Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q71 (IAS/2014) Polity & Governance › Judiciary › Supreme Court jurisdiction Official Key

The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction in federal disputes, where exclusive means no other court can decide such disputes and original means the power to hear such disputes in the first instance, not by way of appeal.[1] As a federal court, the Supreme Court decides disputes between different units of the Indian Federation, including disputes between the Centre and one or more states, between the Centre and any state or states on one side and one or more other states on the other, or between two or more states.[1]

Original jurisdiction means cases that can be directly considered by the Supreme Court without going to the lower courts before that.[2] This is distinct from advisory jurisdiction (where the President seeks advice), appellate jurisdiction (hearing appeals from lower courts), and writ jurisdiction (which is primarily for enforcement of Fundamental Rights). The Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court establishes it as an umpire in all disputes regarding federal matters.[3]

Sources
  1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 26: Supreme Court > III Original Jurisdiction > p. 290
  2. [2] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: JUDICIARY > Original Jurisdiction > p. 132
  3. [3] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: JUDICIARY > Original Jurisdiction > p. 132
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
92%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest preview
Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its [A] advisory jurisdiction …
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is a 'Bread and Butter' Polity question. It tests the fundamental definition of the Supreme Court's role as a Federal Court. If you miss this, you are out of the race. The strategy is simple: Master the specific Articles (131 vs 132 vs 143) and the exclusions to them.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States fall under its advisory jurisdiction?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 26: Supreme Court > III Original Jurisdiction > p. 290
Presence: 5/5
“As a federal court, the Supreme Court decides the disputes between different units of the Indian Federation. More elaborately, any dispute: (a) Between the Centre and one or more states; or (b) Between the Centre and any state or several on one side and one or more other states on the other side; or (c) Between two or more states. In the above federal disputes, the Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction. Exclusive means, no other court can decide such disputes and original means, the power to hear such disputes in the first instance, not by way of appeal. With regard to the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, two points should be noted.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states that disputes between the Centre and one or more States fall within the Supreme Court's exclusive original jurisdiction.
  • Explains 'exclusive' (no other court can decide) and 'original' (heard in the first instance), showing these disputes are litigative, not advisory.
Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: JUDICIARY > Advisory Jurisdiction > p. 133
Presence: 4/5
“In addition to original and appellate jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of India possesses advisory jurisdiction also. This means that the President of India can refer any matter that is of public importance or that which involves interpretation of Constitution to Supreme Court for advice. However, the Supreme Court is not bound to give advice on such matters and the President is not bound to accept such an advice. What then is the utility of the advisory powers of the Supreme Court? The utility is two-fold. In the first place, it allows the government to seek legal opinion on a matter of importance before taking action on it.”
Why this source?
  • Defines advisory jurisdiction as the President referring matters to the Supreme Court for its opinion.
  • Makes clear advisory opinions are optional (Court not bound to answer; President not bound to accept), distinguishing advisory references from adjudicative dispute-resolution.
Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: JUDICIARY > Original Jurisdiction > p. 132
Presence: 4/5
“Original jurisdiction means cases that can be directly considered by the Supreme Court without going to the lower courts before that. From the diagram above, you will notice that cases involving federal relations go directly to the Supreme Court. The Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court establishes it as an umpire in all disputes regarding federal matters. In any federal country, legal disputes are bound to arise between the Union and the States; and among the States themselves. The power to resolve such cases is entrusted to the Supreme Court of India. It is called original jurisdiction because the Supreme Court alone has the power to deal with such cases.”
Why this source?
  • Reinforces that original jurisdiction covers federal relations and that such cases go directly to the Supreme Court.
  • States that the Supreme Court alone has power to resolve Union–State disputes, underscoring the adjudicatory (original) nature of these disputes.
Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

Login with Google to unlock all statements.

How to study

This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.

Login with Google to unlock study guidance.

Micro-concepts

Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.

Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.

The Vault

Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.

Login with Google to unlock The Vault.

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 1996 · Q26 Relevance score: 9.47

The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its

CDS-II · 2013 · Q113 Relevance score: 9.23

Power of the Supreme Court of India to decide the dispute between Centre and State falls under :

CDS-I · 2020 · Q106 Relevance score: 5.76

The power of the Supreme Court to decide in the case of a dispute between two or more States is called

CDS-I · 2017 · Q68 Relevance score: 4.66

Which of the following are the powers of the Supreme Court of India? 1. Original jurisdiction in a dispute between the Government of India and one or more States 2. The power to hear appeals from the High Courts 3. Passing decrees and orders for doing justice in any matter before it 4. Render advice to the President of India in matters of law Select the correct answer using the code given below.

CDS-I · 2011 · Q63 Relevance score: 4.19

The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India extends to