Judicial Review

noun (uncountable)

/ˌdʒuːdɪʃəl rɪˈvjuː/

The power of a court to examine the constitutional validity of legislative or executive action and to declare it void if it violates the Constitution. In India, judicial review is implicit in Articles 13, 32, 131–136, 143, 226, and 246, and has been held to be a basic feature of the Constitution in Kesavananda Bharati (1973) and L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India (1997). Unlike the US model, Indian judicial review extends to both legislative and constitutional amendments (subject to basic structure).

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Supreme Court's power of judicial review over constitutional amendments, crystallised in Kesavananda Bharati, ensures that even a Parliament commanding an overwhelming majority cannot deploy its Article 368 power to subvert the Constitution's basic structure.

Synonyms

constitutional reviewvires examinationconstitutional scrutinylegality review

Antonyms

parliamentary sovereigntylegislative supremacyexecutive discretion without review

🌱 Word Family

review (noun/verb), reviewer (noun), judicature (noun), judicial (adjective), reviewable (adjective)

🔡 Root

Latin judicialis (of a court) + Old French revue ← revoir (to see again) ← re- (again) + voir ← Latin videre (to see)

📜 Etymology

Judicial from Latin judicialis. Review from Old French revue (a review, inspection), from revoir (to see again), derived from Latin re- + videre. The doctrine of judicial review as a constitutional power was articulated by Chief Justice John Marshall in Marbury v. Madison (1803, USA); India imported and expanded the doctrine.

🧠 Memory Hook

JUDICIAL REVIEW = judges re-viewing (looking again at) laws to check if they pass the Constitution's test. Like a film censor board RE-VIEWING content — but here, the Constitution is the censor board.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2020 — Emergency Provisions
Prelims 2017 — Judiciary
Mains 2016 · GS2 · 12.5 marks — Indian Polity

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Judicial Review” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution 📋 Also in Key Terms

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