Special Leave Petition: Boon or Bane?

In the 1950s, the Special Leave Petition was imagined as a constitutional parachute. Something you pull only when everything else fails. Rare. Extraordinary. Urgent. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was clear about it. This discretionary power was meant for matters of grave public or private importance. Not for everyday legal skirmishes. Fast forward to now, and the picture looks very different. What began as a safety valve has slowly turned into a highway of litigation. The SLP is no longer special. It’s routine. Almost automatic. In many cases, just another appeal in disguise. The Supreme Court itself has repeatedly flagged this concern, asking a basic but uncomfortable question: what exactly makes a case “special”? Through a series of hearings, the Court has stressed that SLPs were never meant to function as regular Leave Petitions. So here’s the real issue. Is the SLP still serving its original purpose? Has its constitutional meaning been diluted by overuse? And most importantly, is recalibration the answer or is the damage already done? In this episode, we trace the journey of the Special Leave Petition from constitutional safeguard to procedural habit. We look at intent versus reality, judicial warnings, and what this shift means for access to justice and the Supreme Court’s role. A conversation that sits at the intersection of law, power, and constitutional conscience. Tune in and decide for yourself! Is the Special Leave Petition a boon or a curse? #SpecialLeavePetition #SLP #SupremeCourtOfIndia #IndianConstitution #ConstitutionalLaw #JudicialReforms #AccessToJustice #LegalPodcast #RuleOfLaw #BRambedkar #IndianJudiciary #LawAndPolicy #legaldebates