Which one of the following cases propounded of the concept of ‘Basic Structure’ of the Indian Constitution ?

The answer is D. The basic structure doctrine was propounded in Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala (1973), a 13-judge bench that held Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution under Article 368 but cannot alter its basic structure. None of the three cases listed is the source.

• A) Indra Sawhney (1992): The Mandal case. It upheld 27% OBC reservation, introduced the creamy layer exclusion and capped total reservation at 50%. It is not about basic structure.
• B) Shankari Prasad (1951): The first amendment challenge. The Court held that the Article 368 amendment power extended to Fundamental Rights, so basic structure had not yet emerged. The spelling in the option is a typo.
• C) Rudal Shah (1983): It widened Article 21 remedies, granting compensation for illegal detention. It has no link to basic structure.

Core concept: the basic structure limits constituent power and is enforceable through judicial review. It connects to Mains GS-II on the Parliament-judiciary relationship and to the NJAC verdict (2015), which was struck down on basic structure grounds.

Trap: Aspirants pick Shankari Prasad or Golaknath because they are amendment cases in the same chain. Golaknath (1967) was the step before Kesavananda, but it did not propound the doctrine.