UPSC Prelims 2008 · General Studies
Question 67: Polity and Governance
Consider the following statements: 1. Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer was the Chief Justice of India. 2. Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer is considered as one of the progenitors of public interest litigation (PIL) in the Indian judicial system. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerThe answer is (b).
Statement 2 is correct: Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, a judge of the Supreme Court from 1973 to 1980, helped shape public interest litigation along with Justice P. N. Bhagwati, widening access to the courts for the poor. Statement 1 is wrong: he was never Chief Justice of India. Before the Supreme Court he had been a Minister in Kerala (1957-59) and a judge of the Kerala High Court.
- 1. He was a Supreme Court judge, never Chief Justice of India.
- 2. He is counted among the progenitors of public interest litigation.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Statement 1 is wrong because he was not Chief Justice of India.
- (b) Only statement 2 is right.
- (c) Statement 1 is wrong, so both cannot be correct.
- (d) Statement 2 is right, so neither being correct is wrong.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2008, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.