The Supreme Court of India is the country’s apex court and the final place for an appeal. Its judgments are binding on all other courts, and it serves as the final interpreter of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court came into existence on 26 January 1950, the day the Constitution came into force. The first Chief Justice of the Supreme court was Justice H.J. Kania. Consisting of the Chief Justice of India and 30 other judges, it has extensive powers in the form of original, appellate and advisory jurisdictions. As the final court of appeal, the Supreme Court takes up appeals primarily against verdicts of the high courts of various states of the Union and other courts and tribunals. It safeguards fundamental rights of citizens and settles disputes between various governments in the country.
An open hearing would have brought sunshine to bear on the working of the most powerful public institution in the country. Shri Prashant Bhushan’s 172 page affidavit has placed a lot of material on record. It will be educative to observe how the case proceeds. Sometimes the public too can be a judge, a remarkably discerning one.