In effect, the call for the removal of ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from the Preamble is against the constitutional mandate. Any attempt in that direction would lead to constitutional erosion.
Closer look at landmark judgments cited by CJI Khanna in his speech on occasion of Supreme Court completing 75 yrs, and how these rulings moulded Indian jurisprudence over the years.
Kesavananda Bharati judgment postulated the basic structure doctrine. It held that certain fundamental features of the Constitution, such as democracy, can’t be amended by Parliament.
In 1973, after a petition was filed by Kesavananda Bharati, Supreme Court ruled that Parliament cannot alter the 'basic structure' of the Constitution.
The Minerva Mills case was as important as the Kesavananda Bharati case. And fighting it was Nani Palkhivala, India’s foremost constitutional litigator.
Learning from the Second World War, the world seemed to move toward making war subject to law and reason. These ends were, however, almost immediately subverted.
West Asia war threatens to push already fragile industry deeper into crisis. Latest disruption is playing out differently for bigger and small-scale players in Surat’s diamond industry.
The Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, or NOPO, was the only force Ali Khamenei trusted.It was founded in 1991 and is more feared than the Revolutionary Guards.
Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.
“Insightful piece. Removing ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ undermines the core values of the Constitution and risks weakening its foundational vision.”