Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Polity)
1 previous year UPSC Prelims question on Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts (Polity). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
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UPSC 1997Polity · Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts
Q1. Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): Wilful disobedience or non-compliance of Court orders and use of derogatory language about judicial behaviour amount to Contempt of Court. Reason (R): Judicial activism cannot be practised without arming the judiciary with punitive powers to punish contemptuous behaviour. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?
Explanation
Article 129 grants the Supreme Court the power to punish for contempt while Article 215 provides similar powers to the High Courts. Judicial activism on the other hand is an innovation of courts. Assertion (A) is true: Contempt of Court, per Section 2(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, means willful disobedience to court orders or breach of an undertaking given to the court. Reason (R) is true: Judicial activism enables judges to interpret the law and Constitution broadly, influencing public policy. However, it requires the power to punish contempt to maintain the judiciary’s effectiveness and authority. Reason (R) does not explain Assertion (A) because the courts punish contempt to maintain their authority and ensure compliance with their rulings, thus upholding the rule of law and not aimed at judicial activism.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
1997
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts?
This page covers 1 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts (Polity), asked from 1996 to 2023. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts?
Questions on Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts (Polity) are available for 17 years, from 1996 to 2023. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
