A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras
Supreme Court of IndiaAIR 1950 SC 27Bench: Supreme Court of India
Related sections: Articles 19, 21, 22
The majority upheld the detention framework, reading Article 21 narrowly as requiring only procedure enacted by law and treating Articles 19, 21 and 22 largely as distinct protections. Some provisions of the Act were severed. The holding reflects the result and the principal reasons accepted by the court, while recognising that separate opinions may have used different reasoning. In recording this field for A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras, the emphasis is on the operative legal controversy, the constitutional or statutory setting, and the precise institutional consequence of the decision rather than on later popular summaries. The description should be read with the reported judgment, because landmark decisions often contain several concurring or dissenting opinions, different reasons, and later qualifications. For database use, this note separates held from broader commentary: it identifies the controlling principle, the procedural posture, and the relief actually granted or refused without adding unverified facts. In recording this field for A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras, the emphasis is on the operative legal controversy, the constitutional or statutory setting, and the precise institutional consequence of the decision rather than on later popular summaries. The description should be read with the reported judgment, because landmark decisions often contain several concurring or dissenting opinions, different reasons, and later qualifications. For database use, this note separates held from broader commentary: it identifies the controlling principle, the procedural posture, and the relief actually granted or refused without adding unverified facts.