Question

The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction to settle...............

• A. Enforcement of Fundamental Rights
• B. All civil cases
• C. All criminal cases
• D. Center - State disputes

Hint:

Remember the key types of Supreme Court jurisdiction:

\textbf{Original (Exclusive):} Federal disputes (Centre-State, State-State) under Art. 131.
\textbf{Original (Concurrent):} Enforcement of Fundamental Rights under Art. 32.
\textbf{Appellate:} Hearing appeals from lower courts.
\textbf{Advisory:} Advising the President under Art. 143.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding 'Original Jurisdiction'
Original jurisdiction refers to the power of a court to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, where a court hears an appeal from a lower court's decision. Exclusive original jurisdiction means that only that court can hear such a case. The question asks about the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction.

Step 2: Analyzing the Supreme Court's Jurisdiction
Article 131 of the Indian Constitution grants the Supreme Court exclusive original jurisdiction in any dispute:


between the Government of India and one or more States; or
between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or
between two or more States.
This primarily covers Centre-State and inter-State disputes.

Step 3: Evaluating the Options


(A) Enforcement of Fundamental Rights: The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction here under Article 32, but it is not exclusive, as High Courts also have this power under Article 226.
(B) All civil cases and (C) All criminal cases: The Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction over all such cases. These are first heard in subordinate courts. The Supreme Court is primarily an appellate court for these matters.
(D) Center - State disputes: This falls directly under the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as defined in Article 131.

Step 4: Final Answer
The Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction to settle disputes between the Centre and the States. Therefore, option (D) is the correct answer.