A year of landmark verdicts and key developments

The year 2024 was an important one for the Supreme Court of India, marked by transformative judgments that reshaped constitutional and legal landscapes, reaffirmed the commitment to individual liberties, and underscored the principles of equality.

- Utkarsh Anand

It was also a year of significant transitions and critical interventions in sensitive sociopolitical issues.

A string of Constitution bench verdicts dominated the year, addressing a wide spectrum of issues, including political funding, parliamentary privileges, property rights, and affirmative action. These rulings highlighted the apex court's evolving jurisprudence on personal liberty and its critical review of stringent laws.

The year also witnessed a leadership transition, with Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud retiring in November and his successor Justice Sanjiv Khanna, inheriting a docket loaded with matters of critical constitutional importance and cases of religious sensitivity that have captured national attention.

In February, a five-judge bench struck down the Centre's 2018 electoral bonds scheme, deeming it unconstitutional for violating voters' right to information. By mandating full disclosure of donors and recipients for bonds issued since April 2019, the court underscored the principle of electoral transparency, despite the scheme's stated intent of curbing black money in politics.

The court followed this with another landmark judgment in March when a seven-judge bench reversed its 1998 ruling that shielded lawmakers from prosecution for accepting bribes in exchange for votes or speeches in the legislature. The court ruled that such acts, undermining public trust and democratic integrity, could not be protected under the doctrine of parliamentary privilege.

July witnessed a pivotal decision by a nine-judge bench, which placed limitations on the State's power to acquire privately owned property for redistribution as public resources. The court limited the State's power to acquire privately owned property for redistribution as public resources, ensuring only those meeting specific criteria for public benefit qualified.