Polity · 24 Jul 2026

Ramlila Maidan case 2012

Consider the following statements regarding the strength of the Supreme Court of India:

  1. Article 124(1) allows Parliament to increase the Supreme Court's judge strength through an ordinary law, without requiring a constitutional amendment under Article
  2. 2. The Supreme Court's sanctioned strength has been increased on more than five occasions since

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

AThe escalating sequence of force police may use to disperse an unlawful assembly, from warning to water cannon to lathi charge as a last resort
BThe mandatory presence of a magistrate at the site before any police action against a protesting crowd
CThe constitutional validity of preventive detention laws used against organisers of public protests
DThe compensation framework payable to protesters injured during police action at public gatherings
This question is based on: 34 to 38: Can Four More Judges Fix a 92,000-Case Backlog?
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 24 Jul 2026
About this question

Why in news

On the same day, the Delhi High Court ordered CCTV evidence preserved over alleged police brutality at the July 20 "Chalo Sansad" march, while the Supreme Court's CJI declined to view the same video evidence - spotlighting the enforcement gap in the 2012 Ramlila Maidan safeguards.

Why for UPSC

UPSC frequently tests landmark judgments defining police conduct standards; the precise content of the Ramlila Maidan ruling (escalation sequence) is the kind of specific holding examiners probe rather than the case's mere existence.

Prelims summary

The 2012 Ramlila Maidan judgment mandates that police force against a crowd must escalate in stages - warning, water cannon, then tear gas/lathi charge only as a last resort - a key protest-policing safeguard.

On web, answers are shown once after a test — no save or reattempt. For unlimited reattempts, Hindi medium, and Mentor Observations, use the TAN App.