The Supreme Court recently used Article 142 to protect 250 students affected by the relocation of their institute in Mangaluru. Article 142 of the Indian Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to pass orders ensuring “complete justice” in cases before it, even beyond existing laws.

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• Article 142 lets SC ensure “complete justice” in any pending case
• SC used it recently to safeguard 250 students in Mangaluru campus shift case
• Powers under Article 142 are discretionary, used case-by-case
• Allows SC to override procedural or statutory gaps for justice
• SC can issue binding directions even to govt & authorities
• Used to grant divorce directly in cases like Shilpa Sailesh v Varun (2023)
• Used in Tamil Nadu Governor case (2025) to counter inaction on state Bills
• SC overturned Chandigarh civic polls using this Article (2023)
• Ordered compensation in Bhopal gas tragedy using Article 142 (1991)
• SC clarified that constitutional power under Article 142 supersedes statutory limits