Kesavananda Bharati Passed Away

Kesavananda Bharati, the petitioner in the historic Fundamental Rights case which prevented the nation from slipping into a totalitarian regime, has passed away.
The “Kesavananda Bharati versus State of Kerala” case is unique. The case was heard by a Bench of 13 judges — the largest formed in the Supreme Court.
The Kesavananda Bharati judgment introduced
- the Basic Structure doctrine which limited Parliament’s power to make drastic amendments that may affect the core values enshrined in the Constitution like secularism and federalism.
- The verdict upheld the power of the Supreme Court to judicially review laws of Parliament.
- It evolved the concept of separation of powers among the three branches of governance — legislative, executive and the judiciary.