In 1973, Kesavananda Bharati became the case that changed Indian constitutional law and protected the Constitution from unlimited amendment power. The Supreme Court had to answer one powerful question: can Parliament amend every part of the Constitution without any limit?
Kesavananda Bharati, head of Edneer Mutt in Kerala, challenged land reform laws that directly affected the religious institution’s property rights.
What began as a property dispute soon became a historic constitutional battle about the limits of Parliament’s power under Article 368.
The case challenged the 24th, 25th and 29th Constitutional Amendments, which expanded Parliament’s power and protected certain laws from review.
A rare 13-judge Bench of the Supreme Court heard the matter, making it one of India’s biggest constitutional cases.
On 24 April 1973, the Supreme Court delivered a historic 7:6 majority judgment that changed constitutional law forever.
The Court held that Parliament can amend the Constitution, but it cannot destroy or damage its basic structure.
The basic structure includes core values such as democracy, rule of law, secularism, federalism, judicial review and constitutional supremacy.
This judgment protected the identity of the Constitution and ensured that no government could rewrite India’s democratic foundation completely.
Kesavananda Bharati remains one of the most important cases for law students, judiciary aspirants and every Indian citizen to understand.