Master Answer WritingSign in

UPSC 2024 GS-II · 15 marks · 250 words

Explain the reasons for the growth of public interest litigation in India. As a result of it, has the Indian Supreme Court emerged as the world's most powerful judiciary?

भारत में जनहित याचिका के विकास के कारणों की व्याख्या कीजिए। क्या इसके परिणामस्वरूप भारतीय उच्चतम न्यायालय विश्व की सर्वाधिक शक्तिशाली न्यायपालिका के रूप में उभरा है?

What “Explain” demands

set out how or why something works, with the mechanism made explicit.

The characteristic failure: stating that it works without showing how.

What a top answer must contain

These are the checkable specifics from the marking standard for this question — the actual case, committee, datum or thinker, not an instruction to “give examples”.

  • Growth reasons: dilution of locus standi (S.P. Gupta 1981), epistolary jurisdiction (Sunil Batra), post-Emergency legitimacy repair, Art 21 expansion (Maneka Gandhi 1978)
  • Landmarks to name: Hussainara Khatoon (undertrials), M.C. Mehta line (environment), Vishaka (1997), Bandhua Mukti Morcha
  • 'Most powerful' case: judicial review + basic structure + collegium self-appointment + continuing mandamus — powers no US/UK court combines
  • Counter: implementation dependence on executive, docket crisis (~80,000 SC pendency), SC's own warnings on 'PIL industry' (Subhash Kashinath 2018)
  • Scholarly anchor: Upendra Baxi's 'social action litigation'; Pratap Bhanu Mehta's accountability critique

The band thresholds and the pre-scored sample answers behind this standard stay private — they are the calibration your copy is placed against.

Now write it, and find out what you actually scored

Attempt this question — typed or photographed — and it is marked against the standard above in under a minute: six parameter scores, a blunt verdict, and the points you missed. 50 free credits on signup, no card.

Write this answerSee a marked copy first

More from UPSC GS-II