The nation woke up to the news of the passing away of the Keralite seer Kesavananda Bharti. Kesavananda Bharati passed away at the age of 79 years in Edaneer Mutt in Kerala. The seer was suffering from many old-age related issues and passed away in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
We know him best for his immense contributions towards the evolution of basic structure of the Constitution through his petition in the Supreme Court. Keralite seer Kesavananda Bharati is known for having bravely challenged a Kerala Land Reform Act more than forty years ago and this set the the principle that it is the Supreme Court of India is the ultimate apex justice delivering body in India and that it is endowed with the responsibility of holding on and protecting what can be called as the basic structure of the Constitution. It is in this case that the largest ever bench in the history of Indian judiciary (it had thirteen judges) came together and was involved in the delivery of the verdict.
We know of the landmark case between Kesavananda Bharati and the state of Kerala as the Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala case today.
The case continued to be heard across 68 days and this makes it the longest proceeding to have ever taken place in India. The final hearing was completed on March 23,1973.
This is an important case because it continues to underline that even though the Indian Constitution can be amended to suit the needs of the hour but its basic structure cannot be hampered.
