The power of the Supreme Court to decide in the case of a dispute between two or more States is called

The power of the Supreme Court to decide disputes between two or more States is known as its original jurisdiction. Under Article 131 of the Indian Constitution, the Supreme Court has exclusive and original jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes involving legal rights between the Government of India and one or more States, or between two or more States [2]. It is termed 'original' because such cases can be brought directly to the Supreme Court without having to go through lower courts first [1]. This jurisdiction establishes the Supreme Court as an umpire in federal matters, ensuring that the Union and States operate within their respective constitutional spheres [1]. While advisory jurisdiction (Article 143) allows the President to seek the Court's opinion, it does not cover the binding resolution of inter-state legal disputes [1].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: JUDICIARY > Original Jurisdiction > p. 132
2. [2] https://legalaffairs.gov.in/sites/default/files/Constitutional%20Mechanism%20for%20the%20settlement%20of%20Inter-State%20Disputes.pdf