Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court of India:
- The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court is fixed by the Constitution and therefore cannot be altered by Parliament.
- Parliament has increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court through legislation on several occasions.
- A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ordinarily consists of at least five judges.
- The Chief Justice of India is necessarily the senior-most judge of every Constitution Bench constituted by the Supreme Court.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is incorrect: The sanctioned strength is not constitutionally frozen; Parliament can alter it by law.
- Statement 2 is correct: Parliament has progressively increased the sanctioned strength; the Supreme Court's official history records increases from 8 judges in 1950 to 34 in 2019.
- Statement 3 is correct: Constitution Benches comprise five or more judges, particularly for substantial constitutional questions or conflicts between decisions of smaller Benches.
- Statement 4 is incorrect: The CJI does not have to be the senior-most judge of every Constitution Bench; Bench composition is determined by the Chief Justice in the exercise of administrative/judicial roster powers.
