India, June 19 -- Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Thursday underscored the constitutional autonomy enjoyed by high courts, observing that the Supreme Court is not a "headmaster" supervising their functioning and must respect the independent constitutional space occupied by them. The CJI said high courts, by virtue of their vast powers under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution, may in certain respects wield wider jurisdiction than the Supreme Court itself. "We are not sitting here as headmasters regulating the work of high courts," said CJI Kant. The remarks are significant as they reiterate the constitutional position that high courts are not subordinate to the Supreme Court in the exercise of their constitutional jurisdicti...