The S.R. Bommai judgment of 1994 is a landmark Supreme Court verdict that restricted the arbitrary use of Article 356 and strengthened federalism in India.

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• The S.R. Bommai vs Union of India case was decided by the Supreme Court in 1994 and became a landmark ruling on the use of Article 356.
• The case originated in 1989 when the central government dismissed the Janata Dal government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister S.R. Bommai.
• The Karnataka Governor recommended President’s Rule claiming Bommai had lost majority support and no alternative government could be formed in the state.
• Bommai challenged the dismissal in court, leading the Supreme Court to constitute a nine-judge constitutional bench to examine the validity of Article 356.
•  The court ruled that the President’s Rule is subject to judicial review and cannot be imposed arbitrarily by the central government.
•  The Supreme Court clarified that the majority of a government must be tested on the floor of the legislative assembly and not decided by the Governor.
•  The judgment also stated that the state assembly cannot be dissolved before parliamentary approval of the President’s Rule proclamation.
•  The verdict strengthened India’s federal structure and limited the misuse of Article 356 by establishing strict constitutional guidelines.