The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea which sought the power of the top court under Article 142 of the Constitution to be granted to the high courts.
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that high courts cannot exercise the powers granted to the Supreme Court under Article 142 of the Constitution, which allows the Supreme Court to pass any order necessary for doing complete justice in any case. This decision came in response to a case where the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Haryana government to grant a compassionate appointment to a woman whose husband died in service. The Supreme Court clarified that while high courts have the authority to issue writs and directions under Article 226, they do not possess the same extensive powers as the Supreme Court under Article 142. The court emphasized that allowing high courts to exercise such powers would lead to judicial chaos and undermine the hierarchical structure of the judiciary.