India has a three-tier unitary

Judiciary: India has a three-tier unitary independent judiciary[245] comprising the supreme court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, 25

high courts, and a large number of trial courts.[245] The supreme court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the centre and has appellate jurisdiction over the high courts.[246] It has the power

to both strike down union or state laws which contravene the constitution,[247] and invalidate any government action it deems unconstitutional.[248]
Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of India
See also: Political integration of India
India is a federal

union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories (listed below as 1–28 and A–H, respectively).[249] All states, as well as the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have elected legislatures and

governments following the Westminster system of governance. The remaining five union territories are directly ruled by the central government through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were reorganised on a linguistic basis.[250] There are over a quarter of a million local government bodies at city, town, block, district and village levels.[251]