Part III
Basic Structures Doctrine
1. Shankari Prasad Singh Deo v. Union of India: (AIR. 1951 SC 458)
2. Sajjan Singh v. State of Rajasthan: [1965 AIR 845, 1965 SCR (1) 933]
3. Golaknath v. State of Punjab: [1967 AIR 1643, 1967 SCR (2) 762]
4. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala: (AIR 1973 SC 1461)
5. Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain: [1975 AIR 865, 1975 SCR (3) 333]
6. Minerva Mills v. Union of India: AIR 1980 SC 1789
7. Raja Ram Pal v. The Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha and others: [ JT 2007 (2) SC 1]
Till today SCI has found about 23 features of the Constitution come under the BSD. The list is not yet complete and exhaustive. To act on any feature depends upon the discretion of a judge from case to case. Treat it as a supra-constitutional principle but not capable of any definition.
1. Golak Nath's case is over-ruled.
2. Article 368 does not enable Parliament to alter the basic structure or framework of the Constitution.
3.The Constitution (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1971 is valid.
4. Section 2(a) and 2(b) of the Constitution (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1971 is valid.
5.The first part of section 3 of the Constitution (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1971 is valid. The second part namely "and no law containing a declaration that it is for giving effect to such policy shall be called in question in any court on the ground that it does not give effect to such policy" is invalid.
6.The Constitution (Twenty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1971 is valid. [See Wikipedia]
The Chief Justice, along with Justice Rahman, argued that the difference in politico-judicial histories of India and Pakistan warrant the assertion that the BSD, as developed in a foreign jurisdiction like India, cannot be applied "unthinkingly" to Pakistan (especially when there is ample dissent in Kesavananda itself), and that the debate with respect to the substantive vires of an amendment to the Constitution is a political question to be determined by appropriate political forums (e.g. parliamentary democracy), not by the judiciary. (Underlined by me.)
By a majority of 14 to 03 the SCP the Constitution Petitions challenging the Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act (Act X of 2010) were all dismissed upholding the amendment.
Foreign decisions
… in the last anylysis the decision must be based upon the words of the Constitution with the Court in interpreting; and since no two constitutions are in identical terms, it is extremely unsafe to assume that a decision on one of them can be applied without qualification to another. This may be so even where the words and expressions used are the same in both cases; for a word or phrase may take colour from its context and bear different senses accordingly.
The same caution has been given by the Privy Council while interpreting the Jamaican Constitution –
In seeking to apply to the interpretation of the Constitution of Jamaica what has been said in particular cases about other constitutions, care must be taken to distinguish between judicial reasoning which depended on the express words used in the particular constitution under consideration and reasoning which depended on what, though not expressed, is nonetheless a necessary implication from the subject-matter and structure of the constitution and the circumstances in which it had been made."
Present wordings after the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) are as follows:
[2A. The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions.]
State religion
আপিল বিভাগের উক্ত রায়সমূহের আলোকে সংবিধানের প্রস্তাবনার অন্যতম মূলনীতি 'ধর্মনিরপেক্ষতার নীতি' এবং সংবিধানের অনুচ্ছেদ ৮ ও ১২-এর সাথে আমরা যদি সংবিধানের অনুচ্ছেদ '২ক' বিবেচনা ও বিশ্লেষণ করি তা হলে নিঃসংকোচে বলা যেতে পারে, সংবিধানের ঐ অনুচ্ছেদ, বর্তমান (পঞ্চদশ সংশোধনী মূলে) পূর্ববর্তী ( অষ্টম সংশোধনী মূলে) যা-ই হোক না কেন, যেখানে 'রাষ্ট্রধর্মের' বিধান করা হয়েছে তা সংবিধানের প্রস্তাবনার সাথে অ-সামঞ্জস্যপূর্ণ এবং অ-আপোসযোগ্য। একইভাবে ঐ বিধানটি সংবিধানের দ্বিতীয় ভাগ্যে উল্লেখিত রাষ্ট্র পরিচালনার মূলনীতিমূহ অর্থাৎ অনুচ্ছেদ ৮ ও ১২-এর সাথেও অ-সামঞ্জস্যপূর্ণ।
Reformulation of the Code of Conduct
(b) to inquire into the capacity or conduct of a judge or any other functionary who is not removable from office except in like manner as a judge.
Restoration of SJC
Supreme Court cannot rewrite the Constitution
Article 147 (2) of the Constitution
What is the way out of the impasse