Article 247

Parliamentary Power to Establish Additional Federal Courts

Official heading: “Power of Parliament to provide for the establishment of certain additional courts”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part XI, Article 247, printed page 148
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Empowers Parliament to establish additional courts for the better administration of laws made by Parliament or existing laws on Union List subjects.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 247 authorizes Parliament to create new, specialized courts to administer laws made by Parliament or existing pre-constitutional laws relating to Union List matters.

While judicial administration in India is primarily unified through High Courts and the Subordinate Judiciary (under State List Entry 3 and Concurrent List Entry 11A), Article 247 provides Parliament an express power to set up dedicated courts.

This power has supported the creation of specialized statutory tribunals and special courts for economic offences, company law, and federal crimes.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

Parliament enacts a comprehensive financial frauds statute and realizes that ordinary state civil and criminal courts have severe backlogs.

Core takeaway: Under Article 247, Parliament may establish dedicated Special Courts to try offences under that parliamentary enactment for swift adjudication.

Illustrative Notice: Courts created under Article 247 remain subject to the constitutional writ jurisdiction and supervisory authority of the High Courts and Supreme Court.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 247 allows federal specialization in judicial administration.

Union laws focus: Restricted to the better administration of laws made by Parliament or existing laws with respect to Union List subjects.
Non-exclusive framework: Operates alongside the general state judicial apparatus without dismantling the integrated court system.
Constitutional judicial hierarchy: Cannot divest the Supreme Court of its foundational appellate and writ jurisdiction.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

Notwithstanding anything in this Chapter, Parliament may by law provide for the establishment of any additional courts for the better administration of laws made by Parliament or of any existing laws with respect to a matter enumerated in the Union List.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XI, Article 247, printed page 148 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource