HIDAYATULLAH NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY 

B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) Semester – III

Constitutional Governance – I (2014)

-Dr. Deepak Kumar Srivastava

- Ms. Rajput Shraddha Bhausingh

The Fundamental law of the land is its constitution; consequently Constitutional law is a subject
of paramount importance. Constitutional law as a subject deals with the framework of
governance of a country. The governance framework lays down structure of government,
functions of institutions such as legislative, executive and judicial. The study of Constitutional
law includes provisions, interpretation and changes desired based on experience. The
nomenclature suggests the breadth and width to be covered in the subject. The discussion and
lecture travels beyond the reading and understanding of bare provisions of the Indian
Constitution.
The most detailed Constitution of the world, Constitution cannot be comprehensively dealt as a
single subject. Therefore, the study of Constitution of India is divided into two parts,
Constitutional Governance – I and II. Constitutional Governance – I deals with salient features of
the Constitution, fundamental rights, directive principles and fundamental duties.

Objective:

1.To understand and realize the nature, scope and importance of supreme law of the land.
2.Need of a constitution to make a fresh start of governance.
3.To tune with constant growth of the Constitution.
4.To study, analyze and appreciate the role of state in Constitutional Governance.
5.To study, analyze and appreciate the recent development in all four areas above and their
international ramifications.
Methodology:

Lecture Method, Moot Court Exercise, Case Law Analysis, Group Discussion.

Evaluation Criteria:

Moot Court Exercise: 20 Marks

Mid Term: 20 Marks

End Term: 60 Marks

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Module- 1: Introduction (10 CHS)

Constitutional Law, Constitutionalism, Salient Features of the Constitution of India, Nature of

the Indian Constitution – Federal, Unitary, Quasi-federal

Cases:-

1. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, AIR 1973 SC 1461

2. S. R. Bommai v. Union of India, AIR 1994 SC 1918

3. State of West Bengal v. Union of India, AIR 1963 SC 1241

4. Ram Jawaya Kapur v. State of Punjab, AIR 1955 SC 549

5. Kuldip Nayar v. Union of India, AIR 2006 SC 3127

6. State of Haryana v. State of Punjab, AIR 2002 SC 685

Module- 2 The Union and its Territory (5 CHS)

Power to cede Indian Territory to a Foreign Nation; Power to create/extinguish a State;

Alteration of name, area and boundary of existing states – Procedure (Articles 1 – 4)

Cases:-

7. In re Berubari Union and Exchange of Enclaves, AIR 1960 SC 845

8. Ram Kishore Sen v. Union of India, AIR 1966 SC 644

9. Union of India v. Sukumar Sengupta, AIR 1990 SC 1692

10. N. Masthan Sahib v. Chief Commissioner, Pondicherry AIR 1962 SC 797

11. R. C. Poudyal v. Union of India, AIR 1993 SC 1804

12. Babulal Parate v. State of Bombay, AIR 1960 SC 51

Module- 3 Fundamental Rights (8 CHS)

(a) ​‘State’ under Article 12

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Cases:-

13. Som Prakash v. Union of India, AIR 1981 SC 212

14. Pradeep Kumar Biswas v. Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (2002) 5 SCC 111

15. G. Basi Reddy v. International Crops Research Institute, JT 2003 (2) SC 180

16. Zee Telefilms Ltd. v. Union of India (2005) 4 SCC 649

(b) ‘​Law’ under Article 13

(i) ​Doctrine of Eclipse

Cases:-

17. State of U.P. v. Radhey Shyam Rai, 2009 (3) SCALE 754

18. Keshavan Madhava Menon v. State of Bombay, AIR 1955 SC 128

19. State of Gujarat v. Sri Ambika Mills, AIR 1974 SC 1300

20. Bhikaji Narain Dhakras v. State of M. P., AIR 1955 SC 781

(ii​) Waiver of Fundamental Rights

21. Bashesher Nath v. CIT, AIR 1959 SC 149

(iii​) Doctrine of Severability

22. State of Bombay v. F.N. Balsara, AIR 1951 SC 318

23. RMDC v. Union of India, AIR 1957 SC 628

Module- 4: Right to Equality (Articles 14 – 18) (8CHS)

Equality before Law, Non Discrimination, Reasonable Classification, Non- Arbitrariness,

Protective Discrimination, Reservations in Appointments and Promotions, Abolition of
Untouchability, Abolition of Titles

Cases:-

24. Chiranjit Lal Chaudhary v. Union of India, AIR 1951 SC 41

25. State of W. B. v. Anwar Ali Sarkar, AIR 1952 SC 75

26. Kathi Raning Rawat v. State of Saurashtra, AIR 1952 SC 123

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27. State of Kerala v. N. M. Thomas (1976) 2 SCC 310

28. Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, AIR 1993 SC 477

29. Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India (2008) 6 SCC 1

30. Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, AIR 2000 SC 498

31. Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. State of Bihar (1995) 5 SCC 403

32. Dr. Gulshan Prakash v. State of Haryana, 2009 (14) SCALE 290

33. Avinash Singh Bagri v. Registrar, IIT, Delhi (2009) 8 SCC 220

34. M. Nagraj v. Union of India (2006) 8 SCC 212

35. Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India, AIR 1996 SC 770

Module- 5 : Right to Freedom-I (Articles 19) (12CHS)

Freedom of speech and expression and Restrictions

Cases:-

36. Bennett Coleman & Co. v. Union of India, AIR 1973 SC 106

37. Secretary, Ministry of I & B, State of W. B v. Cricket Association (1995) 2 SCC 161

38. People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) v. Union of India (2003) 4 SCC 399

39. Bharat Kumar K. Paticha v. State of Kerala, AIR 1997 Ker. 291 (FB)

40. Communist Party of India (M) v. Bharat Kumar (1998) 1 SCC 201

41. AIADMK v. Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu (2007) 1 SCALE 607

42. Chindamanrao v. State of M.P., AIR 1951 SC 118

43. Narendra Kumar v. Union of India, AIR 1960 SC 430

44 State of Gujarat v. Mirzapur Moti Qureshi Kasab Jamat, AIR 2006 SC 212

Module-6: Right to Freedom-II (Articles 20-22) (6CHS)

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Protection in respect of conviction for offences (Article 20),Protection of life and personal liberty
(Article 21), Right to Education (Article 21A) Protection against arrest and detention (Article 22)

Cases:-

45. Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, AIR 1978 SC 597

46. A. K. Roy v. Union of India, AIR 1982 SC 710

47. D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997) 1 SCC 416

48. People’s Union for Civil Rights v. Union of India, 2003 (10) SCALE 967

Module-7: Right against Exploitation (Articles 23- 24) (2CHS)

Prohibition of Traffic in Human Beings and Forced Labour, Abolition of Child Labour

49.People’s Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of India, AIR 1982 SC 1473

Module-8: Right to Freedom of Religion (Articles 25 – 28) (6CHS​)

Freedom of Conscience, Freedom to Profess or Practice Religion, Freedom to Manage Religious

Affairs, Restriction on Religious Instruction in Educational Institutions, Uniform Civil Code
(Article-44)

CASES:-

50 Seshammal v. State of Tamil Nadu (1972) 2 SCC 11

51. N. Adithayan v. Travancore Devaswom Board (2002) 8 SCC 106

52.Commissioner of Police v. Acharya Jagadishwarananda Avadhuta (2004) 12 SCC 770

53. Bijoe Emmanuel v. State of Kerala (1986) 3 SCC 615

54. Rev. Stainislaus v. State of M.P., AIR 1977 SC 908

55. Brahmo Samaj Education Society v. State of West Bengal (2004) 6 SCC 224

56. Bal Patil v. Union of India (2005) 6 SCC 690.

57. Akhil Bharat Goseva Sangh v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2006) 4 SCC 162

Module- 9: Educational and Cultural Rights (Articles 29, 30) (6CHS)

Right to establish and administer educational institutions – rights of minorities and non
minorities;

CASES:-

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58. Frank Anthony Public School Employee’s Assn. v. Union of India (1986) 4 SCC 707

59. Islamic Academy of Education v. State of Karnataka, JT 2003 (7) SC 1

60. T.M.A. Pai Foundation v. State of Karnataka, AIR 2003 SC 355

61. P.A. Inamdar v. State of Maharashtra, AIR 2005 SC 3236

Module-10: Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32) (6CHS)

Writs, Power of Judicial Review under Article 32 is a basic feature of the Constitution, locus
standi and Public Interest Litigation

Module 11: Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36 - 51) (6CHS)

Rights and legislations aimed at implementing the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Module-12: Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) (2CHS)

Prescribed Text: ​The Constitution of India 1950

Prescribed Books:

1. ​Mahendra P. Singh, V. N. Shukla’s​ Constitution of India

2​. H.M. Seervai​, Constitutional Law of India

3. ​M.P. Jain​, Indian Constitutional Law

4. ​D.D.Basu​, Shorter to the Constitution of India

Reference books:-

1. A.Lakshminath :- ​Basic Structure and Constitutional Amendments( Limitation and

justiciability)
2. Granville Austin:- ​The Indian Constitution Corner Stone of a Nation
3. Justice R.C.Lahoti​ :- The spirit and backbone of Constitution of India
4. P.Ishwer Bhatt :- ​Fundamental Rights

Report:-
1. Report of National commission to review the working of the constitution

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