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📘 Fact Sheet: Landmark Court Cases
A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (1950)
Upheld Preventive Detention Act. Court limited Art. 21 to “procedure established by law,” rejecting due process.
State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951)
Struck down caste-based reservations. Fundamental Rights held superior to DPSPs. Led to 1st Constitutional Amendment.
Shankari Prasad v. Union of India (1951)
Held constitutional amendments are not “law” under Art. 13. Parliament can amend Fundamental Rights.
Balaji v. State of Mysore (1962)
Court ruled reservations cannot exceed 50%.
Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar (1962)
Upheld sedition law, but limited its use to incitement to violence and public disorder.
Sajjan Singh v. State of Rajasthan (1964)
First mention of Basic Structure concept in judicial opinion.
Golaknath v. State of Punjab (1967)
Held constitutional amendments are “law” under Art. 13; Parliament cannot amend Fundamental Rights.
Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973)
Introduced Basic Structure Doctrine. Parliament can amend Constitution but not alter its essential features.
ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla (1976)
Held that Art. 21 rights can be suspended during Emergency. Later overturned by 44th Amendment.
Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978)
Expanded Art. 21 to include due process of law—procedure must be just, fair, and reasonable.
Minerva Mills v. Union of India (1980)
Reaffirmed Basic Structure. Maintained balance between Fundamental Rights & DPSPs.
Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980)
Upheld constitutionality of death penalty but limited it to “rarest of rare” cases.
Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra (1983)
Recognized rights of undertrial prisoners, especially women.
Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation (1985)
Recognized Right to Livelihood as part of Right to Life (Art. 21).
Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum (1985)
Held that Muslim women are entitled to maintenance under CrPC. Sparked debate on Uniform Civil Code.
Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992)
Upheld Mandal Commission reservations for OBCs. Introduced 50% cap on reservations.
S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994)
Laid down limits on President’s Rule (Art. 356). Strengthened federalism.
Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997)
Laid down guidelines against sexual harassment at workplace (Vishaka Guidelines).
Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017)
Recognized Right to Privacy as a fundamental right under Art. 21.
Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018)
Decriminalized homosexuality. Struck down Section 377 IPC as unconstitutional.
Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala (2018)
Known as Sabarimala Case. Allowed entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala temple.
Joseph Shine v. Union of India (2018)
Struck down Adultery law (Sec. 497 IPC) as unconstitutional.
Electoral Bonds Case (2024)
SC struck down Electoral Bonds Scheme as unconstitutional. Upheld transparency in political funding.