30 landmark Judgments in India

SL No.

Year

1951

1960

Name
Champakam Dorairajan Vs
State of Madras

Issue

Result

Admissions of backward classes to

Pilot the first-ever

educational institutions led by B.R.

amendment to the

Ambedkar, then the law minister.

Constitution

Commander K M Nanavati Vs

The crime of passion, where

State of Maharashtra

Commander Kawas Maneckshaw

Nanavati murdered his wife's lover,

Marked the end of jury

trials in India when the
officer was let off.

The Supreme Court made

fundamental rights immune from
3

1967

Golaknath Vs State of Punjab

amendment until Parliament

reasserted its authority in 1971 by
amending Articles 13 and 368 of the
Constitution.
The Supreme Court rejected a 1970

1970

Madhav Jiwaji Rao Scindia Vs Union

presidential order abolishing titles,

of India 1970

privileges and privy purses of India's

erstwhile princely rulers.
The Supreme Court laid
down that such
amendments could not

1973

Kesavananda Bharati Vs State of

24th April

Kerala

In 1971, Parliament empowered

destroy the 'basic

itself to amend any part of the

structure' of the

Constitution.

Constitution-fundamental
rights is part of the 'basic
structure'.

It dealt with a common

citizen's right to hold
6

1973

Himmat Lal Shah Vs Commissioner

public meetings on streets

of Police

and the extent to which the

state could regulate this
right.

1975

Indira Gandhi Vs Raj Narain

Indira Gandhi declared Emergency

The Supreme Court later overturned

after being ordered by the Allahabad

The Supreme Court later

the decision.

High Court to vacate her seat for

overturned the decision.

malpractice.
The Supreme Court
declared the right to move
court under Articles 14, 21
8

1976

A.D.M. Jabalpur Vs S. Shukla

and 22 would remain

suspended during the
Emergency.
The court ruled that the

1978

Maneka Gandhi Vs Union of India

The case caused a huge uproar over

the definition of freedom of speech

procedure must be fair and

the law must not violate
other fundamental rights.
The Supreme Court again
applied the 'basic
structure' theory, saying

10

1980

Minerva Mills Vs Union of India

that social welfare laws

could not curb
fundamental rights.
The case led to the
resignation of K.

11

1981

Rajan Case

Involving the torture and death of a

Karunakaran, then the

final year engineering student in

home minister, and

custody in Kerala,

imprisonment of the
officers accused.
Though the death sentence

Administration Kehar Singh was

12

1984

Kehar Singh Vs Delhi

accused of taking part in the murder

of Indira Gandhi.

was upheld by the

Supreme Court, its
accuracy has often been
questioned.

Caused a furore as the

13

1985

Shah Bano Case

The case, related to the issue of

Muslim personal law,

court awarded Shah Bano

a maintenance allowance
after divorce.

The case dealt with the subject of

14

1988

Ramesh Dalal Vs Union of India

pre-Partition communal violence,

and how its depiction was not in
violation of Constitutional articles.
The Supreme Court
upheld the implementation
of recommendations made
by the Mandal

Indira Sawhney Vs Union of India

15

1992

Commission. It also

1992

defined the "creamy layer"

criteria and reiterated that
the quota could not exceed
50 per cent.

15

16

1992

1994

The identity of St. Stephen's College

The court ruled that grants

St. Stephen's College Vs University

as a minority-run institution was put

could not change the

of Delhi

under the scanner as it was receiving

minority character of an

grant-in-aid from the Government.

institution.

The case questioned the

The Supreme Court

Constitutional validity of the

upheld status quo on the

acquisition of a certain area

disputed structures.

Babri Masjid, Ayodhya Case

adjoining the disputed site.

The case laid down the
guidelines in proving a
17

1994

S.R. Bommai Vs Union of India

majority under Article

356. The recent Arjun
Munda case judgment was
also passed with reference
to the Bommai case.

The case decided that the

right to privacy subsisted
even if a matter became
18

1994

R. Rajagopal Vs State of Tamil Nadu

one of public record. The

right to be let alone is part
of personal liberty.

The Supreme Court held

that a second marriage
19

1995

solemnised while the first

Sarla Mudgal Vs Union of India

existed was a punishable

offence, though it did not
become null and void.
The association was
banned for unlawful

20

1995

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Vs Union of

activities. However, the

India

decision was reversed due

to lack of evidence.
The case, which dealt with the

Ministry of I&B Vs Cricket

21

1995

Association of Bengal

broadcast of the Hero Cup, was the

first tussle involving the telecast of
an international event by a private
broadcaster.
For the first time, sexual
harassment, including
sexually coloured remarks
and physical contact, was
explicitly and legally

22

1997

Vishaka Vs State of Rajasthan

defined as an unwelcome
sexual gesture. It stated
that every instance of
sexual harassment is a
violation of fundamental
rights.

The Supreme Court said

government land, tribal
land, and forest land in
scheduled areas could not
be leased to non-tribals or
23

1997

Samatha Vs State of AP

private companies for

mining or industrial
operations. Such activity
can only be done by tribal
people or by a government
undertaking.

K.P.S. Gill, former chief of Punjab

Police, was fined Rs 2.5 lakh in lieu
24

1998

Rupan Deol Bajaj Vs K. P. S. Gill

of three months' rigorous

imprisonment for slapping senior
IAS officer Rupan Deol Bajaj on the
posterior.
The judgement of a
three-member Bench
ordered candidates

25

2002

Representation of the People

contesting elections to

(Amendment) Act

declare their assets and all

criminal cases pending
against them at the time of
filing of nominations.
The first case involving conviction

26

2004

Tamil Nadu Vs Suhas Katti

under the Information Technology

Act, 2000, related to the posting of
obscene messages on the Internet.
The Supreme Court stated
that "neither the policy of
reservation can be

27

2005

P.A. Inamdar Vs State of

enforced by the state nor

Maharashtra

any quota of admissions

be carved out in private
educational institutions".

In a severe deterrent to
incidents of rape, the
Supreme Court held that a
rape accused could be
28

2006

Om Prakash Vs Dil Bahar

convicted on the sole

evidence of the victim,
even if medical evidence
did not prove rape.
The controversial trial
ended with the conviction

29

2006

Best Bakery Case

The case related to 14 deaths in an

of nine people. A retrial

arson attack on the Best Bakery in

was ordered in 2004 after

Vadodara in 2002

a local court acquitted all

21 accused.