Class 8 Civics Chapter 5 Judiciary InText Questions and Answers
Page No.56
Question 1.
With the help of your teacher, fill in the blank spaces in the table below.
Answer:
| Type of Dispute | Example |
| Dispute between centre and the state | Controversy of Tehri Dam at Uttarakhand. Implementation of VAT on various products throughout the country was not accepted by the most states. Thus, it became a matter of controversy. |
| Dispute between two states | Distribution of water of river Godavari between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. |
| Dispute between two citizens | Forcible construction or extending wall on the neighbour’s plot. |
| Laws that are in violation of the Constitution | Refusing to admit a badly injured person in the government hospital means devoiding the person from his right to life which is mentioned in our Constitution. |
Question 2.
Do you think that any ordinary citizen stands a chance against a politician in this kind of judicial system? Why not?
Answer:
Any ordinary citizen cannot stand against a politician where the politician has the power to appoint and dismiss a judge from his office. Because the control that the politician holds over the judge does not allow for the judge to take an independent decision. The lack of independence Would force the judge to make judgments in favour of the politician.
Page No. 57
Question 1.
List two reasons why you believe an independent judiciary is essential to democracy.
Answer:
- It allows the courts to play a crucial role in ensuring that there is no misuse of power by the legislature and the executive.
- It will also help in protecting the Fundamental Rights of citizens because anyone can approach the courts if they believe that their rights have been violated.
Question 2.
The structure of the courts from the lower to the highest level is such that it resembles a pyramid. Having read the description above, can you fill out which type of courts would exist at what level in the following diagram?
Answer:
Page No. 59
Question 1.
Write two sentences of what you understand about the appellate system from the given case.
Answer:
In the appellate system, if a person believes that the judgment passed by the lower court is not just he/she can appeal to a higher court.
Page No. 60
Question 1.
Fill in the table given below based on what you have understood about criminal and civil law.
Answer:
| Description of Violation | Branch of Law | Procedure to be followed |
| A group of girls is persistently harassed by a group of boys while walking to school. | Criminal Law | Lodging of an FIR with the police for investigation. After this, a case will be filed in court. |
| A tenant who is being forced to move out files a case in court against the landlord. | Civil Law | A petition has to be filed by the tenant before the relevant court. |
Class 8 Civics Chapter 5 Judiciary Laws Exercise Questions and Answers
Question 1.
You read that one of the main functions of the judiciary is ‘upholding the law and Enforcing Fundamental Rights’. Why do you think an independent judiciary is necessary to carry out this important function?
Answer:
The independence of the judiciary allows the courts to play a central role in ‘upholding the law and Enforcing Fundamental Rights’ as it ensures that there is no misuse of power by the legislature and the executive. Anyone can approach the courts if they believe that their rights have been violated and Politicians or other socially powerful people cannot use their power to change any judgment.
Question 2.
Re-read the list of Fundamental Rights provided in Chapter 1. How do you think the Right to Constitutional Remedies connects to the idea of judicial review?
Answer:
The Right to Constitutional Remedies and the idea of judicial review in both the cases, the judiciary has the power to make amendments or corrections in the laws if it believes that they are in violation of the basic structure of the constitution. Judiciary acts as the guardian of our constitution.
Question 3.
In the following (given on next page) illustration, fill in each tier with the, judgements given by the various courts in the Sudha Goel case. Check your responses with others in class.
Answer:
Judgments given by various courts in the Sudha Goel case are:
(1) Lower Court – Laxman, his mother Shakuntala, and his brother-in-law Subhash Chandra all the three were sentenced to death.
- High Court – Laxman, Shakuntala, and Subhash Chandra was acquitted.
- Supreme Court – Laxman and Shakuntala were sent to prison for life. Brother-in-law Subhash was acquitted due to a lack of evidence against him.
Question 4.
Keeping the Sudha Goel case in mind, tick the sentences that are true and correct the ones that are false.
(a) The accused took the case to the High Court because they were unhappy with the decision of the Trial Court.
(b) They went to the High Court after the Supreme Court had given its decision.
(c) If they do not like the Supreme Court ” verdict, the accused can go back again to the Trial Court.
Answer:
(a) Correct.
(b) False. Correct sentence: They went to the High Court after the Trial Court had given its decision.
(c) False. Correct sentence: They have to accept the Supreme Court verdict since it is the highest court. The accused cannot go back to the Trial Court.
Question 5.
Why do you think the introduction of Public Interest Litigation(PIL) in the 1980s is a significant step in ensuring access to justice for all?
Answer:
Access to courts has always been difficult for the vast majority of the poor in India. Legal procedures involve a lot of money and time. The poor who are illiterate and financially weak find it difficult to go to court to get justice.
In the 1980s the Supreme Court devised a mechanism of Public Interest Litigation or PIL to increase access to justice for the poor and illiterate. Any individual or organization can file a PIL in the High Court or the Supreme Court on behalf of those whose rights are being violated. It is not necessary, that the person filing a case should have a direct interest in the case.
Question 6.
Re-read excerpts from the judgment on the Olga Tellis vs Bombay Municipal Corporation case. Now write in your own words what the judges meant when they said that the Right to Livelihood was part of the Right to Life.
Answer:
The Right to Livelihood is part of the Right to Life because no person can live without the means of living. In the case of Olga Tellis vs Bombay Municipal Corporation, the people live in slums. They have small jobs in the city and for them, there is nowhere else to live.
The eviction of their slum will lead to deprivation of their livelihood and consequently to the deprivation of life. Thus, it can be said that the Right to Life means the need for basic requirements of livelihood i.e., food, shelter, and cloth.
Question 7.
Write a story around the theme, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’.
Answer:
Mohan was the only bread earner of his family. He was killed in an accident, leaving behind his widow and two daughters in 1980. His widow filed a case for compensation and a job on compassionate ground. The court lingered on the case for more than 28 years. She worked on the fields and her daughters worked as domestic help.
With hard work, she was able to earn her livelihood. She borrowed money from the landlord and got her daughters married to poor grooms. The case was decided and compensation of ₹ 5 lakh was awarded to her. Now this money does not have any value for the widow. Justice has been delayed for 28 years. Hence, it is rightly said that justice delayed is justice denied.
Question 8.
Make sentences with each of the glossary words given on Textbook Page No. 65.
Answer:
- Acquit – Neha was acquitted of theft charges against her.
- To Appeal – Ramesh appealed against the lower court’s decision in a higher court.
- Compensation – Shobha was given compensation against the neighbour’s harassment.
- Eviction – Ashok’s house was evicted and was given to the owner by the court.
- Violation – Mohan Singh was punished because he forced a man to keep in his house and thus there was a violation of one’s Fundamental Rights.
Question 9.
The following is a poster made by the Right to Food campaign.
Read this poster and list, the duties of the government to uphold the Right to Food.
How does the phrase “Hungry stomachs, overflowing godowns. We will not accept it!!” used in the poster relate to the photo essay on the Right to Food on page 61?
Answer:
The duties of the government:
- To see that no one goes hungry.
- To provide food to all.
- To see that no one dies of hunger.
- To watch that everyone has balanced food.
This phrase relates to the photo essay on the Right to Food on page 65 because
- People in Rajasthan did not have sufficient food during the drought.
- But the government godowns and those of Hoarders and Black-marketeers were full of grains.
- This situation was not acceptable to the people
