CHAPTER: THE JUDICIARY
TOTAL: 50 MARKS
SECTION A – MCQs (10 marks)
(Each question 1 mark)
- The Supreme Court is also known as the _______.
a) High Court
b) Apex Court
c) District Court
d) Sessions Court - The Supreme Court is located in:
a) Mumbai
b) Kolkata
c) New Delhi
d) Chennai - Public Interest Litigation (PIL) allows:
a) Only the government to file cases
b) Only affected individuals to file cases
c) Any citizen to approach the court for public welfare
d) Only lawyers to raise issues - Judicial Review gives courts the power to:
a) Make laws
b) Review and strike down unconstitutional laws
c) Conduct elections
d) Appoint judges - Which is the highest court at the district level?
a) Court of Munsif
b) Civil Judge Court
c) District Court
d) Sessions Court - The High Court mainly deals with:
a) International disputes
b) State-level cases
c) Neighborhood disputes
d) Village council matters - Subordinate Courts DO NOT include:
a) Civil Courts
b) Criminal Courts
c) Sessions Court
d) Supreme Court - Contempt of court refers to:
a) Respecting court orders
b) Disobeying or insulting the court
c) Filing a case
d) Paying court fees - A court that maintains permanent records is called:
a) Court of Records
b) Court of Evidence
c) Court of Registration
d) Court of Appeal - Which jurisdiction allows the Supreme Court to hear a case first?
a) Appellate
b) Advisory
c) Original
d) Supervisory
SECTION B – ONE-WORD ANSWERS (5 marks)
(Each question 1 mark)
-
What is the highest court in India?
-
What term means “authority of a court to hear cases”?
-
Write one type of evidence where no witness is present.
-
Which court handles state-level appeals?
-
What is the full form of PIL?
SECTION C – ASSERTION & REASON (10 marks)
(Each question 2 marks)
Choose:
A. Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason explains Assertion
B. Both are true but Reason does not explain Assertion
C. Assertion is true but Reason is false
D. Assertion is false but Reason is true
-
Assertion (A): The Supreme Court can strike down any unconstitutional law.
Reason (R): This is because it has the power of Judicial Review. -
Assertion (A): High Courts supervise lower courts in their state.
Reason (R): Supervisory jurisdiction allows High Courts to check the functioning of subordinate courts. -
Assertion (A): Only affected individuals can file a PIL.
Reason (R): PILs protect public interest. -
Assertion (A): The Sessions Court deals with serious criminal offences.
Reason (R): It is the highest criminal court at the district level. -
Assertion (A): Lok Adalats are expensive.
Reason (R): They charge fees for hearing disputes.
SECTION D – SHORT ANSWERS (10 marks)
(Each question 2 marks)
-
Why is the independence of the judiciary important?
-
Define Appellate Jurisdiction.
-
Mention two functions of the High Court.
-
What is a Court of Records?
-
What is the difference between civil and criminal cases? (Any two points)
SECTION E – LONG ANSWERS (15 marks)
(Each question 5 marks)
-
Explain the three main jurisdictions of the Supreme Court with examples:
-
Original
-
Appellate
-
Advisory
-
Compare Lok Adalats and regular courts under the following points:
-
Time taken
-
Cost
-
Interaction with judge
-
Nature of decisions
-
Benefits to common people
-
Describe the structure of Subordinate Courts in India. Explain the hierarchy of Civil and Criminal Courts at the district level with their main functions.
ANSWER KEY
SECTION A – MCQs (10 marks)
- b) Apex Court
- c) New Delhi
- c) Any citizen to approach the court for public welfare
- b) Review and strike down unconstitutional laws
- c) District Court
- b) State-level cases
- d) Supreme Court
- b) Disobeying or insulting the court
- a) Court of Records
- c) Original
SECTION B – ONE-WORD ANSWERS (5 marks)
- Supreme Court
- Jurisdiction
- Circumstantial evidence
- High Court
- Public Interest Litigation
SECTION C – ASSERTION & REASON (10 marks)
- A — Both are true and Reason explains Assertion
- A — Both are true and Reason explains Assertion
- D — Assertion is false but Reason is true
- A — Both are true and Reason explains Assertion
- D — Assertion is false but Reason is true
SECTION D – SHORT ANSWERS (10 marks)
(AnyValidAnswer — sample key provided)
- It ensures impartial judgments and protects courts from government pressure.
- Appellate jurisdiction allows a court to hear appeals against judgments of lower courts.
- Any two:
- Has original jurisdiction
- Has appellate jurisdiction
- Supervises subordinate courts
- Acts as Court of Records
- A court that maintains permanent records of judgments for reference in future cases.
- Civil cases deal with property, money, contracts; criminal cases deal with crimes, theft, murder, violence.
SECTION E – LONG ANSWERS (15 marks)
(Sample points for evaluation)
26. Jurisdictions of the Supreme Court (Any 5 points)
- Original: First to hear cases involving Constitution disputes, centre-state disputes, state-state disputes.
- Appellate: Hears appeals against High Court judgments in civil & criminal cases.
- Advisory: President seeks opinions on legal or constitutional matters.
- Clear examples given.
27. Lok Adalat vs Regular Courts (Any 5 points)
- Faster decisions
- No fees
- Informal hearing
- Direct interaction with judge
- Decisions based on compromise
- Helps poor access justice
- Regular courts are slow, costly, formal
28. Subordinate Courts Structure (Any 5–6 points)
- Civil: Munsif Court → Civil Judge Court → District Judge Court
- Criminal: Second-Class Magistrate → First-Class Magistrate → Chief Judicial Magistrate → Sessions Court
- Functions explained
- Role at district level explained
