Class 8 Civics Chapter 1 Question Answers - Social and Political Life - III

Q1: What are the different branches of the legal system?
Ans: The legal system in India is divided into two branches: Criminal Law and Civil Law.

Q2: What does judiciary mean?
Ans: The judiciary is the branch of authority in a country which is concerned with law and the legal system.

Q3: How is the work of the judiciary categorized?
Ans: The work that the judiciary does can be divided into the following:

• Dispute Resolution
• Judicial Review
• Upholding the Law and Enforcing Fundamental Rights

Q4: How can we say that Indian Judiciary is independent?
Ans: Indian judiciary is considered an independent institution because:

• The other branches of government – the legislature and the executive – cannot interfere in the work of the judiciary.
• The courts are not under the government and do not act on their behalf.

Q5: In the following illustration, fill in each tier with the judgments given by the various courts in the Sudha Goel case. Check your responses with others in class.
Ans: Lower Court (Trial Court): Laxman, his mother Shakuntala and his brother-in-law Subhash Chandra were sentenced to death

• High Court: Laxman, Shakuntala and Subhash Chandra were acquitted.
• Supreme Court: Laxman, Shakuntala were given life imprisonment while Subhash Chandra was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence.

Q6: What do you understand by law?
Ans: Law is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior.

Q7: What is the appellate system?
Ans: This means that a person can appeal to a higher court if they believe that the judgment passed by the lower court is not just.

Q8: In what ways is the Supreme Court, the guardian of Fundamental Rights?
Ans: Supreme Court acts as a guardian of fundamental rights as it ensures that people are able to practice their rights in the required manner. Every citizen of India can approach the Supreme Court or the High Court if they believe that their Fundamental Rights have been violated.

Q9: India has an integrated judicial system. Explain
Ans: In India, we have an integrated judicial system, meaning that the decisions made by higher courts are binding on the lower courts. Another way to understand this integration is through the appellate system that exists in India. This means that a person can appeal to a higher court if they believe that the judgment passed by the lower court is not just.

Q10: What is Public Interest Litigation in India?
Ans: The Supreme Court in the early 1980s devised a mechanism of Public Interest Litigation or PIL to increase access to justice. It allowed any individual or organisation to file a PIL in the High Court or the Supreme Court on behalf of those whose rights were being violated. The legal process was greatly simplified and even a letter or telegram addressed to the Supreme Court or the High Court could be treated as a PIL.