The Supreme Court of India is the highest constitutional court and the supreme judicial authority in the Republic of India, established as an institution under the Constitution. Its creation was mandated by Article 124 of the Constitution, and it was formally inaugurated on January 28, 1950. This established a unified, independent judiciary, replacing the Federal Court of India and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the final court of appeal.
The Court's functioning is governed by Articles 124 to 147 in Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution. It exercises Original Jurisdiction over disputes between the Union and States (Article 131) and has Appellate Jurisdiction over all High Courts (Articles 132, 133, 134). The Court is the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution and the guardian of Fundamental Rights, which citizens can directly enforce under Article 32. Its decisions are binding on all courts in India (Article 141), and it possesses inherent power to pass any decree necessary for complete justice (Article 142).
A key concept connected to the Supreme Court is Judicial Review, which allows it to strike down laws or executive actions. This power is most famously articulated in the Basic Structure Doctrine, established in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973), which held that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution to alter its fundamental architecture. In a recent change, the Court's sanctioned strength was increased to 34 judges (including the CJI) in 2019. Furthermore, the Court struck down the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014, which sought to replace the Collegium System of judicial appointments with the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), thereby upholding the independence of the judiciary.