 Do you all know about Article 142 of the Indian Constitution? See, deals with extraordinary powers of Supreme Court. Why this is currently in talk? See, recently the Supreme Court invoked its extraordinary powers under the Article 142 of the Indian Constitution and upheld the employee's pension amendment scheme 2014. To know more about Article 142, stay tuned. First of all, let's start with what this Article 142 says. See, talks about the enforcement of decrease and order of the Supreme Court. That is, during its exercise of jurisdiction, the Supreme Court may pass a decree or order that is necessary for doing complete justice in any case or matter pending before it. And this decree or order shall be enforceable throughout the Indian Territory. Thus, this article helps the Supreme Court a unique power to do complete justice between the parties. For example, a parliamentary law made with respect to this kind of Supreme Court's order can secure the attendance of any person, the discovery or production of any documents, or the investigation or punishment of any contempt of itself. With this basics, now let us learn the background of the extraordinary power of Supreme Court. See, this Article 142 was originally numbered as Article 118 in the draft constitution developed by the Drafting Committee. And note that it was framed from the Article 210 of the Government of India Act 1935 with a slight modification. And it was paused without debate in the Constituent Assembly. This is because everyone agreed to guarantee judicial independence to the nation's highest court, that is the Supreme Court. This is above the background. Now let's see how this Article 142 is being used. Firstly, it allows Supreme Court to supersede the executive and legislative branches. Here the Supreme Court will use the power guaranteed under Article 142 to act as a legislator. Yes, they have the power to stuck down certain provisions or the amendment provisions of the act or rules. Secondly, this Article 142 is complemented by several articles. First is Article 32. See, it talks about right to constitutional remedies. Here through Article 32, citizens can seek for enforcement of rights either in Supreme Court or High Court. So for enforcement of rights, Supreme Court through Article 142 can provide a complete justice. Then Article 141, it says that the Supreme Court's decision shall be binding on all courts within India. As we all know that the Article 142 is an extraordinary power of the Supreme Court to enforce its orders or decree. And when Article 141 comes in, it is an add-on to Supreme Court to ensure the enforcement. Then comes Article 136, which talks about the special eupetition. Now what does this special eupetition mean? See, a special eupetition holds a prime place in the Indian judicial system. Because it provides the agreed party a special permission to be heard in Appax Court in appeal against any judgement or order of any court or tribunal in the Indian territory. Thus, we can say that this helps or complements the Supreme Court to use its powers referred as in Article 142. That is the enforcement of order or decree. Then we can say that the enforcement of Supreme Court's order is a kind of judicial activism. Now what does this term judicial activism means? See, it is the exercise of the power of judicial review to set aside government acts. That is, the Supreme Court has frequently overridden laws that has been passed by the parliament in order to provide complete justice. For example, take the ban on liquor sale on highways case. Yes, in the year 2016, the Supreme Court under Article 142 made it illegal to sell alcohol within 500 meters of the highways outside edge. This decision was made to avoid accidents caused by drunk driving. So, this is an example of using extraordinary powers by the Supreme Court under Article 142. I hope now you could be able to understand Article 142. Now we will see the scope of this Article 142. Though Article 142's powers are broad, the Supreme Court has clarified their scope and extent over time in its various decisions. Firstly, Article 142 does not give the Supreme Court the power to contravene with Article 32. Then Article 142 is only of supplementary nature. This means that the Supreme Court cannot substitute any substantial law or create something new which never was in existence. So, these are all some of the scope of Article 142. Now let's see the advantages of Article 142. Firstly, whenever the executive or legislature fails to defend people's rights and uphold constitutional ideals, the judiciary has used its power under Article 142. Then, as the constitutional protector, Article 142 gives the Supreme Court the capacity to fill statutory gaps. Then, Article 142 also establishes a system of checks and balances for the government's other branches. For instance, the Supreme Court established a norms to safeguard a woman from sexual harassment at workplace. See, the norms were established in the case of Vishagavas' state of Rajasthan. Then, in the Bandua Mukthi Murcha case, the Supreme Court of India handed down a landmark verdict on India's bond and labor system. So, these are all some of the advantages. But, Article 142 has some disadvantages as well. Firstly, the Supreme Court's power under Article 142 is not accountable. See, the executive and legislature are always accountable to their actions, right? But, the power of Supreme Court under Article 142 is not accountable to the people. Then, the majority of petitions or appeals brought before the Supreme Court are frequently rejected. See, in this case also, the Supreme Court is not required to explain why the petitions are rejected. Then, the public faith in the government's integrity, quality and efficiency can be eroded by frequent court interference. So, these are all some of the advantages of Article 142. I hope now you could be able to understand about Article 142, its scope, uses and some of the advantages and disadvantages. See, these types of topics are very important in the mains perspective. To learn more topics like this, watch Hindu News Analysis of Shankarai's Academy regularly. Thank you.