Court System under the Constitution of India: Supreme Court, High Court, Subordinate Courts &Writ Jurisdiction

In 1779, Kamaluddin sat in a Calcutta prison over a disputed revenue debt, refused the customary right to bail, and had to beg an English Supreme Court he had no vote in creating to set him free. Today an Indian citizen in exactly his position — jailed, denied bail, wanting an urgent release — walks into any High Court and files for a writ of habeas corpus as a matter of constitutional right, no begging required. This topic is the single most examined subject in this paper because it is the one every other topic has been quietly building towards.

In two minutes

The Constitution of India replaced the old Supreme Court/Sadar Adalat and Federal Court structure with a three-tier system — the Supreme Court, the High Courts, and subordinate courts — and armed the top two tiers with writ jurisdiction under Articles 32, 226 and 227 that gives every citizen a direct, enforceable remedy against an illegal exercise of power.

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