MAINS 2013
GS2
10 marks
The Supreme Court of India keeps a check on arbitrary power of the Parliament in amending the Constitution. Discuss critically.
WRITE IN
7 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Critically discuss how the Supreme Court limits Parliament's power to amend the Constitution.
Discuss criticallyAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Evolution: Shankari Prasad (1951) → Golaknath (1967) → Kesavananda (1973) basic structure≈35 words
- 2Application: Indira Gandhi v Raj Narain (1975), Minerva Mills (1980), I.R. Coelho (2007), NJAC case (2015)≈35 words
- 3Merits: protects constitutional identity from majoritarian change≈35 words
- 4Criticism: vague and judge-made, counter-majoritarian, judicial overreach (NJAC)≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Article 368Case evolutionExamples of laws struck downMeritsCriticismBalance
Where marks usually go
- Listing cases without stating each holding
- No critical side as asked
Draw this
- Timeline of key amendment cases with outcome
Value addition
- CaseMinerva Mills (1980): limited amending power is itself part of basic structure.Supreme Court, 1980
- CaseSupreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (2015) struck down the 99th Amendment (NJAC) 4:1.Supreme Court, 2015
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Alfred Thomas · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 9 ↗Same syllabus reference
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