Judiciary — Supreme Court, High Courts, Judicial Review, PILs & Appointments

What should you study in Judiciary?

• Supreme Court jurisdiction — original (Art.131), appellate (Art.132-134), advisory (Art.143)
• High Courts — Art.214-231; writ jurisdiction (Art.226); superintendence (Art.227)
• Judicial appointments — collegium system; NJAC (struck down 2015); memorandum of procedure
• PIL — evolution, abuse, court as policymaker debates

How often is Judiciary asked in UPSC Mains?

Asked in 4 of 10 years, including 2 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

1. 2016: asked
2. 2017: not asked
3. 2018: not asked
4. 2019: asked
5. 2020: not asked
6. 2021: not asked
7. 2022: asked
8. 2023: not asked
9. 2024: asked
10. 2025: not asked

About the Mains GS Paper II paper

GS Paper II is a 250-mark descriptive Mains paper covering governance, the Constitution, polity, social justice and international relations. See all 40 Mains GS Paper II topics.

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