Defence
The special bench of the Supreme Court called the 'Social Justice Bench' was constituted by Chief Justice:
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Answer: Option B — H.L. Dattu
Detailed Solution
Dattu. Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu constituted a special Social Justice Bench in the Supreme Court in December 2014.
Purpose of the bench:
- To hear cases involving social issues that affect the common people, especially the poor and the marginalised.
- To give such cases priority so that they are not delayed among the large number of other cases.
Kinds of cases taken up:
- Cases relating to the right to food and the public distribution system.
- Cases about shelters for the homeless, and the rights of women and children.
- Cases about the rights of orphans, persons with disabilities and trafficking victims.
- Issues such as malnutrition, medical care and treatment of prisoners.
Composition:
It was initially a two-judge bench, headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur, with Justice U.U. Lalit.
It sat every Friday afternoon.
Significance:
- It showed the Supreme Court's interest in social justice, which is one of the key goals of the Preamble.
- It continued the tradition of public interest litigation, which allows the Court to take up issues affecting large sections of society.
About Justice H.L. Dattu:
- Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu was the 42nd Chief Justice of India, serving from September 2014 to December 2015.
- After retirement, he served as Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.
Other special benches and arrangements:
- Green benches in High Courts and the National Green Tribunal deal with environmental cases.
- Family courts deal with matrimonial disputes.
- Constitution Benches of five or more judges hear cases involving substantial questions of constitutional law.
Social justice in the Constitution:
- The Preamble promises justice: social, economic and political.
- Many Directive Principles, such as those on livelihood, health and education, aim at social justice.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Sathasivam, R.M. Lodha and T.S. Thakur were other Chief Justices of India, but they did not set up the Social Justice Bench.
Quick tip
Remember: Social Justice Bench of the Supreme Court = set up by CJI H.L. Dattu (December 2014).
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Judiciary — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Judiciary, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Indian judiciary: the Supreme Court, High Courts and subordinate courts, the appointment and removal of judges, the collegium system, original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction, judicial review, public interest litigation, and bodies such as Lok Adalats and tribunals. Exams test the article that establishes the Supreme Court (Article 124), its advisory jurisdiction (Article 143), the power of High Courts to issue writs (Article 226), and the process for removing judges. Landmark judgments and the first holders of key judicial posts are also common, especially in law entrance exams such as CLAT and MAH LAW CET. Practise the judiciary questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.