Kesavananda Bharati, the head of Edneer Mutt in Kerala's Kasaragod district, passed away at the ashram on Sunday morning. The sage was the lead petitioner in the landmark case that eventually led to the formation of the Basic Structure Doctrine of the Indian Constitution.
Kesavananda Bharati was 79 years old. He had been suffering from some respiratory issues since the past few days.
Kesavananda Bharati is known for being the lead petitioner in the prominent case in the Supreme Court that led the apex court to evolve the Basic Structure Doctrine.
Kesavananda had challenged the Kerala Land Reforms Act of 1969 and the 29th Constitutional Amendment, which included the land reforms act, through writ petitions. He is reportedly the first person to file a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the amendments to the Constitution, reports Mathrubhumi.
Though the state had argued in the court that amendments can be brought in basic structure for the welfare of people, it was finally decided by the apex court that the Parliament cannot bring in such amendments. However, the judgment did not provide any relief to the petitioner.
The case widely known as the ‘Kesavananda case’, reportedly witnessed a marathon hearing for 68 days, by an SC bench consisting of 13 judges.
The case is said to be one of the landmark cases of the country. In 1973, the Basic Structure Doctrine was formally introduced following the case. According to this doctrine, the basic features of the Indian Constitution cannot be altered through Parliament amendments. The case is also said to be the longest hearing in the history of the Supreme Court. The seer is widely hailed as the 'saviour of the Constitution'.
Kesavananda was 19 years old when he became the chief of the Edneer Mutt, in 1960. The mutt belongs to the ‘parampara’ or line of Totakacharya, one among the four disciples of Shankaracharya.
In 2018, Kesavananda was awarded the Justice VR Krishna Iyer award. The award was presented by then Governor and former Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam.