Explain the reasons for the growth of public interest litigation in India. As a result of it, has the Indian Supreme Court emerged as the world’s most powerful judiciary?

Public Interest Litigation (PIL) transformed the Indian judiciary from a passive arbiter into an active guardian of rights, allowing courts to reach the marginalised who cannot approach them.

Reasons for the growth of PIL

• Relaxation of locus standi: any public-spirited citizen can move the court on behalf of those unable to do so, as in S.P. Gupta v. Union of India (1981).
• Epistolary jurisdiction: even letters and postcards were treated as petitions (Hussainara Khatoon, 1979; Sunil Batra).
• Expansive reading of Article 21 to include health, environment, shelter and dignity, invoked under Articles 32 and 226.
• Failure or inaction of the executive and legislature on governance, environment and human rights.
• Judicial activism led by judges like P.N. Bhagwati and V.R. Krishna Iyer.

Has the Supreme Court become the world's most powerful judiciary?

There is strong basis for this claim:

• It exercises wide judicial review and the basic structure doctrine (Kesavananda Bharati, 1973), limiting even constitutional amendments.
• It enjoys sweeping remedial powers under Article 142 to do 'complete justice'.
• It controls its own appointments through the collegium and issues continuing mandamus and guidelines (Vishaka, 1997).

Caveats

Yet the label invites criticism of judicial overreach, separation-of-powers concerns, PIL misuse for private or publicity ends, and huge pendency. Its power is thus real but must be exercised with self-restraint.

PIL democratised justice, but its legitimacy depends on balancing activism with institutional discipline.