SUPREME COURT

1. Context 

2. Key Points

• This year's event is being aired on social media platforms and will witness Singapore's Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who is of Indian origin, as the Cheif Guest.
• The Singapore chief justice will deliver a lecture on the "Role of the judiciary in a changing world" at the event which will feature a welcome address by Justice SK Kaul and an address by the Chief justice of India as well.

3. When was the Supreme Court Founded?

• On January 28, 1950, two days after India became a sovereign democratic republic, the Supreme Court of India came into being.
• The inauguration took place in the Chamber of Princes in the Parliament building which was the home to the Federal Court of India for 12 years preceding the Supreme Court's establishment.
• The Parliament House was to be the home of the Supreme Court for years that were to follow until the court acquired its present building with lofty domes and its signature spacious collonaded verandas in 1958.

3.1. Inauguration of Supreme Court

4. Evolution of the Supreme Court

• In 1958, when the court shifted its premises, the building was shaped to project the image of scales of justice, in the central wing.
• In 1979, two new wings the East wing and the West wing were added to the complex.
• In all, there are 19 Courtrooms in the various wings of the building.
• The Chief Justice's Court is the largest of the Courts at the Central Wing's Centre.
• The original Constitution of 1950 envisaged a Supreme Court with a Chief Justice and 7 puisne judges leaving it to Parliament to increase this number.
• In the early years, all the judges of the Supreme Court sat together to hear the cases presented before them.

• As the number of Judges has increased, they sit in smaller benches of two and three coming together in larger benches of 5 and more only when required to do so or to settle a difference of opinion or controversy.

5. Reasons for celebrating on February 4

• While the Supreme Court was established on January 28, 1950, two days after the Constitution;
• The celebration of its 73rd anniversary is scheduled to take place on February 4 this year, most likely due to Sundaresh Menon's Schedule.
• It was CJI DY Chandrachud's idea to start celebrating the Supreme Court's anniversary.
•  The CJI thought that since the Supreme Court organizes Constitution Day on 26th November every year, it will be a good idea to showcase to the country how the judiciary works in an ever-changing world.

For Prelims & Mains