Answer By law4u team
Here are some landmark judgments of the Supreme Court of India that have had a major impact on Indian law and society: 1. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973) Doctrine: Basic Structure Doctrine Significance: Parliament cannot alter the "basic structure" of the Constitution. This case limited the power of constitutional amendments. 2. Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) Doctrine: Expanded interpretation of Article 21 Significance: Personal liberty under Article 21 must be fair, just, and reasonable. It widened the scope of fundamental rights. 3. Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975) Doctrine: Judicial review of election laws Significance: Struck down laws passed to validate Indira Gandhi’s election, strengthening the rule of law and independence of judiciary. 4. Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum (1985) Doctrine: Maintenance under Section 125 CrPC applies to Muslim women Significance: A Muslim woman is entitled to maintenance from her husband even after divorce. Led to the enactment of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986. 5. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997) Doctrine: Sexual harassment guidelines at workplace Significance: Laid down the Vishaka Guidelines for preventing sexual harassment, later codified in the POSH Act, 2013. 6. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018) Doctrine: Decriminalization of homosexuality Significance: Section 377 IPC (criminalizing consensual gay sex) was struck down as unconstitutional. 7. Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2017) Doctrine: Right to Privacy Significance: Declared that Right to Privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21. 8. S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994) Doctrine: Federalism and President’s Rule Significance: Restricted arbitrary use of Article 356 (President's Rule) and emphasized secularism. 9. Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation (1985) Doctrine: Right to livelihood under Article 21 Significance: Eviction of pavement dwellers without alternate arrangement violates the right to life. 10. Shayara Bano v. Union of India (2017) Doctrine: Triple Talaq unconstitutional Significance: Declared instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) as unconstitutional and void.
