India’s judiciary uses key Indian Judicial Doctrines to interpret the Constitution, settle legislative disputes, and uphold justice. These doctrines have evolved through landmark rulings across decades.

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• Indian Judicial Doctrines help define limits of legislative and executive power

• Doctrine of Basic Structure bars Parliament from altering core constitutional values

• Features like secularism, federalism, judicial independence considered “basic”

• First used in 1973 in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala

• Doctrine of Harmonious Construction resolves list overlaps in legislative subjects

• Doctrine of Eclipse keeps unconstitutional laws dormant, not nullified

• Doctrine of Pith and Substance focuses on main subject, not incidental effects

• Doctrine of Incidental Powers allows lawmaking on connected matters

• Doctrine of Colourable Legislation blocks indirect misuse of legislative powers

• Doctrine of Severability strikes down only invalid parts of a law

• Doctrine of Territorial Nexus permits law if state-object link exists

• Doctrine of Laches denies remedy if petition delayed unreasonably