Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court of India came into being with the Constitution on 26 January 1950. Article 124 provides for a Chief Justice of India and other judges. It sits in New Delhi and is the final court of appeal and the guardian of the Constitution through judicial review.

September 2026 reference: the Chief Justice of India is Justice Surya Kant, from 24 November 2025. The first CJI was Harilal Jekisundas Kania. We do not invent 2026 judgments, bench strengths for a particular case, or a new CJI name.

Parliament decides the number of judges. A figure of 34 (CJI plus 33) has been the sanctioned strength taught in recent years — if a paper is newer than these notes, confirm the latest parliamentary law rather than treating 34 as eternal. Collegium practice for appointments is a living judicial convention; the exact letters of 2026 recommendations are not listed here.

Key points

1. Court of record; Article 129. Binding on all courts — Article 141.
2. Original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction (Article 143 advice to the President) — the three-head classroom map.
3. Article 32: the right to move the Supreme Court for fundamental rights. Public Interest Litigation grew from this writ culture.
4. CJI (September 2026 notes): Justice Surya Kant, from 24 November 2025.
5. First CJI: H.J. Kania. The Federal Court of India (1937) was the colonial predecessor students sometimes meet.
6. Appointments: President appoints judges after the constitutional consultation process; the collegium is the working method taught today.
7. Retirement age for Supreme Court judges: 65 (standard article teaching). High Court: 62.
8. Removal: proved misbehaviour or incapacity — address by Parliament (Article 124(4)). No 2026 example is invented here.
9. Seat: New Delhi. Circuit benches have been debated; do not invent a 2026 new permanent city without a statute.
10. Integrated judiciary: one hierarchy from the Supreme Court down through High Courts to district courts.
11. High Courts exist for states; some High Courts serve more than one state or a UT — that list is a separate static drill.
12. President Droupadi Murmu (15th) appoints judges in the constitutional form; the Prime Minister is not the appointing authority in the article text.
13. We do not summarise 2026 Constitution Bench holdings as if they were NCERT.
14. Curative and review petitions are extra-ordinary leftovers after a judgment — names only, no fake case list.
15. The Attorney-General is the Union’s highest law officer (Article 76), not a Supreme Court judge.
16. Language of the Court is English in practice for proceedings — a working fact, not a slogan.
17. Compare with Lok Sabha: Parliament makes law; the Court can strike down what violates the Constitution.
18. Basic structure doctrine (Kesavananda Bharati, 1973) is the usual case name in textbooks — we do not add a 2026 sequel title.
19. Ad hoc judges and retired judges sitting under special articles are rare exam footnotes; read the article if asked.
20. This page is not live court news.
21. Related: Constitution (Part V, Chapter IV), President, Lok Sabha seats.
22. If a question asks only “who is the CJI”, write Justice Surya Kant and the 24 November 2025 start, then add “as of September 2026 notes”.
23. Do not confuse the CJI with the Vice-President (Rajya Sabha) or the RBI Governor.
24. Sanctioned strength can be raised by Parliament — verify if an option looks newer than your book.

Supreme Court of India — facts (2026)

Exam tip: Pair the CJI’s name with a date stamp. Justice Surya Kant from 24 November 2025 is the locked line for these notes — not a lifetime caption.

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