Supreme Court of India · 1980-07-31
MINERVA MILLS LTD. & ORS. vs UNION OF INDIA & ORS.
- Citation / case number
- SC 1977/61626
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Petitioner
- MINERVA MILLS LTD. & ORS.
- Respondent
- UNION OF INDIA & ORS.
- Author
- CHANDRACHUD, Y.V. ((),BHAGWATI, P.N.,GUPTA, A.C.,UNTWALIA, N.L.,KAILASAM, P.S.
- Bench
- CHANDRACHUD, Y.V. ((CJ),BHAGWATI, P.N.,GUPTA, A.C.,UNTWALIA, N.L.,KAILASAM, P.S.
Judgment text excerpt
The Supreme Court ruled that while Article 368 grants Parliament the power to amend the Constitution, this power is limited and cannot alter or destroy the Constitution's basic structure. The Court declared clauses (4) and (5) of Article 368, introduced by the Forty-Second Amendment, unconstitutional as they transgress these limitations, effectively allowing Parliament to abrogate democracy and depriving the judiciary of its power to review amendments. The decision emphasized that a limited amending power is a fundamental feature of the Constitution, and any attempt to expand this power is invalid.