Important Facts for Prelims (18th September 2018) | 18 Sep 2018

The most influential judgments in the Supreme Court’s history

• In India’s common law system, judgments are critical for setting a precedent that serves as the foundation for delivering justice. For eg:
  • The Maneka Gandhi case epitomized the shift in legal jurisprudence in the late 1970s, with the Supreme Court taking on a more active role and trying to assert its legitimacy after the Emergency.
  • Similarly, Kesavananda Bharati Case, the judgment prevented Parliament from altering its ‘basic structure’ which is widely known for protecting the Indian state from collapsing like many of its South Asian counterparts, whether through totalitarian rule or other extra-constitutional means.
• At high courts and lower courts, the precedent set by the Supreme Court is crucial for dealing with procedural issues as, under Article 129 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court shall be a court of record and shall have all the powers of such a court including the power to punish for contempt of itself.