High Courts and Subordinate Courts MCQ & Notes — Articles 214-231, Writ Jurisdiction for UPSC, SSC

High Courts and Subordinate Courts MCQ & Notes — Articles 214-231, Writ Jurisdiction for UPSC, SSC

The High Courts of India, covered in Part VI, Chapter V (Articles 214-231) of the Constitution, are a core Indian Polity topic for UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, State PSC and judiciary exams. This guide covers the structure, appointment, tenure and writ jurisdiction of High Courts, how subordinate courts under Articles 233-237 fit in, and closes with 10 practice MCQs with answers.

Why This Topic Matters for Competitive Exams

High Courts sit right after the Supreme Court in almost every Polity syllabus, and exams frequently test the exact article for a specific power (writs under Article 226, superintendence under Article 227), the number of High Courts, and points of comparison with the Supreme Court — retirement age, appointing authority and writ jurisdiction. A clear, article-wise grasp of this topic also helps with Centre-State judiciary questions later in the syllabus.

What Is a High Court? (Articles 214-215)

Article 214 provides that there shall be a High Court for each state, though Article 231 (as substituted by the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956) allows Parliament to establish a common High Court for two or more states, or for two or more states and a Union Territory. Article 215 makes every High Court a Court of Record, meaning its judgments and proceedings have evidentiary value and it can punish for contempt of itself — the same status Article 129 gives the Supreme Court.

Composition, Appointment and Tenure (Articles 216-224)

• Article 216: Every High Court consists of a Chief Justice and such other judges as the President may from time to time appoint.
• Article 217: Judges are appointed by the President, in practice through the Collegium system (after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the state, and, for judges other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of that High Court). To be eligible, a person must be a citizen of India and have held a judicial office in India for 10 years, or been an advocate of a High Court for 10 years.
• Retirement age: A High Court judge holds office until the age of 62 years — three years earlier than a Supreme Court judge, who retires at 65.
• Article 222: The President may transfer a judge from one High Court to another, after consulting the Chief Justice of India.
• Article 224: Provides for appointment of additional and acting judges to help clear case backlogs.
• Article 220: A retired permanent judge of a High Court is barred from practising law in that same High Court (though they may appear before other courts, including the Supreme Court).

Jurisdiction and Powers (Articles 226-228)

• Article 226 — Writ Jurisdiction: A High Court can issue writs — habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo warranto — not only for enforcing Fundamental Rights but "for any other purpose," making High Court writ jurisdiction wider in scope than the Supreme Court's under Article 32, though it operates only within the High Court's own territorial limits.
• Article 227: Gives every High Court the power of superintendence over all courts and tribunals within its territorial jurisdiction (except courts related to the armed forces).
• Article 228: A High Court can withdraw a case pending in a subordinate court if it involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution, decide that question, and return the case.

Subordinate Courts (Articles 233-237)

Part VI, Chapter VI deals with the courts below the High Court:

• Article 233: District judges are appointed by the Governor of the State in consultation with the High Court of that state.
• Article 234: Appointments to the judicial service of a state (other than district judges) are made by the Governor in accordance with rules framed after consulting the State Public Service Commission and the High Court.
• Article 235: Vests control over district courts and subordinate courts — including posting, promotion and leave of subordinate judicial officers — in the High Court, keeping day-to-day judicial administration independent of the state executive.
• Article 237: Empowers the Governor, with the High Court's concurrence, to apply these provisions to any class of magistrates.

Key Facts

• India currently has 25 High Courts. The Calcutta High Court (1862) is the oldest; the Andhra Pradesh High Court at Amaravati, formed after the 2019 bifurcation from the combined AP-Telangana High Court, is the newest.
• Three High Courts have jurisdiction over more than one state/UT: Punjab and Haryana (Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh), Gauhati (Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh), and Bombay (Maharashtra, Goa, and the UTs of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu).
• The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court is a common High Court for the two Union Territories, reorganised in 2019.

High Court MCQ — Practice Questions

Q1. Which Articles of the Constitution deal with High Courts?
A. 124-147 B. 214-231 C. 233-237 D. 245-263
Answer: B. 214-231

Q2. A High Court is made a "Court of Record" under which Article?
A. Article 129 B. Article 214 C. Article 215 D. Article 226
Answer: C. Article 215

Q3. At what age does a High Court judge retire?
A. 60 years B. 62 years C. 65 years D. 58 years
Answer: B. 62 years

Q4. Under which Article can a High Court issue writs for purposes other than enforcing Fundamental Rights?
A. Article 32 B. Article 131 C. Article 226 D. Article 227
Answer: C. Article 226

Q5. The power of superintendence of a High Court over subordinate courts and tribunals is given under which Article?
A. Article 225 B. Article 226 C. Article 227 D. Article 228
Answer: C. Article 227

Q6. Which Article allows Parliament to establish a common High Court for two or more states?
A. Article 214 B. Article 216 C. Article 231 D. Article 233**
Answer: C. Article 231

Q7. District judges are appointed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court under which Article?
A. Article 233 B. Article 234 C. Article 235 D. Article 237
Answer: A. Article 233

Q8. Control over subordinate courts (postings, promotions of judicial officers) is vested in the High Court under which Article?
A. Article 233 B. Article 234 C. Article 235 D. Article 236
Answer: C. Article 235

Q9. Which is the oldest High Court in India?
A. Bombay High Court B. Madras High Court C. Calcutta High Court D. Allahabad High Court
Answer: C. Calcutta High Court (established 1862)

Q10. How many High Courts are there in India as of 2026?
A. 21 B. 24 C. 25 D. 28
Answer: C. 25

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the difference between the writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and a High Court?
The Supreme Court's writ jurisdiction under Article 32 is limited to enforcing Fundamental Rights, while a High Court's writ jurisdiction under Article 226 extends to Fundamental Rights and "any other purpose" (any legal right) — making it wider in scope, though it applies only within that High Court's own territory, unlike the Supreme Court's all-India jurisdiction.

Q. Who appoints the judges of a High Court?
The President of India appoints High Court judges, in practice on the recommendation of the Collegium (Chief Justice of India, senior Supreme Court judges, and inputs from the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court and the state Governor).

Practice More on Indian Polity

Test yourself with the free High Courts and Subordinate Courts quiz on FreePrep, and read the Supreme Court of India MCQ and Parliament of India MCQ for related Polity practice. You can also attempt today's free daily quiz.