High Courts — Set 5

Correct Answer: C. Jodhpur

• **Jodhpur** = the principal seat (headquarters) of the Rajasthan High Court. • **Bench at Jaipur** — a permanent bench sits at Jaipur (the state capital), but the HC principal seat remains Jodhpur. • 💡 Option A (Jaipur) has a permanent HC bench but is not the principal seat. Option B (Ajmer) has no HC bench. Option D (Udaipur) has no HC bench and is not the judicial seat.

Correct Answer: A. Kochi (Ernakulam)

• **Kochi (Ernakulam)** = the principal seat of the Kerala High Court. • **Jurisdiction extends to Lakshadweep** — the Kerala HC also covers this UT; Thiruvananthapuram is the state's administrative capital. • 💡 Option B (Kottayam) is a district headquarters with no HC. Option C (Kozhikode) is in northern Kerala with no HC bench. Option D (Thiruvananthapuram) is the state capital but the HC principal seat is in Kochi.

Correct Answer: B. Cuttack

• **Cuttack** = the principal seat of the Odisha High Court, established in 1948. • **Capital vs. judicial seat** — Bhubaneswar became the state capital in 1948, but the HC remained in Cuttack (the old capital). • 💡 Option A (Bhubaneswar) is the state capital but not the HC seat. Option C (Puri) is a temple city with no HC. Option D (Rourkela) is an industrial city with no HC presence.

Correct Answer: A. Bilaspur

• **Bilaspur** = the principal seat of the Chhattisgarh High Court, established in 2000. • **Established in 2000** — Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh; its HC was set up at Bilaspur, not at state capital Raipur. • 💡 Option B (Raipur) is the state capital but the HC sits in Bilaspur. Option C (Durg) is an industrial city with no HC. Option D (Bhilai) is a steel city with no HC.

Correct Answer: A. Ahmedabad

• **Ahmedabad (Sola)** = the principal seat of the Gujarat High Court, established in 1960. • **Bifurcation from Bombay State** — when Gujarat was created in 1960 by splitting Bombay State, the new HC was located in Ahmedabad. • 💡 Option B (Vadodara) is Gujarat's third-largest city with no HC. Option C (Gandhinagar) is the state capital but the HC is in Ahmedabad. Option D (Surat) is a commercial city with no HC.

Correct Answer: B. Governor

• **Governor** = the authority who appoints District Judges under Article 233 of the Constitution. • **HC consultation required** — the Governor must consult the High Court of the concerned state before appointing District Judges. • 💡 Option A (High Court Chief Justice) is consulted but does not formally appoint. Option C (President) appoints HC and SC judges, not district judges. Option D (Chief Minister) has no constitutional role in appointing district judges.

Correct Answer: B. Habeas Corpus

• **Habeas Corpus** = the writ issued to secure the release of a person who is illegally or unlawfully detained. • **Literal meaning** — 'to have the body'; the court orders the detaining authority to produce the person before it. • 💡 Option A (Quo Warranto) challenges a person's right to hold a public office, not detention. Option C (Certiorari) quashes orders of lower courts/tribunals — it does not address illegal detention. Option D (Mandamus) commands a public body to perform a duty — not a remedy for illegal detention.

Correct Answer: C. Certiorari

• **Certiorari** = the writ issued to quash an order already passed by a lower court, tribunal, or quasi-judicial authority. • **Grounds** — issued when the lower authority has exceeded jurisdiction, acted without jurisdiction, or committed an error of law. • 💡 Option A (Quo Warranto) is used to challenge unlawful assumption of a public office, not court orders. Option B (Prohibition) prevents a lower court from exceeding jurisdiction but does not quash an existing order. Option D (Mandamus) directs performance of a duty — it cannot quash a court order.

Correct Answer: D. The President

• **President** = the authority who determines the sanctioned strength (number of judges) of each High Court. • **Not fixed** — the Constitution does not specify a fixed number; strength is determined by presidential order based on workload. • 💡 Option A (State Legislature) has no role in determining the strength of a constitutional court. Option B (Governor) appoints district judges but cannot fix HC strength. Option C (Parliament) can create HCs but does not set individual HC judge strength.

Correct Answer: C. Article 226

• **Article 226 (HC) is discretionary** = the High Court may refuse to issue a writ if an adequate alternative remedy is available. • **Article 32 (SC) is a Fundamental Right** — the Supreme Court is the guarantor of Fundamental Rights and generally cannot refuse a writ petition under Article 32. • 💡 Option A (both are mandatory) is wrong — Article 226 is explicitly discretionary. Option B (Article 32 is discretionary) is incorrect — Article 32 is a FR and the SC must entertain it. Option D (neither is discretionary) is wrong because Article 226 is clearly discretionary.