Prior to the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution, in which of the following cases the Supreme Court had observed that secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution?
- State of W.B. v. Union of India
- Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain
- M.H. Kureshi v. State of Bihar
- Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Verified Answer
A. (A) 1, 2 and 3
B. (B) 1,3 and 4
C. (C) 2 and 3
D. (D) 2 and 4
Explanation:
The Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973) propounded the Basic Structure Doctrine, which includes secularism as one of its essential features. This was prior to the 42nd Amendment (1976) which explicitly added 'secular' to the Preamble. While Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975) primarily dealt with election laws and reaffirmed the basic structure doctrine, it is often considered in the context of the evolution of the basic structure, which encompasses secularism. Options 1 and 3 are not directly related to secularism as a basic feature.