Page 204 - SST Class 08

The Judiciary 23

q Supreme Court of India q The State Judiciary
q Subordinate Courts q Lok Adalat
q Procedure of the judiciary q Types of cases
q The police q First Information Report (FIR)
q Relationship between the police and the court of law q Public Prosecutor

Introduction Justice of India and the judges of the Supreme
Court are appointed by the President of India. It is
Judiciary is the most important organ of the
obligatory for the President to consult the Chief
government. Its main functions are to settle Justice for the appointment of other judges in the
disputes , to apply law of the country and to protect
Supreme Court.
the rights of the people. Every member of the
society must follow the rule of the land.
Info Bits
Info Bits
Along with the legislature and the executive, the
judiciary is the third organ of the government, and In 1950, when the Indian Constitution was
perhaps the most important of the three. The enacted, the Supreme Court had only 8 judges.
structure of the judiciary is independent as well as
Qualification
interwoven with the other organs of the
government. It functions at three tiers, the The Constitution provides for minimum
Supreme Court at the highest level, followed by the qualification for a person to be appointed as the
High Courts in the states and Subordinate Courts at judge of the Supreme Court, so that the judges are
the district level. Now we shall study these three the most competent. For appointment to the post
types in brief. of a judge, a person must be a citizen of India,
and should be a judge of a High Court at least for
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA five years; or, should be an advocate of a High
Court for at least ten years; or, should be a
The Supreme Court
distinguished jurist in the opinion of the President.
of India is the highest
court of law in the The last qualification allows the President to
country. It is located appoint a person as the judge who may be a
in New Delhi. distinguished professor in a law college or may be
a distinguished writer of law books etc.
Composition and
Appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court hold office until the
age of 65 years. They are appointed by the
Judges
President, but their services cannot be terminated
The Supreme Court by him. If a judge is found guilty of misusing his
consists of a Chief Supreme Court of India power or found acting against the provisions of
Justice and 25 other judges. The number of judges the Constitution, he may be impeached by the
in it can be changed from time to time. The Chief Parliament.

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