Railway
To be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court, a person who is an advocate should have practised in a High Court (or High Courts) for at least:
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Answer: Option A — 10 years
Detailed Solution
Under Article 124(3), a person can be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court if he is a citizen of India and has been an advocate of a High Court, or of two or more such courts in succession, for at least ten years.
Qualifications for a Supreme Court judge:
- He must be a citizen of India.
- He must have been a judge of a High Court, or of two or more High Courts in succession, for at least five years; or
- He must have been an advocate of a High Court, or of two or more High Courts in succession, for at least ten years; or
- He must be, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist.
Distinguished jurist:
No one has so far been appointed directly as a distinguished jurist.
Minimum age:
The Constitution does not prescribe a minimum age for appointment as a Supreme Court judge.
Appointment from the Bar:
Several eminent lawyers have been appointed directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court, such as S.M. Sikri, Kuldip Singh, Santosh Hegde, R.F. Nariman, U.U. Lalit and Indu Malhotra.
S.M. Sikri and U.U. Lalit later became Chief Justices of India.
Qualifications for High Court judges:
Ten years as a judicial officer, or ten years as an advocate of a High Court.
Appointment procedure:
- Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice of India and other judges, on the recommendation of the collegium.
- The collegium system was developed through the Second Judges Case (1993) and the Third Judges Case (1998).
- The National Judicial Appointments Commission, created by the 99th Amendment, was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015.
Tenure:
A Supreme Court judge holds office until the age of 65.
Why not the other options?
- ✗5 years is the requirement for a High Court judge to become a Supreme Court judge.
- ✗7 years is the requirement for an advocate to become a district judge.
- ✗15 years is not the requirement.
Quick tip
Remember: Supreme Court judge = 5 years as HC judge, or 10 years as HC advocate, or a distinguished jurist.
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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.