SC Launches A Webpage On Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala To Aid Legal Research

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala judgment delivered on April 24, 1973, the Supreme Court of India has launched a webpage. This webpage is intended to aid legal research and can be accessed globally, as stated by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud.

The Kesavananda Bharati case was heard by a bench of 13 judges, which makes it the largest bench in Indian legal history.

The bench established and address a case that raised important constitutional questions about the Parliament's authority to alter the Constitution. It took six months to hear arguments and reach a final verdict. The ruling established the fundamental structure doctrine of the Constitution, which maintains that specific fundamental features of the Constitution, such as democracy, secularism, federalism, and the rule of law, are not subject to change by the parliament.

The court also held that the power of judicial review is an essential aspect of the basic structure of the Constitution, which cannot be revoked by parliament through constitutional amendments.

The newly launched webpage provides copies of the judgment in both Hindi and English, along with the individual opinions of all thirteen judges. It also includes written arguments and submissions from the petitioner, respondents, and intervenors.