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Supreme Court strikes down Karnataka law validating 2011 recruitment
ଖବରରେ କାହିଁକି?
Can a legislature undo a court verdict? The separation of powers test behind Karnataka's struck-down recruitment law
SC voids Karnataka's validating law for 2011 recruitment; legislature can't nullify judgments.
Why it matters: general awareness
What you need to know
2 ମିନିଟ
The Supreme Court struck down a Karnataka law that sought to validate a 2011 recruitment process whose cancellation had been upheld by both the High Court and the Supreme Court.
The Court held that the legislature cannot annul a cancellation, even by legislation, and thereby nullify the judgments of constitutional courts.
The ruling reaffirms the separation of powers.
ଉତ୍ସ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ମୁଖ୍ୟ ତଥ୍ୟ
Remember these
- The Supreme Court struck down a Karnataka law validating a 2011 recruitment process.
- The cancellation of that recruitment had already been upheld by both the High Court and the Supreme Court.
- A legislature may remove the legal basis of a judgment, but cannot directly annul or overrule the judgment itself.
- Separation of powers is part of the basic structure of the Constitution (Kesavananda Bharati, 1973).
- Validating laws are tested on whether they cure the defect in the law or merely nullify a court's decision.
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ · ମେନ୍ସ
How the exam will ask it
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ
- Statement: A legislature can enact a validating law that removes the defect on which a court judgment is based, but cannot simply declare the judgment void.
- Statement: Separation of powers, though not expressly stated in the Constitution, has been held to be part of its basic structure.
- Statement: Judicial review of legislation by the High Courts and the Supreme Court is also part of the basic structure.
ମେନ୍ସ
GS Paper 2 (Polity, Judiciary, separation of powers). Issue: a State law sought to validate a 2011 recruitment that courts had already cancelled. Provision: the legislature may cure the defect in the law but cannot nullify judgments of constitutional courts, as this breaches separation of powers and judicial review. Implication: it protects merit-based public recruitment and judicial finality; way forward is to fix recruitment processes transparently instead of using validating legislation.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The Supreme Court struck down a Karnataka law validating a recruitment whose cancellation courts had upheld, holding that the legislature cannot nullify judgments. This reflects the constitutional principle of:
- Doctrine of Eclipse
- Doctrine of Pith and Substance
- Separation of powers
- Doctrine of Severability
ଉତ୍ତର ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ
ଉତ୍ତର: C — Correct: Separation of powers — A legislature may change the law on which a judgment rests, but cannot directly annul a court's judgment; that would breach separation of powers. • Doctrine of Eclipse — wrong: The Doctrine of Eclipse concerns pre-Constitution laws inconsistent with fundamental rights, not validating laws. • Doctrine of Pith and Substance — wrong: Pith and substance resolves overlaps between Union and State List subjects, not legislative overriding of judgments. • Doctrine of Severability — wrong: Severability allows the invalid part of a law to be cut off from the valid part; it does not address nullifying judgments.
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