Article 143 of the Constitution of India

Article 143 of the Constitution of India relates to the power of the President of India to consult the Supreme Court on questions of law or matters of public importance through the advisory jurisdiction conferred upon the court.[1] The Court may elect to not provide an opinion and it has no legal binding or precedential value, when provided.[2]

Article 143 of the Indian Constitution is located in Part V (The Union), specifically within Chapter IV which deals with The Union Judiciary.[3][4]

Text

143. Power of President to consult Supreme Court

(1) If at any time it appears to the President that a question of law or fact has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the question to that Court for consideration and the Court may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon.

(2) The President may, notwithstanding anything in the proviso to article 131, refer a dispute of the kind mentioned in the said proviso to the Supreme Court for opinion and the Supreme Court shall, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon.

Uses

Since 1950, there have been sixteen references made to the Court under this provision. The first reference was made in the Delhi Laws Act case (1951), and most recently in 2025, President Droupadi Murmu referred a set of fourteen legal questions to the Court in the In re: Assent, Withholding or Reservation of Bills by the Governor and the President of India.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Advisory Jurisdiction (Article 143) - Academike". 4 February 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b R, Rangarajan (19 May 2025). "What is a Presidential reference? | Explained". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Article 143: Power of President to consult Supreme Court". Constitution of India. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  4. ^ "The Supreme Court's Advisory Jurisdiction in Indian Constitutional History". Constitution of India. Retrieved 10 December 2025.