Supreme Court of India
Definition
Apex court under Article 124 of the Constitution. Original, appellate, advisory and writ jurisdiction. Seat at New Delhi; benches sit only by Chief Justice direction.
- Constitutional basis
- Article 124
- Jurisdiction types
- Original, appellate, advisory, writ
- Seat
- New Delhi
- Bench sittings
- Only by Chief Justice direction
Common questions
Why does the Supreme Court's bench structure matter for forensic expert testimony?+
Because benches sit only as constituted by the Chief Justice, the composition and number of judges hearing a matter, including one turning on complex expert or forensic evidence, is centrally controlled rather than fixed by a permanent divisional structure. This affects how larger constitutional questions involving scientific evidence standards are eventually settled.
What is the practical difference between the Court's appellate and advisory jurisdiction?+
Appellate jurisdiction lets the Court review and overturn decisions of lower courts, including High Court rulings that relied on forensic evidence, while advisory jurisdiction under Article 143 lets the President seek the Court's opinion on a question of law or fact without an underlying case or appeal.
Related terms
- Admissibility
- Whether a piece of evidence is permitted to be placed before the fact-finder at all. Admissibility is a threshold question, decided by...
- Examination-in-Chief
- The questioning of a witness by the party who called them. For an expert, this is typically limited because the substance is...
- Expert
- A person specially skilled in foreign law, science, art, identity of handwriting or finger impressions, under BSA 2023 Section 39 (formerly IEA...
- High Court
- Constitutional court under Article 214, one for each state or group of states (25 High Courts as of 2026). Writ jurisdiction under...
- Hostile Witness
- A witness who turns adverse to the party calling them. The court, on application, may permit cross-examination of one's own witness under...
- Magistrate Court
- Trial court for less serious offences. Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Second Class, and Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) under BNSS 2023.
- Pecuniary Jurisdiction
- Monetary limit on the suits a civil court can try (for example a Small Causes Court has a low pecuniary cap).
- Relevancy
- Logical connection of a fact with the fact in issue. Governed by BSA 2023 Sections 6 to 55 (carrying forward IEA Sections...
- Sessions Court
- Highest criminal court at district level under BNSS 2023. Tries offences punishable with death, life imprisonment or imprisonment exceeding seven years. Headed...
- Subject-Matter Jurisdiction
- Restriction by case type (POCSO court hears child sexual offences; MACT hears motor-accident claims; family court hears matrimonial disputes).
- Territorial Jurisdiction
- Geographic area within which a court can take cognisance. A theft in Pune is tried by a Pune court, not a Mumbai...