The Constitution of India provide a shape for political, economic, and social
democracy. It provides the dedication of the human beings of India for
asserting, ensuring, and reaching the diverse countrywide desires without
violent and democratic and equal ways. It isn't simply a prison manuscript;
rather, it's far a car that steers the country to comprehend the goals and
aspirations of the human beings through accommodating and adapting to the
transferring desires and realities of the times.
Making India, as a Union of States, equality earlier than the regulation and
same safety of the legal guidelines is the essence of the Constitution. At the
equal time, the Constitution is touchy to the desires and issues of the
underprivileged and deprived segments of society too.
Indian constitution is based on the ideals of liberalism, welfare state,
parliamentary federal government with a strong Centre, electoral and multi-party
democracy. These ideals are enshrined in our Preamble, Fundamental Rights and
Directive Principles of State Policy.
Concept Of The Constitutionalism
For the implementation of the constitution there is a concept of
constitutionalism. And this Constitutionalism is a political spirit or
philosophy, so it isn't essential that the states who have a charter should be
embodied with the idea of constitutionalism.
The concept of constitutionalism is that of a form governed by or under a
constitution that ordains essentially limited government and rule of law as
hostile to arbitrary authoritarian or totalitarian rule. Constitutional
government, therefore, should necessarily be democratic government. In other
words, Constitutionalism is a political philosophy in which the functions of
government of a state must be in accordance with the provisions of the
constitution meaning thereby the actions of government must reflect
constitutionality.
There is a some of person whom are says about the constitutionalism.
And According to Douglas Greenberg,
Constitutionalism is a dedication to boundaries on normal political energy, it
revolves around a political process, one which overlaps with democracy in
looking for to stability kingdom energy and person and collective rights, it
attracts on precise cultural and historic contexts from which it emanates and it
is living with inside the public consciousness.
According to Justice Subbarao,
Preamble is the soul of the constitution, without which a body in the form of
state cannot be survived. The objectives of constitution ensure the dignified
conditions for the people of India and provide them all rights and liberties
within ambit of fundamental spirit of constitutionalism embodied in entire body
of the constitution.
Now to pick out whether or not constitutionalism is found in India or not. It
may be analyzed with the assist of numerous provisions of the charter that are:
- Preamble
- Judicial Review
- Rule of law
- Separation of power
- Checks and balances and so on.
There isn't any exhaustive listing of capabilities with the aid of using
which the validity or life of constitutionalism may be tested, however, each
function which limits the authorities and proves useful to set up a role of
sovereignty beneath neat essential standards of constitutional jurisprudence can
be a huge factor for constitutionalism.
Role Of Judiciary In The Matter Of Upholding Constitutionalism
According to the assist of the numerous provisions of the constitutionalism role
of the judiciary are:
Preamble and responsibility of the judiciary for the upholding
constitutionalism:
Reiterating what I have emphasized in the previous paragraphs that judicial
interpretation and judicial legislation has a very thin line of difference; one
could easily face confusion while discerning or interpreting the same. Judicial
Activism is also alleged to have taken a form of judicial legislation. But it is
through this tool, the judiciary has also taken up the responsibility to fill up
the legislative vacuum in order to uphold the preamble.
The silence of the
Constitution and the abeyances left to be filled by the growth of conventions
within the meaning of the enacted provisions and under the ground of preamble.
This exercise has been performed by the Supreme Court of India in consonance
with the constitutional preamble and scheme.
The Preamble expressly states that the Constitution of India is the product of
“WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA” who adopted, enacted and gave to themselves this
Constitution on 26 November 1949. The people “resolved to constitute India into
a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC”. Thus, India is a sovereign
country with a socialist, secular, democratic and republican polity. The words
‘socialist' and ‘secular' were introduced by an amendment in 1976. India's
sovereignty, secularism, democracy and republican form of government have been
recognized as basic features of the Constitution and as such beyond the power of
amendment.[1]
All these goals of the Constitution have been comprehensively incorporated into
its provisions. It is worth noting that unlike the Preamble of the statutes the
Preamble of the Constitution is part of it and can be invoked just like any
other provision for direct application. Therefore, any change in the Preamble
may also be the subject matter of litigation on the ground of violation of basic
structure of the Constitution.[2] And this is the case
Kesavananda Bharati v
State of Kerala where court is tried to implement the concept of the
constitutionalism. And this is one of the role of the judiciary upholding
constitutionalism on the basis of preamble of the India.
Judicial Review by the judiciary for the upholding constitutionalism:
Judicial Review refers to supervising the exercise of power by the judiciary of
other government coordinating bodies with a view to ensuring that they remain
within the limits set by the Constitution on their powers.
It is the court's right to review legislative and executive decisions, and even
review judicial acts. It is the power to scrutinize the validity of legislation,
or any practice, whether or not it is legitimate. Judicial review doctrine is
based on the principle of rule of law and separation of powers. Judicial review
is the process for testing and balancing the separation of powers.
Judicial Review's key purposes are as follows:
- to determine the unconstitutionality of Legislative Acts
- to maintain supremacy of the Constitutional Law
- to protect the Fundamental Rights
- to maintain federal equilibrium between Centre and the States
- to check arbitrariness, unjust harassing and unconstitutional laws
In India, judicial power is a power given to the court to create a mechanism of
regulation and balance between the legislature and the executive.
There are various provisions in the Indian Constitution explicitly laying down
the power of judicial review to the courts, such as Articles 13, 32, 131-136,
141, 143, 226, 227, 245, 246 and 372.
The Supreme Court of India has declared it as Supreme Court's and High Court's
power as a fundamental constitutional structure which cannot be taken away by a
Constitutional amendment.
If any legislative act / executive order of either state government or central
government is found to be in violation of the Constitution, it will be declared
unconstitutional during the judicial review.
In the article 13 of the Indian constitution, the law explicitly mentioned about
the power of Judicial Review to be endowed to the high court and Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Kania in the landmark case of
A.K.Gopalan vs. State of
Madras,[3] stated that:
“it was only through caution and care that the framers of
our constitution added the specific provisions mentioned in Art 13. In a country
like India, it is the constitution which is the most supreme and hence all
statute laws should be in conformity with it and it should be for the
interpreters to decide whether any law is constitutional or not”.
The doctrine
was further brought into confidence through several landmark cases which would
be discussed in the article further.
Landmark judgements for the implement of the constitutionalism are:
After the A.K Gopalan case, in another case of
L. Chandra vs. Union of
India,[4] the court gave certain facets to the Judicial Review and also claimed
that while interpreting the legislation, it must be made sure that the law is in
coherence with the constitution. This case emphasizing on the need of coherence.
In the case of
Shankari Prasad vs. Union of India,[5] the amendment was
challenged on the reason that it is violating the Part-III of the Indian
constitution and hence, the amendment should be considered not valid. The
Supreme Court claimed that the legislative organ, under Article 368, has the
power to change any part of the constitution including the fundamental rights.
Here the court used its power of Judicial Review.
Similarly, in the case of
Sajjan Singh vs. State of Rajasthan,[6] where the
validity of the 17th Amendment Act of 1964 was in question, the court followed
the provision laid in the Shankari Prasad vs. Union of India[7], under article
368, the parliament has the power to amend the constitution.
But in case of
Golakhnaath Vs. state of Punjab,[8] the courts changed its
decision when, amendment in question in the case of
Sajjan Singh vs. State of
Rajasthan [9]was again challenged. The court this time stated that under article
368 there is only the procedure to amend laid down but not the power for the
parliament.
With time the doctrine of Judicial review came more into application by the
courts the deeper its roots were embedded in the law. In the case of
Ramesh
Thapper vs. State of Madras,[10] the Supreme Court under its power of Judicial
review struck down the Madras Maintenance of Public Safety Act 1949, on the fact
that unless any certain law which is restricting freedom of speech and
expression is pointed against eroding the security of the state or to topple it,
any such law will not fall within the reservation of clause mentioned in Article
19(2) of the Indian Constitution.
In the year 1972, the honourable Supreme Court was summoned to check on the
validity of the 24th, 25th and 29th Amendment in the
Keshvananda Baharti's case.[11]
The Supreme Court asserted its power of Judicial Review through the doctrine of
basic structure. It was since then that the doctrine of basic feature became an
inseparable power of the constitution.
In a very popular case of Minnerva Mills Ltd vs. Union of India,[12] the Supreme
Court struck down clauses (4) and (5) of Article 368 which was inserted through
the 42nd Amendment of the year 1976, stating the ground that these certain
clauses damage and do not follow the essential features of the basic structure
of the constitution.
One could witness the power of basic structure in the constitution through the
case of
I.R. Coelho vs. State of Tamil Nadu,[13] in which the Supreme Court
affirmed that any certain law which is placed in the 9th schedule (subject after
April 1974) will be open to challenge under the judicial review. The Court
claimed that even though this act is under the 9th schedule of the
constitutional Amendment yet its provisions would be open to challenge in case
they damage the basic structure/feature of the constitution.
All these cases either broadened the feathers of the doctrine or bought certain
limitations to it. Through these case one could witness that how with pace the
doctrine was taking its place for the implementation of the constitutionalism by
judiciary.
Rule of law by the judiciary for the upholding constitutionalism:
Responding to the changing times and aspirations of the people, the judiciary,
with a view to see that the fundamental rights embodied in the Constitution of
India have a meaning for the down-trodden and the under-privileged classes,
pronounced in
Madhav Haskot's case[14] that providing free legal service to the
poor and needy was an essential element of
Indra Sawhney v. Union of
India,[15]
Rule Of Law & Access to Justice the ‘reasonable, fair and just
procedure'. Again, in
Hussainara Khatoon's case[16]while considering the plight
of the undertrials in jail, speedy trial was held to be an integral and
essential part of the right to life and liberty contained in Article 21 of the
Constitution.
In
Nandini Satpathy v. D.L. Dani[17], the Supreme Court held that
an accused has the right to consult a lawyer during interrogation and that the
right not to make self-incriminatory statements should be widely interpreted to
cover the pre-trial stage also. Again, in
Sheela Barse v. State of
Maharashtra[18], the Supreme Court laid down certain safeguards for arrested
persons.
In
Bandhua Mukti Morcha's case,[19] the Supreme Court held that right
to life guaranteed by Article 21 included the right to live with human dignity,
free from exploitation. The courts have, thus, been making judicial intervention
in cases concerning violation of Human Rights as an ongoing judicial process.
Decisions on such matters as the right to protection against solitary
confinement as in
Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration,[20] and
Apparel Export
Promotion Council v. A.K. Chopra[21] are just a few pointers in that directions
and can be referred to by the members themselves.
In Indian Constitution, Rule of Law has been adopted under the Preamble where
the ideals of justice, liberty and equality are enshrined. The Constitution has
been made the supreme law of the country and other laws are required to be in
conformity with the Constitution. Nonetheless, the courts have the onus to
declare any law invalid, which is found in violation of any provision of the
Constitution.
In India, the meaning of rule of law has been much expanded and applied
differently in different cases by the judiciary. It is regarded as a basic
structure of the constitution and therefore, it cannot be abrogated or destroyed
even by parliament.[22] The principle of natural justice is also considered as
the basic corollary of rule of law.
The Supreme Court of India has held that in
order to satisfy a challenge under Article 14, the impugned State act (enactment
in the form of law passed by parliament) must not only be nondiscriminatory, but
also be immune from arbitrariness.[23] unreasonableness or unfairness
(substantively or procedurally)[24] and also consonant with public
interest.[25]
In
A.D.M Jabalpur v Shivakant Shukla,[26] the question before the
apex court was, whether there was any rule of law in India apart from Article 21
of the Indian Constitution. The court by majority held that there is no rule of
law other than the constitutional rule of law. However, Justice Khanna did not
agree with the above view.
He rightly said:
Even in the absence of Article 21 of the constitution, the
State has no power to deprive a person of his life or liberty without the
authority of law.
Similarly, the Supreme Court while explaining the rule of law
in
K.T. Plantation Pvt. Ltd. v. State of Karnataka,[27] held as follows; “The
rule of law as a principle contains no explicit substantive component like
eminent domain but has many shades and colours. Violation of principle of
natural justice may undermine the rule of law resulting in arbitrariness,
unreasonableness, etc. but such violations may not undermine the rule of law of
law so as to invalidate a statue.
Violation must be of such a serious nature which undermines the very basic
structure of the constitution and the democratic principles of India. But once
the court finds, a statue undermines the rule of law which has the status of a
constitutional principle like the basic structure, the said grounds are also
available and not vice versa.
Any law which in the opinion of the court is not just, fair and reasonable is
not a ground to strike down a statute because such an approach would always be
subjective not the will of the people because there is always a presumption of
constitutionality for a statue. The rule of law as a principle is not an
absolute means of achieving equity, human rights, justice, freedom and even
democracy and it all depends upon the nature of the legislation and the
seriousness of the violation.
The rule of the law as an overarching principle
can be applied by the constitutional courts, in the rarest of rare cases and the
courts can undo laws, which are tyrannical, violate the basic structure of the
constitution and norms of law and justice.” For the constitutionalism in this
field judiciary also played a vital role on the basis of the constitution.
Separation of power by the judiciary for the upholding constitutionalism:
In India, a separation of functions rather than of powers is followed. Unlike in
the US, in India, the concept of separation of powers is not adhered to
strictly. However, a system of checks and balances have been put in place in
such a manner that the judiciary has the power to strike down any
unconstitutional laws passed by the legislature.
Today, most of the constitutional systems do not have a strict separation of
powers between the various organs in the classical sense because it is
impractical. In the following sections, we will see the prevailing system in
India, what the relationship between each organ is, and the constitutional
provisions thereof.
Judicial Pronouncements Upholding constitutionalism of the Separation of Powers
Doctrine:
Kesavananda Bharati Case (1973): In this case, the SC held that the amending
power of the Parliament is subject to the basic features of the Constitution.
So, any amendment violating the basic features will be declared
unconstitutional.
Swaran Singh Case (1998):
In this case, the SC held the UP Governor's pardon of
a convict unconstitutional.
Other SC Judgements:
The Honourable Supreme Court in
Ram Jawaya Kapoor V State of Punjab held that
the Indian Constitution has not indeed recognised the doctrine of separation of
powers in its absolute rigidity but the functions of the different parts or
branches of the government have been sufficiently differentiated and
consequently it can be very well said that our Constitution does not contemplate
assumption by one organ or part of the state of functions that essentially
belong to another.
In
Indira Nehru Gandhi V Raj Narain, Ray, CJ observed that in the Indian
Constitution there is a separation of powers in a broad sense only. A rigid
separation of powers as under the American Constitution or under the Australian
Constitution does not apply to India. The Court further held that adjudication
of a specific dispute is a judicial function which Parliament even acting under
a constitutional amending power cannot exercise. Apart from difficulties
inherent in the enforcement of the strict doctrine of separation of powers in
the functioning of the modern government, there is also an inherent difficulty
in defining, in workable terms, the division of powers into executive,
legislative and judicial.
In
P Kannadasan V State of Tamil Nadu, it was held, “the Constitution has
invested the Constitutional Courts with the power to invalidate laws made by
Parliament and the state legislatures transgressing Constitutional limitations.
Where an Act made by the legislature is invalidated by the Courts on the basis
of legislative incompetence, the legislature cannot enact a law declaring that
the judgement of the Court shall not operate; it cannot overrule or annul the
decision of the Court.
But this does not mean that the legislature which is
competent to enact the law cannot re-enact the law. Similarly, it is open to the
legislature to alter the basis of the judgement. The new law or the amended law
can be challenged on other grounds but not on the ground that it seeks to in
effectuate or circumvent the decision of the court. This is what is meant by
“checks and balance” inherent in a system of government incorporating separation
of powers.
Checks and Balances by the judiciary for the upholding constitutionalism:
The strict separation of powers that was envisaged in the classical sense is not
practicable anymore, but the logic behind this doctrine is still valid. The
logic behind this doctrine is of polarity rather than strict classification
meaning thereby that the center of authority must be dispersed to avoid
absolutism. Hence, the doctrine can be better appreciated as a doctrine of
checks and balances.
In the early years, the Supreme Court held twice, in Sankari Prasad (1951) and
Sajjan Singh (1965), that there were no restrictions in amending powers of
Parliament. As a result, all official reviews of the Constitution – First
Amendment (1951), Fourth Amendment (1954), and Forty Second Amendment (1976) –
were ways governments found to get around the original Constitution. It was only
in the 1973 Kesavananda case that the court began to enforce the doctrine of
basic structure, limiting the powers of government. As for limiting the power
of government over appointment of judges, in 1993 the court presumed that role
as well. But now India has a system of judges appointing judges behind a veil of
secrecy. There is no public scrutiny of their appointment or their performance.
In
Indira Nehru Gandhi's case, Chandrachud J. observed:
No Constitution can
survive without a conscious adherence to its fine checks and balances. Just as
courts ought not to enter into problems intertwined in the political thicket,
Parliament must also respect the preserve of the courts. The principle of
separation of powers is a principle of restraint which “has in it the precept,
inmate in the prudence of self-preservation; that discretion is the better part
of valour”.
The doctrine of separation of powers in today's context of liberalization,
privatization and globalization cannot be interpreted to mean either “
separation
of powers” or “
checks and balance” or “
principles of restraint”, but “
community
of powers” exercised in the spirit of cooperation by various organs of the state
in the best interest of the people.
Challenges faces by the court in upholding constitutionalism:
Judges have the ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding freedoms, rights
and duties of natural and legal persons within their jurisdiction. The
independence of each individual judge safeguards every person's right to have
their case decided solely on the basis of the law, the evidence and facts,
without any improper influence. A well-functioning, efficient and independent
judiciary is an essential requirement for a fair, consistent and neutral
administration of justice.
Consequently, judicial independence is an indispensable element of the right to
due process, the rule of law and democracy.
The independence of the judiciary as is clear from the above discussion hold a
prominent position as far as the institution of judiciary is concerned. It is
clear from the historical overview that judicial independence has faced many
obstacles in the past specially in relation to the appointment and the transfer
of judges. Courts have always tried to uphold the independence of judiciary and
have always said that the independence of the judiciary is a basic feature of
the Constitution.
Courts have said so because the independence of judiciary is the pre-requisite
for the smooth functioning of the Constitution and for a realization of a
democratic society based on the rule of law. The interpretation in the Judges
Case giving primacy to the executive, as we have discussed has led to the
appointment of at least some Judges against the opinion of the Chief Justice of
India. The decision of the Judges Case was could never have been intended by the
framers of the Constitution as they always set the task of keeping judiciary
free from executive and making it self-competent. The decision of the Second
Judges Case and the Third Judges Case is a praiseworthy step by the Court in
this regard.
Although the Supreme Court of India has widened its scope of interference in
public administration and the policy decisions of the government, it is well
aware of the limitations within which it should function. In the case of
P Ramachandran Rao v State of Karnataka[28], reported in, has observed that:
The
Supreme Court does not consider itself to be an imperium in imperio or would
function as a despotic branch of the State.
The Indian Constitution does not envisage a rigid separation of powers, the
respective powers of the three wings being well-defined with the object that
each wing must function within the field earmarked by the constitution.
The
Supreme Court of India took all this into account in the judgment reported in
the case of
State of Kerala v A Lakshmi Kutty[29], stating that: “Special
responsibility devolves upon the judges to avoid an over activist approach and
to ensure that they do not trespass within the spheres earmarked for the other
two branches of the State.”
Role of the judiciary in the Transformative constitutionalism
The idea of transformative constitutionalism lies in its emancipatory pursuit
and in the conviction that large-scale social change within a certain political
system is possible through the process and instrumentality of the law.
Transformative constitutionalism enjoins a certain reading of the constitutional
text that eschews formalism, pure positivism and legalism and advances an
interpretation that acknowledges and responds to the reality of hierarchical
structures and power relationships within a society.
And judiciary is playing the vital role of the transformative constitutionalism
within the constitution. Just to illustrate, the canvass of judicial activism
ranged from the protection of historical places to environmental pollution; from
sexual harassment at the work place to adoption of children by foreigners; from
exposing corruption at high places in the government to granting compensation
for violation of FRs; from release of bonded and child labors and under trial
prisoners to free legal aid; from the right to free and compulsory primary
education to right to information; from criminalization of politics to running
of blood banks; and from construction of dams to allotment of government houses
and petrol pumps.[30] The effect of all this is that now the judiciary can
legitimately claim itself to be ‘an arm of social revolution'.[31]
Sanctity of the judiciary for maintaining constitutionalism
The rule of law doesn't exist unless there is an independent judiciary to help
protect it. Independent and impartial judiciary is indisputably believed as one
of the hallmarks of a vibrant democracy.
However, the elected governments often perceive an independent and strong
judiciary with suspicion. The political class as well as the top brasses desire
a weak and obedient judiciary which will scot-free them to implement any
policies. Even there are scores of incidents which project that the judges were
threatened by the government of the day.
At this background, a potent weapon in the hands of judiciary could be the power
of judicial review to establish the supremacy of Constitution. Judicial review
is the procedure established in Britain where the courts have been conferred
power to supervise the exercise of public power. In US, the Supreme Court can
set aside any order pronounced or action taken by the administrative authority
if it contravenes with ‘due process' clause of the Constitution. Similarly, in
India the concept of judicial review is not championed by a single Article.
There are plethoras of Articles which include Articles 13, 32, 131 to 136, 142,
143, 226 or 246 to activate the cause of judicial review in India.
So, The Indian judiciary has always been active in the sense of
implementation of the constitution right and that whenever approached it has
responded and has hardly decided not to decide. [32] Instead, it denotes a
phenomenon when the judiciary departs from its role as a conventional
adjudicator and acts in innovative manners by entering into policy issues
normally assigned to the other organs of the government.
While assuming this
responsibility as a custodian of the Constitution, it has interpreted FRs in the
light of DPs, reminded the executive and legislature of their constitutional
obligations, issued appropriate directions to concerned authorities, monitored
working of government institutions, and has even filled in the legislative gaps
by laying down guidelines. In many such cases the judiciary has either acted
without being activated, i.e., suo motu, or enabled its activation in simple and
speedy manner by relaxing the substantive and procedural requirements of locus
standi.[33] This is way judicial authority or judiciary of the India going to
implementation of the right of people of India under the concept of
constitutionalism.
As judicial activism is primarily a post-emergency – 1977 onwards – phenomenon,
it is often providing that the judiciary tried to regain its constitutional
place and people's trust through judicial activism. Though this could be one of
the reasons, this cannot be sole or even primary reason. The judiciary fought a
long struggle for its place in the governance since its initiative. It sustained
and strengthened its power to act in activist manner over a period of time
through various steps.
Most notable amongst them are: the evolution of basic
structure doctrine in Kesavananda Bharati; insistence on due process requirement
in post-Maneka Gandhi era; integrated reading of FRs and DPs; liberalization of
substantive and procedural requirements of locus standi; vigilant safeguard of
the power of judicial review; and establishing legitimacy amongst ‘We, the
people of India' by championing the rights of powerless ignorant masses.
Besides, the weak executive at the Centre since 1989 and the growing gulf
between the constitutional promise and reality has led to the fast growth of
judicial activism.
Conclusion
Judiciary have the ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding freedoms,
rights and duties of natural and legal persons within their jurisdiction for the
upholding constitutionalism. The independence of each individual judge
safeguards every person's right to have their case decided solely on the basis
of the law, the evidence and facts, without any improper influence. A
well-functioning, efficient and independent judiciary is an essential
requirement for a fair, consistent and neutral administration of justice.
Consequently, judicial independence is an indispensable element of the right to
due process, the rule of law and democracy. judiciary as is clear from the above
discussion hold a prominent position as far as the institution of judiciary is
concerned. It is clear from the historical overview that judicial independence
has faced many obstacles in the past specially in relation to the appointment
and the transfer of judges. Courts have always tried to uphold the independence
of judiciary a for the uphold constitutionalism and have always said that the
independence of the judiciary is a basic feature of the Constitution.
Courts have said so because the independence of judiciary is the pre-requisite
for the smooth functioning of the Constitutionalism and for a realization of a
democratic society based on the rule of law. The interpretation in the Judges
Case giving primacy to the executive, as we have discussed has led to the
appointment of at least some Judges against the opinion of the Chief Justice of
India. The decision of the Judges Case was could never have been intended by the
framers of the Constitution as they always set the task of keeping judiciary
free from executive and making it self-competent. The decision of the Second
Judges Case and the Third Judges Case is a praiseworthy step by the Court in
this regard.
End-Notes:
- 4 LRI 647; M P Singh, ‘Constitutionality of Market Economy' (1996)
18 Delhi Law Review 272. See also Balco Employees Union v Union of India AIR
2001 SC 350; Centre for Public Interest Litigation v Union of India AIR 2003
SC 3277
- See Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala, AIR 1973 SC 1461.
- A.K.Gopalan vs. State of Madras AIR 1950 SC 27
- L. Chandra vs. Union of India AIR 1997 SC 1125
- Shankari Prasad vs. Union of India AIR 1951, SC 455
- Sajjan Singh vs. State of Rajasthan AIR 1965 SC 845
- Prasad vs. Union of India AIR 1951, SC 455
- Golakhnaath Vs. state of Punjab 1967 AIR 1643, 1967 SCR (2) 762
- Sajjan Singh vs. State of Rajasthan AIR 1965 SC 845
- Ramesh Thapper vs. State of Madras, AIR 1950 SC 124
- Keshvananda Baharti's case AIR 1973 SC 1461
- Minnerva Mills Ltd vs. Union of India AIR 1980 SC 1789
- I.R. Coelho vs. State of Tamil Nadu AIR 2007 SC 8617
- Madhav Haskot's case AIR 1978 SC 1548
- Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, (2000) 1 SCC 168 1616 AIR 1978 SC 1548
6
- Hussainara Khatoon's case AIR 1979 SC 1819
- Nandini Satpathy v. D.L. Dani AIR 1978 SC 1025
- Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra 1983 (2) SCC 96
- Bandhua Mukti Morcha's case AIR 1984 SC 802
- Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration 1978 (4) SCC 494
- Council v. A.K. Chopra 7JT 1999 (1) SC 1086
- Indira Gandhi v Raj Narain, AIR 1975 SC 2299 (2369-71
- Nakara v Union of India, (1983) UJSC 217 (Paras. 13, 14)
- Maneka Gandhi v Union of India, AIR 1978 SC 597
- Kasturi v State of Jammu & Kashmir, AIR 1980 SC 1992 (2000)
- A.D.M Jabalpur v Shivakant Shukla (1976) 2 SCC 521, AIR 1976 SC 1207
- K.T. Plantation Pvt. Ltd. v. State of Karnataka (2011) 9 SCC 1
- P Ramachandran Rao v State of Karnataka (2002) 4 SCC 578
- State of Kerala v A Lakshmi Kutty AIR 1973 SC 1461
- See, for some of these decisions, Singh, Constitution of India, above n
16, 166-81; Das, above n 208, 38-44; Desai & Muralidhar, above n 228, 168-76; Sathe,
above n 228, 116-29, 139-47, 219-29.
- See Austin, Cornerstone of a Nation, above n 8, 164.
- Hassall and Saunders illustrate the distinction, what they term, between
‘judicial activism' and ‘judicial quietism'; Graham Hassall & Cheryl
Saunders, Asia-Pacific Constitutional Systems (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2002), 170-71. Baxi also differentiates between an ‘active' and an
‘activist' judge; Upendra Baxi, ‘The Avatars of Indian Judicial Activism:
Explorations in the Geographies of [In]justice' in Verma & Kusum (eds.), Fifty
Years of the Supreme Court of India, above n 16, 156, 165-66. Also see M P
Singh, ‘Judicial Activism in India' (2002) 5 Waseda Proceedings of Comparative
Law 72.
- See Ashok H Desai & S Muralidhar, ‘Public Interest Litigation: Potential
and Problems' in Kirpal et al (eds.), Supreme but not Infallible' above n 193,
159, 162-67; S P Sathe, Judicial Activism in India – Transgressing Borders and
Enforcing Limits (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2002), 201-09; Justice P N
Bhagwati, ‘Judicial Activism and Public Interest Litigation' (1985) 23 Columbia
Journal of Transnational Law 561.
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