Which one of the following jurisdictions of the Indian Judiciary covers Public Interest Litigation?

Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in India is primarily associated with Epistolary Jurisdiction. This specific jurisdiction allows the Supreme Court and High Courts to treat a simple letter or postcard addressed to the court as a formal writ petition, relaxing the traditional rule of locus standi [t1][t8]. While PILs are technically filed under the court's original writ jurisdiction (Article 32 for the Supreme Court and Article 226 for High Courts) to enforce fundamental rights [t5][t7], the term 'Epistolary Jurisdiction' specifically describes the procedural innovation where the judiciary acts on informal communications to protect the interests of the disadvantaged [t1][t4]. This was pioneered by Justices P.N. Bhagwati and V.R. Krishna Iyer to ensure access to justice [t4][t8]. In contrast, original jurisdiction typically refers to federal disputes [c1], appellate to lower court appeals [c2], and advisory to presidential references [t2].

Sources

1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_interest_litigation_in_India
2. [2] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: JUDICIARY > Original Jurisdiction > p. 132
3. [3] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 26: Supreme Court > INDIAN AND AMERICAN SUPREME COURTS COMPARED > p. 295