As a court of appeal, the Supreme Court is the final appellate tribunal of the land. The power of reviewing and revising the orders of courts and tribunals by the Supreme Court is called Appellate Jurisdiction. An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from any judgment, decree, or final order of a High Court in the territory of India, whether in civil, criminal, or other proceedings, if the High Court certifies under Article 134 that the case involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of this Constitution.

If such a certificate is given, any party in the case may appeal to the SC on the ground that any such question, as aforementioned, has been wrongly decided. In fact, the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is threefold:

Constitutional: In constitutional matters, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court if the High Court certifies that the case involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution. If the High Court refuses to give the certificate, the Supreme Court may grant special leave to appeal if it is satisfied that the case does involve such a question.

Civil Matters (Art 133): In civil cases, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court if a High Court certifies that the value of the subject matter of the dispute is not less than Rs 20,000 or that it is fit for appeal to the Supreme Court. The appellate jurisdiction of the court in civil cases can be enlarged if Parliament passes a law to that effect.