India's corporate legal landscape has been shaped by numerous landmark judgments over the years. Here is a curated list of some significant corporate law cases that have influenced the legal framework in India:
One of the first written legal codes.
Led to the foundation of legal philosophy.
Basis of Roman law and legal traditions.
Established the principle that the king is not above the law.
Limited royal prerogative power in England.
Established the principle of judicial review.
Strengthened federal power over state governments.
Expanded federal control over interstate commerce.
Limited the reach of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Denied citizenship rights to Black people, later overturned.
Declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.
Upheld "separate but equal" doctrine (later overturned by Brown).
Led to the Miranda rights (right to remain silent).
Legalized abortion nationwide in the U.S. (later overturned in 2022).
Legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S.
Shifted the global focus on apartheid.
Set precedent for prosecuting war crimes.
Addressed war crimes after WWII.
Eichmann was guilty of crimes against the Jewish people and crimes against humanity.
Defined legal responsibility for genocide.
Defined modern antitrust law in the tech industry.
Broke up monopolies under antitrust laws.
Allowed unlimited corporate spending in U.S. elections.
Established the principle of corporate legal personality.
Defined contract law and unilateral contracts.
Resolved the 2000 U.S. presidential election dispute.
Defined fundamental rights in Indian law.
Established the "basic structure" doctrine of the Constitution.
Addressed corruption and asset recovery.
Symbolized post-dictatorship justice.
Examined international extradition laws.
Early case on transboundary pollution.
Defined principles of sovereignty in international law.
Established state responsibility for international waterways.
Addressed unlawful military intervention.
Led to the "Right to be Forgotten" on the internet.
Debated encryption vs. national security.
Highlighted data privacy issues.
Triggered global debates on mass surveillance.
Recognized that marital rape is a crime.
Allowed the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases.
First case requiring a government to reduce emissions.
Youth-led climate lawsuit against the U.S. government.
Held Shell accountable for environmental damage.
Protected urban forests from development.
Prohibited gender-based military academy discrimination.
Led to debates on Muslim women’s rights and maintenance laws.
Strengthened gender pay equality laws.
Brought legal action against workplace harassment.
Overturned Roe v. Wade and reshaped abortion laws.