Landmark Supreme Court Cases
| Case | Year | Principle |
|---|---|---|
| Shankari Prasad v Union of India | 1951 | Parliament can amend Fundamental Rights under Art 368. |
| Sajjan Singh v State of Rajasthan | 1965 | Same view as Shankari Prasad. |
| Golaknath v State of Punjab | 1967 | Fundamental Rights cannot be amended. Overruled later. |
| Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala | 1973 | Basic structure doctrine (7:6). Parliament can amend any part but not destroy the basic structure. |
| Indira Gandhi v Raj Narain | 1975 | Free and fair elections are part of the basic structure. |
| Minerva Mills v Union of India | 1980 | Balance between Fundamental Rights and DPSP is basic structure. Limited amending power is itself basic. |
| Maneka Gandhi v Union of India | 1978 | Art 21 needs a fair, just and reasonable procedure. Arts 14, 19 and 21 are linked. |
| A.K. Gopalan v State of Madras | 1950 | Narrow reading of Art 21 (overruled by Maneka Gandhi). |
| A.D.M. Jabalpur v Shivkant Shukla | 1976 | The Habeas Corpus case. Overruled by Puttaswamy in 2017. |
| Indra Sawhney v Union of India | 1992 | Mandal case. 27 per cent OBC reservation upheld. 50 per cent ceiling. Creamy layer excluded. |
| S.R. Bommai v Union of India | 1994 | President's Rule is judicially reviewable. Federalism and secularism are basic features. |
| Vishaka v State of Rajasthan | 1997 | Guidelines on sexual harassment at the workplace. |
| L. Chandra Kumar v Union of India | 1997 | Tribunals are subject to High Court review. Judicial review is basic structure. |
| Kihoto Hollohan v Zachillhu | 1992 | Tenth Schedule valid. Speaker's decision is reviewable. |
| Lily Thomas v Union of India | 2013 | A convicted legislator (2 years or more) is disqualified immediately. |
| Shreya Singhal v Union of India | 2015 | Section 66A of the IT Act struck down. |
| Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record v Union of India | 1993 and 2015 | Collegium system. NJAC struck down (2015). |
| K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India | 2017 | Right to privacy is a Fundamental Right. |
| Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India | 2018 | Section 377 decriminalised for consenting adults. |
| Joseph Shine v Union of India | 2018 | Adultery law struck down. |
| Supriyo v Union of India | 2023 | Same-sex marriage: no right to marry, left to Parliament. |
| Anuradha Bhasin v Union of India | 2020 | Internet access can be restricted only by a reasoned, proportionate order. |
| In re: Article 370 | 2023 | Abrogation of Art 370 upheld. |
| Association for Democratic Reforms (Electoral Bonds) | 2024 | Electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional. |
| Sita Soren v Union of India | 2024 | Bribery is not protected by parliamentary privilege. |
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Prepared for exam revision from the Constitution of India and standard sources. Office-holders and recent developments change, so check official sources before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.