Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Polity)
2 previous year UPSC Prelims questions 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.
Showing 1–2 of 2 questions
UPSC 2022Polity · Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts
Q1. Consider the following statements: 1. Pursuant to the report of H.N. Sanyal Committee, the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 was passed. 2. The Constitution of India empowers the Supreme Court and the High Court to punish for contempt of themselves. 3. The Constitution of India defines Civil Contempt and Criminal Contempt. 4. In India, the Parliament is vested with the powers to make laws on Contempt of Court. Which of the above statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Pursuant to the recommendations made by the H N Sanyal Committee, the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 was passed to bring transparency and more clarity in the concept of contempt of court.
Statement 2 is correct: The Supreme Court and the High Courts of India have been empowered with the power to penalise for Contempt of Court under Articles 129 and 215 respectively of the Constitution of India.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The Constitution of India does not define Civil Contempt and/or Criminal Contempt. However, the expression has been defined by the Contempt of Court Act of 1971.
Statement 4 is correct: Article 142 (2) of the Indian Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to make any order necessary for securing the attendance of any person, the discovery or production of any documents, or the investigation or punishment of any contempt of itself, subject to the provisions of any law made in this behalf by Parliament. The Parliament passed the Contempt of Court Act of 1971 pursuant to this.
Additional insight:
Types of Contempt:
Civil Contempt: Willful disobedience of a judgment, order, writ, or breach of an undertaking given to a court. Criminal Contempt: Involves acts or publications that:
Scandalize or lower the authority of the court.
Prejudice or interfere with judicial proceedings.
Obstruct the administration of justice in any manner.
UPSC 2022Polity · Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts
Q2. With reference to India, consider the following statements: 1. Government law officers and legal firms are recognised as advocates, but corporate lawyers and patent attorneys are excluded from recognition as advocates. 2. Bar Councils have the power to lay down the rules relating to legal education and recognition of law colleges. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: The term "advocate" under the Advocates Act, 1961 refers to a person who has been enrolled as an advocate in the state Bar Council and is authorized to practice law in courts. Corporate lawyers and patent attorneys, however, are not excluded from recognition as advocates. Corporate lawyers often practice in corporate law firms, while patent attorneys handle intellectual property law.
Statement 2 is correct: The Bar Council of India is responsible for overseeing legal education, setting standards for law colleges, and recognizing institutions that offer law degrees. This power extends to setting norms and conditions for legal education to meet the standards required to practice law in India.
Exam tip:
For S1, Spot the trap: It plays on the term "recognised as advocates", trying to split legal professionals into arbitrary buckets. The nature of work or job title (e.g., government counsel, corporate lawyer, patent attorney) is not what determines "advocate" status -- what matters is Bar enrollment. Hence likely false.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2022
(b) 1, 2 and 4
2
2022
(b) 2 only
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Higher Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Courts?
This page covers 2 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.
