Which legal doctrine developed by the Indian judiciary empowers the Supreme Court to review constitutional amendments to ensure they do not alter or destroy the foundational pillars of the Constitution?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Basic Structure doctrine was propounded by the Supreme Court in the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973, establishing that Parliament's amending power under Article 368 cannot be used to alter the essential features of the Constitution. Colourable legislation checks whether a legislature indirectly achieves what it cannot do directly. Territorial nexus checks whether laws enacted by a state legislature have sufficient territorial connection to that state.