The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide legal disputes between the Union (Centre) and one or more States falls under which type of jurisdiction of the Court?

Introduction / Context:
The Supreme Court of India exercises several kinds of jurisdiction: original, appellate, advisory and others. Understanding which matters fall under which jurisdiction is a recurring theme in Indian polity questions. One of the key constitutional roles of the Supreme Court is to adjudicate disputes between the Union and the States or among States themselves. This question asks you to identify under which jurisdiction this specific function falls.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The disputes mentioned are between the Union (Centre) and one or more States, or between States inter se.
• The options include advisory, original, appellate jurisdiction and the term jurisprudence.
• We know that Articles 131, 132–134 and 143 of the Constitution address different aspects of the Court's powers.
• We assume the standard classification used in textbooks and exam syllabi.

Concept / Approach:
Article 131 of the Constitution of India confers original jurisdiction on the Supreme Court in any dispute between the Government of India and one or more States, or between two or more States, if and insofar as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends. Original jurisdiction means the case can be filed directly in the Supreme Court without first going through lower courts. Appellate jurisdiction, by contrast, involves hearing appeals from lower courts, and advisory jurisdiction refers to references made by the President under Article 143. "Jurisprudence" is not a type of jurisdiction; it refers to the theory or philosophy of law. Therefore, such Centre State disputes clearly fall under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the nature of the dispute: it is between the Union and the States, or between States, involving legal rights.Step 2: Recall that Article 131 explicitly states that the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction in such disputes.Step 3: Understand that original jurisdiction means the case originates in the Supreme Court itself; there is no prior lower court decision to appeal from.Step 4: Recognise that appellate jurisdiction applies to appeals from High Courts or tribunals, not to disputes filed directly between governments.Step 5: Conclude that the correct type of jurisdiction for Centre State disputes before the Supreme Court is original jurisdiction.

Verification / Alternative check:
Indian polity textbooks and bare Constitution references clearly classify Centre State disputes under the heading "Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court." They distinguish this from appellate jurisdiction (criminal, civil and constitutional appeals) and from advisory jurisdiction (where the President seeks the Court's opinion). No authoritative text describes these disputes as falling under appellate or advisory powers. The term "jurisprudence" is used to discuss legal principles, not as a jurisdictional category. This confirms that original jurisdiction is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Advisory jurisdiction: This applies when the President of India refers a question of law or fact of public importance to the Supreme Court under Article 143; it is not used for actual disputes between the Union and States.
• Appellate jurisdiction: This involves hearing appeals from lower courts; Centre State disputes do not reach the Supreme Court through appeals but are filed there directly.
• Jurisprudence: This is not a constitutional type of jurisdiction; it refers to the study and theory of law.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes lump all Supreme Court powers together without distinguishing between types of jurisdiction, leading to arbitrary choices like appellate or advisory. Another common error is to be distracted by technical sounding words such as jurisprudence and assume they represent a jurisdictional category. To avoid such mistakes, remember that the Supreme Court's role as the primary arbiter of disputes between the Union and the States is specifically labelled as original jurisdiction, and that this term signals cases that start in the Supreme Court itself.

Final Answer:
The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its original jurisdiction.