Epistolary jurisdiction, as developed by the Supreme Court of India, means that
- A.a letter or postcard addressed to the court can be treated as a writ petition
- B.only a registered advocate may file a writ petition
- C.a petition must be filed in English
- D.an appeal lies directly from a tribunal to the Supreme Court
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A. Epistolary jurisdiction is the practice by which the Supreme Court, and later the High Courts, treated a simple letter or postcard describing a violation of rights as a formal writ petition, dispensing with the usual requirements of form, court fee and a lawyer. It began when a letter from a prisoner about the treatment of an inmate was taken up in Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration, and it is what allowed people with no money and no legal help to reach the highest court. B is the opposite of the rule, since the whole point was to allow a petition without an advocate. C is wrong because language is a matter of court procedure, not of this jurisdiction. D describes appeals under provisions such as Article 136, which has nothing to do with the epistolary practice.
Read the full article: Public Interest Litigation and Judicial Activism: Cases and PYQs
Practice Questions
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- B.Quo-warranto
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- D.Prohibition
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- A.S. P. Gupta v. Union of India
- B.Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar
- C.Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan
- D.Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India
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Read the full explanation →Which Article of the Constitution directs the State to provide free legal aid so that justice is not denied because of economic disability?
- A.Article 38
- B.Article 39A
- C.Article 41
- D.Article 43A
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- A.The 24th Amendment Act, 1971
- B.The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976
- C.The 44th Amendment Act, 1978
- D.The 86th Amendment Act, 2002
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