  3. In which cases did the Supreme Court hold that Parliament can amend even Part III? (1) Golaknath (2) Sajjan Singh (3) Shankari Prasad
    1. 1 only
    2. 1 and 2
    3. 2 and 3
    4. 1 and 3
    Show answer

    Answer: (C) 2 and 3

    Golaknath held the opposite; Kesavananda later allowed amendment subject to the basic structure.

  4. Which statements about writ jurisdiction are INCORRECT? (1) SC can issue writs for any purpose, HCs only for FRs (2) HCs can issue the writ of injunction, the SC cannot (3) SC issues writs only in appeals, HCs only on direct petitions (4) HCs can issue writs for FRs and any other purpose, SC only for FRs
    1. 4 only
    2. 1, 2 and 3
    3. 2 and 3
    4. 1 and 2
    Show answer

    Answer: (B) 1, 2 and 3

    Only statement 4 is correct (Art 226 vs Art 32).

More chapters in this subject