Right to Equality — Landmark Judgments

Landmark Judgments

State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan

1951

This landmark case led to the First Constitutional Amendment. The Supreme Court struck down a government order providing communal reservation in educational institutions, holding…

State of West Bengal v. Anwar Ali Sarkar

1952

This case was pivotal in establishing the 'reasonable classification' doctrine under Article 14. The Supreme Court held that while Article 14 permits classification, such…

M.R. Balaji v. State of Mysore

1963

This case dealt with the extent of reservation under Article 15(4) and 16(4). The Supreme Court, while upholding the principle of reservation, laid down the '50% rule,' stating…

Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala

1973

Though primarily known for the Basic Structure Doctrine, this case has profound implications for the Right to Equality. The Supreme Court held that the 'basic structure' of the…

E.P. Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu

1974

This case marked a significant shift in the interpretation of Article 14. Justice P.N. Bhagwati introduced a new dimension to Article 14, stating that 'equality is antithetic to…

Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India

1978

Building on *Royappa*, this case further solidified the 'arbitrariness' doctrine under Article 14 and established the interrelationship between Articles 14, 19, and 21. The…

Minerva Mills v. Union of India

1980

This case reaffirmed the Basic Structure Doctrine and emphasized the harmony between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles. The Supreme Court held that the goals set out in…

Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (Mandal Commission Case)

1992

This is the most significant judgment on reservation policy in India. The Supreme Court upheld the validity of 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central…

R.K. Sabharwal v. State of Punjab

1995

This case clarified the 'roster point' system in reservation. The Supreme Court held that once a reserved candidate is appointed against a roster point, they occupy that point…

Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India

1996

This case dealt with the constitutional validity of national awards like Bharat Ratna and Padma awards under Article 18. The Supreme Court held that these awards are not 'titles'…

M. Nagaraj v. Union of India

2006

This judgment upheld the constitutional validity of the 77th, 81st, and 85th Amendments, which provided for reservation in promotions for SC/STs (Article 16(4A)) and the…

Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India

2008

This case upheld the constitutional validity of the 93rd Amendment Act, 2006, which inserted Article 15(5), enabling the State to make special provisions for the advancement of…

NALSA v. Union of India

2014

This landmark judgment recognized transgender persons as a 'third gender' and affirmed their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15, 16, and 21. The Supreme Court directed the…

Jarnail Singh v. Lachhmi Narain Gupta

2018

This case revisited the conditions for reservation in promotions for SC/STs laid down in *M. Nagaraj*. The Supreme Court held that the requirement of collecting quantifiable data…

Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India

2022

This landmark 5-judge Constitution Bench judgment upheld the constitutional validity of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, which introduced a 10% reservation for…