ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla (1976): India’s Darkest Constitutional Moment — Habeas Corpus, the Emergency, and a Lone Dissent
Introduction The ADM Jabalpur case is the most controversial and, many say, the most shameful judgment in the history of the Supreme Court of India. Decided in April 1976, during the Emergency…
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Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975): Free Elections, the Emergency, and How the Basic Structure Doctrine Saved Indian Democracy
Introduction The Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain case is one of the most politically charged constitutional judgments in Indian history. In June 1975, just weeks before the infamous Emergency was…
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Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973): The Most Important Constitutional Case India Has Ever Seen
Introduction The Kesavananda Bharati case is, without question, the single most important constitutional judgment in India’s legal history. Decided by a 13-judge bench — the largest…
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R.C. Cooper v. Union of India (1970): The Bank Nationalisation Case That Shook India’s Economic Constitution
Introduction When the Indian government nationalised fourteen major private banks overnight through a Presidential Ordinance in July 1969, it sparked one of the most important constitutional…
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I.C. Golaknath v. State of Punjab (1967): The Historic Ruling That Said Parliament Cannot Touch Your Fundamental Rights
Introduction In 1967, the Supreme Court of India stunned the constitutional world by declaring that Parliament cannot amend the fundamental rights of citizens. This was a dramatic reversal of the…
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Sajjan Singh v. State of Rajasthan (1965): Parliament’s Power to Amend the Constitution — What the Supreme Court Ruled
Introduction The Sajjan Singh case of 1965 is a critical link in the chain of constitutional judgments on Parliament’s power to amend fundamental rights. Decided just four years before…
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In Re Berubari Union (1960): Can India Give Away Its Territory? The Supreme Court’s Historic Answer
Introduction Can the Indian government cede — give away — a part of Indian territory to another country through an executive agreement? Or does such an act require a constitutional amendment? The In…
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Shankari Prasad v. Union of India (1951): Can Parliament Amend Fundamental Rights? Here Is What India’s Supreme Court Said
Introduction Can Parliament take away your fundamental rights by amending the Constitution? This question sounds alarming, and it has been at the centre of India’s constitutional debates for…
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State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951): The Landmark Case That Changed India’s Reservation Law Forever
Introduction If you are studying Indian constitutional law, the Champakam Dorairajan case is one you simply cannot skip. Decided by the Supreme Court of India in 1951, this landmark judgment…
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A.K. Gopalan Caselaw: Powerful Lessons on Personal Liberty and Preventive Detention
Introduction The A.K. Gopalan case is one of India’s earliest and most debated constitutional law judgments on personal liberty and preventive detention. In simple terms, the Supreme Court held in…
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