Precedents are an important source of law. While the legislation brings in new laws, it is the responsibility of the judiciary to interpret these laws in the right ways through cases that it deals with. It is these very cases that help the legal system in India evolve.
Usually, landmark judgments in India are actually pronounced by the Apex Court. A majority of the landmark judgments are pronounced by the Supreme Court's constitutional benches. However, that is not to say that the High Court does not pronounce landmark judgments. Let us dive deep into a few of these important judgments.
Important legal cases in India
Generally, landmark judgments are delivered by a bench of five or more judges, that constitute to become the constitutional bench. It is important to note that two-bench or single judgments usually may not be very essential unless such benches interpret an important provision of the Constitution of India.
Now that we are clear with the background, let us have a look at some of the important case judgments in India.
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Shreya Singhal v. Union of India
In this case, the Hon'ble Apex Court struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, saying that it violated the freedom of speech and expression, which is an important fundamental right. The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India held Section 66A to be unconstitutional.
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M.C. Mehta v Union of India (1986)
In the case of M.C. Mehta v Union of India (1986), the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India brought forward the "Absolute Liability Principle". It stated that in the situations of industries such as Shriram that are actually indulged in inherently risky acts, the rule of absolute liability will be applicable. The applicability of the rule of absolute liability in such cases would mean that any industry that is dealing with hazardous activities that may lead to harm to the people working there or in general through an accident or hazard to the environment, would be held absolutely liable.
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Indira Sawhney v. Union of India (1992)
In this case, the Court upheld the application of the Mandal Commission Report recommendations. It explained the "creamy layer" and stated that reservations could actually not be more than 50 percent of the total available seats.
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Rajgopal v State of tamil Nadu (1994)
In this case, the Court upheld that the right to privacy is actually a part of the right to life and liberty conferred on the citizens of India through Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. It stated that the right to privacy is actually the "right to be let alone".
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Vishakha v State of Rajasthan (1997)
In this case of 1997, the Court explained what is "sexual harassment at the workplace". It put forward the guidelines that are a mandate to be abided by at the workplace against sexual harassment.
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Chairman, Railway Board v. Chandrima Das (2000)
The last on our list is the case of Chairman, Railway Board v. Chandrima Das (2000). The Court put that the right to life is actually conferred to the non-citizens of India as well who come to India for the purpose of tourism or otherwise.
The takeaway
While it is impossible to list down all the important cases that ever happened in India, this was just a short list of some of the important landmark cases in India. The list will be updated time and again as new judgments are passed.
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