Supreme Court Rejects High Courts' Article 142 Plea

The Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking its special powers, under Article 142, to be granted to high courts. A bench observed that granting such power requires a constitutional amendment, which only Parliament can carry out. The plea, filed by Abhinav Bharat Congress, was deemed misconceived.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea that sought to extend its unique powers granted under Article 142 of the Constitution to high courts across India.

Article 142 allows the Supreme Court to pass any order or decree to ensure complete justice in any pending matter within the country. However, the court emphasized that this power rests solely with the top court and not with high courts.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed the necessity for a constitutional amendment to authorize such changes, suggesting that the appropriate route would be through Parliament. The plea, filed by the NGO Abhinav Bharat Congress, was deemed completely misconceived by the bench.

(With inputs from agencies.)