Jurisdiction and Expansive Powers of the Supreme Court of India: Constitutional Architecture, Judicial Review and Doctrine of Complete Justice

This paper is a critique of constitutional jurisdictions and institutional powers of the Supreme Court of India as the highest court of law under the system of federal-democratic principles. It examines the original, appellate, advisory and review jurisdiction of the Court under Articles 131-143 and 137 of the constitution combined with its extraordinary under Article 136 through Special Leave Petitions. In addition, the paper analyses the interpretative supremacy of the Court in Article 141, its judicial-reviewing power in Article 13 and Article 32 and its entire plenary power in Article 142 to administer complete justice. Through indulging in doctrinal examination and landmark precedents like Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, and Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab, the paper demonstrations how the Court has transformed into a guardian in the protection of basic rights and federal balance over time, despite having been a strictly constitutional adjudicator. It ends by evaluating the debate of judicial activism and separation of powers in the modern constitutional politics.