The Supreme Court of India enunciated the doctrine of “Basic Structure of the Constitution” in
- A.The Golaknath Case in 1967
- B.The Keshavanand Bharati Case in 1973
- C.The Shankari Prasad Case in 1951
- D.The Sajjan Singh Case in 1965
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Keshavanand Bharati Case in 1973
Explanation
The correct answer is B, The Keshavanand Bharati Case in 1973. On 24 April 1973 a 13-judge bench, the largest in the Court’s history, ruled by 7 to 6 that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution under Article 368, including Fundamental Rights, but cannot alter or destroy its basic structure. The judges did not give a closed list; features such as the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, secularism, federalism, separation of powers and judicial review have since been treated as part of it. The case began as a challenge by the head of a Kerala math to land reform laws. Option A is wrong because the Golaknath case (1967) held that Parliament could not amend Fundamental Rights at all; Kesavananda overruled this. Option C is wrong because the Shankari Prasad case (1951) upheld the First Amendment and said Fundamental Rights could be amended. Option D is wrong because the Sajjan Singh case (1965) repeated that view while upholding the 17th Amendment. Exam tip: Shankari Prasad 1951, Sajjan Singh 1965, Golaknath 1967, Kesavananda 1973, Minerva Mills 1980.