Supreme Court (Judiciary).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: Indian Polity and Governance; Mains GS2
Supreme Court for UPSC: Articles 124-147, 34 judges, appointment and removal, original, appellate, writ and advisory jurisdiction, Article 142 and PYQs.
Article 32 for UPSC: why Ambedkar called it the heart and soul of the Constitution, five writs, Article 32 vs 226, suspension…
Collegium system for UPSC: Articles 124 and 217, the three Judges cases, the NJAC verdict of 2015, Memorandum of Procedure, criticism and…
In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Sections 7, 7A, 17A and 19 of the PC Act. · Mains GS-II/GS-IV: honest officers versus accountability.
19 Oct 2026
On 5 October 2026 the President appointed three High Court Chief Justices as judges of the Supreme Court: Justice Sunita Agarwal (Gujarat), Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (Delhi) and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh (Telangana). The first two have Allahabad as their parent High Court and the third Jharkhand.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Article 124. · Mains GS-II: judicial appointments.
5 Oct 2026
The President appointed five new judges of the Supreme Court by notifications dated 1 June 2026, under Article 124(2). Four are High Court Chief Justices and the fifth is a senior advocate appointed directly from the Bar. In May, the Cabinet had approved a Bill to raise the Court's strength from 33 to 37 judges.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Article 124, collegium.
1 Jun 2026
On 5 May 2026 the Union Cabinet approved introducing the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament. It amends the 1956 Act to raise the number of Supreme Court judges by four, from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. Salaries will be met from the Consolidated Fund of India.
UPSC angle: Prelims: who increases SC strength (Parliament).
5 May 2026
Pendency and judicial appointments are the issues every CJI inherits.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Article 124.
24 Nov 2025
CJI is master of roster.
UPSC angle: Prelims: CJI.
14 May 2025