Landmark Human Rights Cases in India
Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018 / Section 377): The Supreme Court decriminalized consensual homosexual relationships by abolishing parts of Section 377 of the IPC, affirming LGBTQ+ rights as fundamental human rights. [1]
Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala (2018 / Sabarimala Case): The Supreme Court struck down the ban on menstruating women entering the Sabarimala temple, ruling that devotion cannot be subject to gender discrimination. [1]
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) v. Union of India (2014): The Supreme Court recognized transgender persons as a 'third gender' and affirmed their fundamental rights under the Constitution.
ADM Jabalpur v. Shivakant Shukla (1976): A historic and heavily criticized emergency-era habeas corpus case where the majority ruled fundamental rights could be suspended, countered by Justice H.R. Khanna’s famous dissent protecting the right to life. [1]
Shah Bano Case (1985): The Supreme Court upheld the right to maintenance for divorced Muslim women under secular criminal law, broadening human rights protections beyond personal religious laws. [1]
How to Pursue a Human Rights Case in India
