Writ Jurisdiction — MCQs

All questions with answers and explanations

Read the full set here, or use the practice card above to test yourself one question at a time.

1. Article 32 empowers which court to issue writs for enforcement of Fundamental Rights?

   • High Courts only
   • The Supreme Court (correct answer)
   • District Courts
   • The National Green Tribunal

   Explanation. Article 32 empowers the Supreme Court to issue writs for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.

2. Article 226 gives every High Court writ power for:

   • Fundamental Rights only
   • Fundamental Rights and "any other purpose" (correct answer)
   • Only tax matters
   • Only criminal appeals

   Explanation. Article 226 covers both Fundamental Rights and any other legal right, making it wider in subject-matter than Article 32.

3. Which of the following correctly compares Article 226 with Article 32?

   • Article 226 is narrower in subject-matter but wider in territory
   • Article 226 is wider in subject-matter but limited to the High Court's own territory (correct answer)
   • Both are identical in every respect
   • Article 226 cannot be used to enforce Fundamental Rights

   Explanation. Article 226 covers more subject-matter (Fundamental Rights + any other purpose) but is territorially confined to the High Court's jurisdiction, unlike Article 32's all-India reach.

4. Public interest litigation lets which persons approach the Court?

   • Only the person whose right was violated
   • Public-spirited persons, who may also approach by letter (correct answer)
   • Only the State
   • Only lawyers

   Explanation. The Court accepted letters as petitions and let public-spirited persons sue, as in the Ganga pollution case (1988).

5. "Epistolary jurisdiction" refers to:

   • Jurisdiction over postal service disputes
   • Treating a letter addressed to a judge as a formal writ petition (correct answer)
   • Jurisdiction limited only to written arguments
   • A category of appellate jurisdiction

   Explanation. Epistolary jurisdiction is the practice of treating a simple letter describing a rights violation as a writ petition.

6. Continuing mandamus is best described as:

   • A one-time command that ends the case once complied with
   • A technique of keeping a writ petition open with successive orders for long-term monitoring (correct answer)
   • A type of criminal writ only
   • A remedy available only in High Courts

   Explanation. Continuing mandamus keeps a writ petition formally open, with the court issuing successive orders and monitoring compliance over an extended period.

7. In which case did the Supreme Court convert a regional petition into a nationwide continuing mandamus on forest governance?

   • Vellore Citizens' Welfare Forum v. Union of India
   • T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India (correct answer)
   • Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar
   • Minerva Mills Ltd. v. Union of India

   Explanation. T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India was converted into a nationwide continuing mandamus on forest governance.

8. Article 32 itself is:

   • An ordinary legal remedy created by statute
   • A Fundamental Right (correct answer)
   • A Directive Principle
   • A Fundamental Duty

   Explanation. Article 32, the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights, is itself listed as a Fundamental Right.