As provided for through the country’s Constitution, Part V, Chapter IV, the Supreme Court of India functions as the highest legal authority in the land. In this way, the New Delhi High Court, which is the specific location of the Supreme Court of India, is the last recourse through which plaintiffs and defendants involved in the nation’s legal system can file an appeal against rulings issued by lower courts. In addition, the Supreme Court of India is conceived of as the defender of the sanctity of that country’s Constitution.
The New Delhi High Court is comprised of the Chief Justice of India along with up to 30 additional judges. Appointments to the bench of the Supreme Court of India are made on a presidential basis, but with the participation of the existing make-up of the Supreme Court. In general, the Chief Justice of India and the other possible New Delhi High Court positions are intended to be filled according to the experience which is possessed by the prospective officeholder and not on the basis of political expediency.
The Supreme Court of India was conceived in the initial 1950-issued Indian Constitution, as a body made up of just eight justices, including Chief Justice of India, as well as seven other subordinate judges. The process of increasing the permissible number of justices to be accepted onto the bench of the Supreme Court of India has occurred on a gradual basis, with the most recent revision having occurred in 2008. As of 2010, the Chief Justice of India has been S.H. Kapadia.
