Importance Of Judicial Review

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High Courts are the principal civil courts of original jurisdiction in the state. There shall be High Court for each state (Article 214), and every High Court shall be a court of record and shall have all the powers of such a court including the power to punish for contempt of itself (Article 215). However, Parliament may, by law, establish a common High Court for two or more states and a Union Territory (Article 231) .
Indian Judiciary with the Supreme Courts at its head and 21 High Courts in the States is arguably the most powerful judiciary in the world. The superior judiciary, by which is meant the Supreme Court and the High Courts, have jurisdiction not only to decide civil and criminal cases but by judicial review to safeguard the civil …show more content…

It tries to undo the harm that is advertently (or inadvertently) done by the actions of legislature and the executive and also tries to provide every citizen what has been promised by the Constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy. All this is possible due to the power of judicial review. The significance of judicial review is to ensure that democracy is inclusive and that there is accountability of everyone who wields or exercises public power. Though the phrase ‘judicial review’ does not find mention in our Constitution, this power has been derived by the judiciary from various provisions. Firstly, the judicial power to interpret the constitution and especially the limits on Fundamental Rights vis-à-vis Article 13(2) suggests that any law contravening the Fundamental Rights would be declared void. It is the duty of the Supreme Court to safeguard and protect the Fundamental Rights of people and thus, it is vested with the power of judicial review under Article 32 and to interpret the Constitution. The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review extends to Constitutional Amendments also which is a contentious political …show more content…

A distorted notion of public interest litigation has resulted in this kind of overreaching. PILs, as originally conceived in 1979 by the Supreme Court, were for to protect the rights of those who had no means of access to the courts to protect them. For example, the court issued orders to prevent the exploitation of labourers on construction sites and the release of bonded labourers. The SC was on firm ground to intervene in such matters, as it had a clear mandate to protect the fundamental rights of individuals. Overall the meaning and content of human rights and personal liberty was enlarged by such orders, and the SC 's activism in such cases was lauded in India and abroad. PILs now, however, are mostly to correct government actions or omissions unrelated to protection of the fundamental rights of citizens. The court has made orders for cleanliness in housing colonies; disposal of garbage; control of traffic; control of unmanned railway crossings; control and prevention of the menace of monkeys in cities; control of breeding of animals in zoos; measures to prevent ragging in colleges; and protecting women from sexual harassment in workplaces. The court has entertained petitions in a highly technical engineering scheme for interlinking India 's rivers, and for the control of genetically modified

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