Home The Constitution Part V Article 142

Art. 142 Part V: The Union

Enforcement of Decrees and Orders of Supreme Court and Orders as to Discovery, etc.

Exact text — Constitution of India

(1) The Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it, and any decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India... (2) Subject to the provisions of any law made in this behalf by Parliament, the Supreme Court shall, as respects the whole of the territory of India, have all and every power to make any order for the purpose of securing the attendance of any person, the discovery or production of any document, or the investigation or punishment of any contempt of itself.

In Plain English

What this Article actually means

This Article gives the Supreme Court an extraordinarily broad, flexible power — to pass whatever decree or order is necessary for 'complete justice' in a case before it, going beyond what ordinary legal rules might technically permit if that's needed to achieve genuine justice in the specific circumstances. It's one of the most powerful, and occasionally controversial, tools in the Court's arsenal.

Why This Matters To You

How it shows up in everyday life

This 'complete justice' power has been used in genuinely significant and sometimes dramatic ways — from environmental clean-up orders to granting divorce by mutual consent even where it wasn't technically available under the applicable personal law, reflecting the Court's willingness to fashion creative remedies when strict legal rules would produce injustice.

Landmark Cases

How courts have interpreted this Article

Union Carbide Corporation v. Union of India (Bhopal Gas Tragedy Case)(1991) 4 SCC 584 — Used Article 142's 'complete justice' power extensively in structuring the settlement and compensation framework for victims of the Bhopal gas disaster, illustrating the provision's exceptional flexibility in genuinely extraordinary circumstances. Verify this case

Read alongside this one

Art. 141 — Law Declared by Supreme Court to Be Binding on All Courts

Frequently Asked

Quick answers about Article 142

Can the Supreme Court use this power to override an existing law entirely?

This remains a debated and evolving question — while the power is exceptionally broad, courts have generally tried to exercise it to fill genuine gaps or achieve substantive justice within the spirit of the law, rather than as an unlimited tool to simply disregard clear statutory provisions.

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The text above reproduces Article 142 of the Constitution of India as amended to date, for general educational reference. It is public-domain legislative text, but we recommend cross-checking the authoritative version at legislative.gov.in or india.gov.in before relying on it for a legal matter. The explanation, examples and FAQs are general information, not legal advice — consult a qualified advocate for guidance on your specific situation.