Journey of the Supreme Court: 28 January 1950 to 2019

Below is a timeline of the significant events that dot that brief history.

1. January 26, 1950: Constitution of India comes into force, marks the establishment of the Supreme Court of India. Justice Harilal Jekisundas Kania assumes office as the first Chief Justice of India.
2. January 28, 1950: Supreme Court of India is officially inaugurated, starts functioning from the Chamber of Princes in the Parliament House.

Important Judgments Supreme Court of India December 5, 2018

First sitting of Supreme Court of India

1950-1969

1. May 19, 1950*: AK Gopalan v. State of Madras – One of the first instances in which the Court gets an opportunity to interpret Article 21. Holds that if personal liberty is taken away by the State in accordance with the procedure established by law, then challenge to it will fail.
2. July 27, 1950*: Champakam Dorairajan v. State of Madras – Court holds that providing for reservations in educational institutions is in violation of Article 15(1).  One of the catalysts to the first amendment to the Constitution.
3. November 6, 1951*: Justice Kania retires.
4. 1956*: Number of judges increased to 11.
5. 1958*: Supreme Court moves to its present building.
6. 1960*: Strength of the Court is raised to 14.
7. February 3, 1964*: Justice SM Sikri is appointed as Supreme Court judge; becomes the first Supreme Court judge to be elevated directly from the Bar. Since then, there have been only five direct elevations, namely Justices SC Roy, Kuldip Singh, Santosh Hegde, Rohinton Nariman, UU Lalit and L Nageswara Rao.
8. October 30, 1964*: Sajjan Singh v. State of Rajasthan – Court rules that the word “Law” in Article 13(2) does not take in Constitutional amendment Acts under Article 368. When Article 368 confers on Parliament the right to amend the Constitution, the power in question can be exercised over all the provisions of the Constitution.
9. November 24,1961*: KM Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra – The case which received great media attention, particularly in Mumbai, marks the end of jury trials in India. Considered as one of the first instances of media trial where public opinion and media coverage allegedly made a significant impact on the jury members who, thereby, acquitted Indian Navy officer KM Nanavati for killing his wife’s paramour.
10. February 27, 1967*: Golaknath v. State of Punjab – Supreme Court overrules Sajjan Singh, holds that amendment under Article 368 is “law” within the definition of Article 13(2); Rules that Legislature does not have the power to amend Part III of the Constitution to take away or abridge fundamental rights. Applies doctrine of stare decisis to protect such amendments made till then.

List of Important Judgment Of Supreme Court Of India Delivered In 2017

1970-1999

Supreme Court 2019 with 19 Important Judgments

1. 1971*: Parliament amends Article 13 by the 24th Amendment Act to circumvent the ruling in Golaknath. Inserts Article 13(4) expressly providing that Constitutional amendments are excluded from the ambit of Article 13.
3. January 22, 1971*: Justice SM Sikri takes charge as the Chief Justice of India thereby becoming the first CJI to be elevated directly from the Bar. Keshavananda Bharathi.
4. April 24, 1973*: Keshavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala – The landmark judgment in which a Bench of the Supreme Court comprising all the 13 sitting judges lays down by a majority of 7-6 that the Parliament has the power to amend any part of the Constitution including Part III which lays down fundamental rights provided such amendment does not impinge upon the “Basic Structure of the Constitution”. Overrules Golaknath and lays down that Constitutional amendment is not “law” within the meaning of Article 13.
5. April 26, 1973*: Justice AN Ray supersedes three senior judges, Justice KS Hegde, Justice AN Grover and Justice JM Shelat to be appointed as the CJI. Dubbed as a payback by the Executive for the Keshavananda judgment. Subsequently, Justices Hegde, Grover and Shelat resign in protest.
6. May 3, 1973*: SCBA observes ‘Bar Solidarity Day’ in protest against appointment of Justice Ray as CJI, calls upon all Bar Associations in India to abstain from court work
7. July 17, 1973*: Justice VR Krishna Iyer assumes office as Supreme Court judge.
8. November 23,1973*: EP Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu – A judgment which had received mixed response. Justice PN Bhagwati expostulates the “reasonable classification test” as the test for equality under Article 14. Instead, he propounds the “new doctrine” in which he says that Article 14 “strikes against arbitrariness in State actions” and the concept of equality is “a dynamic concept with many aspects and dimensions and it cannot be imprisoned within traditional and doctrinaire limits.”
9. April 28,1976*: Shame of emergency: ADM Jabalpur v. SS Shukla – Considered as one of the darkest days of Indian democracy as a Constitution Bench of the highest court of the land, by a majority of 4:1, rules that, while a proclamation of emergency is in operation, the right to move High Courts under Article 226 for Habeas Corpus challenging illegal detention by State will stand suspended.
10. Justice HR Khanna’s dissenting judgment in which he appeals to “the brooding spirit of law” and “the intelligence of the future” earns him legendary status but loses him the post of CJI.
11. Closely following the developments at Sansad and Tilak Marg, New York Times describesthe  Indian Supreme Court’s capitulation as “virtually the last step in the destruction of a democratic society” and a decision “which appears close to utter surrender”.
12. January 29, 1977*: Justice MH Beg supersedes Justice HR Khanna as the Chief Justice of India, the second such instance of the senior most judge being superseded for the post of CJI. Justice Khanna resigns.
13. 1978*: The strength of the Court is raised again, this time to 18.
14. January 25, 1978*: Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India – Court holds that as per Article 21, “procedure established by law” must be “fair, just and reasonable, not fanciful, oppressive or arbitrary”; overrules AK Gopalan.
15. September 15, 1979*: Tukaram v. State of Maharashtra  – Famously known as the Mathura rape case, the Supreme Court reverses the order of conviction passed by the Bombay High Court and acquits the accused on the ground that the victim had consented to sexual intercourse. Judgment creates uproar after jurists including Professor Upendra Baxi write to the Supreme Court judges; leads to a slew of amendments in penal provisions pertaining to rape.
16. November 26, 1979*: First Law Day celebrated by the Supreme Court Bar under the leadership of Dr. LM Singhvi to commemorate the adoption of the Indian Constitution; the tradition continues to date.
17. May 9, 1980*: Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab – Supreme Court upholds Constitutionality of death penalty.
18. July 31, 1980*: Minerva Mills v. Union of India – Court gives key interpretations to the “Basic Structure Doctrine”. Holds that Parliament’s power to make Constitutional amendments is limited and it cannot be used to enfeeble fundamental rights. The Court also interprets the “Directive Principles of State Policy” and holds that social welfare laws cannot be made in abrogation of Part III rights.
19. November 14, 1980*: Justice VR Krishna Iyer retires as Supreme Court judge.
20. December 30, 1981*: SP Gupta v. President of India & Ors. (First judges case) – Court holds that among the opinion of the three Constitutional functionaries, the opinion of the Chief Justice of India does not enjoy primacy over those of the other two in the matter of appointment of judges.
21. April 23, 1985*: Mohammed Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano – Court holds that divorced Muslim women are entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
22. July 10, 1985*: Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation – A classic case of expansion of the scope of Article 21 with the Court ruling that slum and pavement dwellers can be evicted from public places where they reside only after the State provides them alternative shelter.