---
title: "Article 142: Complete Justice Power of Supreme Court"
description: "Article 142 lets India's Supreme Court pass any order for \"complete justice,\" unlike ordinary appellate powers. Key for UPSC GS2 polity and judiciary topics."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/article-142-supreme-court-complete-justice"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Article 142 of the Constitution of India empowers the Supreme Court to pass any decree or order necessary for doing complete justice in a pending case.
- Can Article 142 be used to override an express provision of a statute?
- How does Article 142 differ from Article 136?
- Why is Article 142 a focus of separation-of-powers debates?
- Can the Supreme Court dissolve a marriage directly under Article 142?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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Example

In M. Siddiq v. Mahant Suresh Das (2019), the Supreme Court invoked Article 142 to direct the Union government to allot five acres of alternative land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board while decreeing the Ayodhya title in favour of the deity.

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