Leading Cases for the Advocates‑on‑Record Examination PAPER IV: Read, Memorize and Apply Precedents
Leading Cases for the Advocates‑on‑Record Examination PAPER IV: Read, Memorize and Apply Precedents
The table below compiles the leading cases that form the backbone of Paper IV — Leading Cases for the Advocates‑on‑Record examination, ranging from Kesavananda Bharati (1973) to Shreya Singhal (2015). These landmark judgments span constitutional law, fundamental rights, administrative and service law, criminal and civil procedure, environmental law, and commercial disputes, and together map the doctrinal contours candidates must master. Use this list as a study scaffold: create one‑page briefs for each case highlighting facts, issues, ratio, key dicta, and practical applications, then practice applying those ratios to novel fact patterns under timed conditions.
Leading Cases List
No.
Case Name
Citation
Page
1
His Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalavaru v. State of Kerala
[1973] Supp. SCR 1
1
2
Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India
[1978] 2 SCR 621
125
3
Minerva Mills Ltd. & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.
[1981] 1 SCR 206
167
4
Sharad Birdhi Chand Sarda v. State of Maharashtra
[1985] 1 SCR 88
212
5
A.R. Antulay v. R.S. Nayak & Anr.
[1988] Supp. 1 SCR 1
227
6
Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu and Others
[1992] 1 SCR 686
266
7
Indra Sawhney and Ors. v. Union of India and Ors.
[1992] Supp. 2 SCR 454
293
8
S.R. Bommai and Ors. v. Union of India and Ors.
[1994] 2 SCR 644
390
9
L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India and Others
[1994] Supp. 6 SCR 261
465
10
Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India and Ors.
[1996] Supp. 5 SCR 241
467
11
D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal
[1996] Supp. 10 SCR 284
473
12
Mafatlal Industries Ltd. v. Union of India
[1996] Supp. 10 SCR 585
483
13
Vishaka and Ors. v. State of Rajasthan and Ors.
[1997] Supp. 3 SCR 404
541
14
Githa Hariharan and Anr. v. Reserve Bank of India and Anr.
[1999] 1 SCR 669
544
15
Rupa Ashok Hurra v. Ashok Hurra and Anr.
[2002] 2 SCR 1006
553
16
Pradeep Kumar Biswas and Ors. v. Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and Ors.
[2002] 3 SCR 100
560
17
P. Rama Chandra Rao v. State of Karnataka
[2002] 3 SCR 60
567
18
T.M.A. Pai Foundation and Ors. v. State of Karnataka and Ors.
[2002] Supp. 3 SCR 587
574
19
P.A. Inamdar and Others v. State of Maharashtra and Others
(2004) 8 SCC 139
625
20
Technip SA v. SMS Holding (Pvt.) Ltd. and Ors.
[2005] Supp. 1 SCR 223
627
21
M/S. S.B.P. and Co. v. M/S. Patel Engineering Ltd. and Anr.
[2005] Supp. 4 SCR 688
638
22
Rameshwar Prasad and Ors. v. Union of India and Anr.
[2006] 1 SCR 562
664
23
I.R. Coelho (Dead) By Lrs. v. State of Tamil Nadu
[2007] 1 SCR 706
694
24
Common Cause (A Regd. Society) v. Union of India & Ors.
[2008] 6 SCR 262
707
25
State of West Bengal & Ors. v. The Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, West Bengal & Ors.
[2010] 2 SCR 979
716
26
Smt. Selvi & Ors. v. State of Karnataka
[2010] 5 SCR 381
729
27
Re: Special Reference No. 1 of 2012
[2012] 9 SCR 311
773
28
Republic of Italy and Ors. v. Union of India and Ors.
[2013] 4 SCR 595
805
29
Novartis AG v. Union of India & Others
[2013] 13 SCR 148
816
30
Dr. Balram Prasad v. Dr. Kunal Saha & Ors.
[2013] 12 SCR 30
829
31
Lalita Kumari v. Govt. of U.P. and Ors.
[2013] 14 SCR 713
850
32
National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India and Others
[2014] 5 SCR 119
869
33
Pramati Educational & Cultural Trust & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.
[2014] 11 SCR 712
906
34
M/s. Kailash Nath Associates v. Delhi Development Authority & Anr.
[2015] 1 SCR 627
915
35
Shreya Singhal v. Union of India
[2015] 5 SCR 963
921
Leading Cases List (Volume 2)
No.
Case Name
Citation
Page
36
Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and Another v. Union of India
[2015] 13 SCR 1
936
37
Union of India v. V. Sriharan @ Murugan & Ors.
[2015] 14 SCR 613
1011
38
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited v. EMCO Limited & Others
[2016] 1 SCR 857
1022
39
Mukesh & Anr. v. State for NCT of Delhi & Ors.
[2017] 6 SCR 1
1026
40
Excel Crop Care Limited v. Competition Commission of India and Another
[2017] 5 SCR 901
1095
41
Common Cause v. Union of India and Ors.
[2017] 13 SCR 361
1113
42
Shayara Bano v. Union of India and Others
[2017] 9 SCR 797
1135
43
Justice K S Puttaswamy (Retd.) and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.
[2017] 10 SCR 569
1166
44
Common Cause (A Regd. Society) v. Union of India & Another
[2018] 6 SCR 1
1238
45
Municipal Corporation, Ujjain & Anr. v. BVG India Limited and Ors.
[2018] 6 SCR 861
1309
46
Shakti Vahini v. Union of India and Others
[2018] 3 SCR 770
1316
47
Navtej Singh Johar & Ors. v. Union of India Thr. Secretary Ministry of Law and Justice
[2018] 7 SCR 379
1323
48
Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.
[2018] 8 SCR 1
1387
49
Jarnail Singh & Others v. Lachhmi Narain Gupta & Others
[2018] 10 SCR 663
1516
50
Joseph Shine v. Union of India
[2018] 11 SCR 765
1524
51
Competition Commission of India v. Bharti Airtel Limited and Others
[2018] 14 SCR 489
1562
52
Swiss Ribbons Pvt. Ltd. & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.
[2019] 3 SCR 535
1574
53
Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. v. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
[2019] 7 SCR 522
1595
54
Dr. Ashwani Kumar v. Union of India and Another
[2019] 12 SCR 30
1609
55
Rojer Mathew v. South Indian Bank Ltd. & Ors.
[2019] 16 SCR 1
1617
56
Central Public Information Officer, Supreme Court of India v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal
[2019] 16 SCR 424
1654
57
Committee of Creditors of Essar Steel India Limited Through Authorised Signatory v. Satish Kumar Gupta & Ors.
[2019] 16 SCR 275
1699
58
M/s Shanti Conductors (P) Ltd. v. Assam State Electricity Board and Ors.
[2019] 16 SCR 252
1731
59
Keisham Meghachandra Singh v. The Hon’ble Speaker Manipur Legislative Assembly & Ors.
[2020] 2 SCR 132
1737
60
Sushila Aggarwal and Others v. State (NCT of Delhi) and Another
[2020] 2 SCR 1
1742
61
Dheeraj Mor v. Hon’ble High Court of Delhi
[2020] 2 SCR 161
1763
62
Internet and Mobile Association of India v. Reserve Bank of India
[2020] 2 SCR 297
1780
63
Indore Development Authority v. Manoharlal & Ors. Etc.
[2020] 3 SCR 1
1805
64
Madras Bar Association v. Union of India & Anr.
[2020] 2 SCR 246
1858
Leading Cases List (Volume 3)
No.
Case Name and Citation
Page
65
Nandini Sundar And Ors. v. State of Chattisgarh, [2011] 8 S.C.R. 1028
1873
66
Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar & Anr., [2014] 8 S.C.R. 128
1876
67
Abhiram Singh v. C.D. Commachen (Dead) by Lrs. & Ors., [2017] 1 S.C.R. 158
1880
68
Neeraj Dutta v. State (Govt. of N.C.T. of Delhi), [2022] 5 S.C.R. 104
1902
69
Sukhpal Singh Khaira v. The State of Punjab, [2022] 10 S.C.R. 156
1916
70
Satender Kumar Antil v. Central Bureau of Investigation & Anr., [2022] 10 S.C.R. 351
1923
71
Janhit Abhiyan v. Union of India, [2022] 14 S.C.R. 1
1932
72
Shilpa Sailesh v. Varun Sreenivasan, [2023] 5 S.C.R. 165
1984
73
Kaushal Kishor v. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors., [2023] 8 S.C.R. 130
1994
74
Subhash Desai v. Principal Secretary, Governor of Maharashtra & Ors., [2023] 8 S.C.R. 857
2014
75
Cox and Kings Ltd. v. SAP India Pvt. Ltd. & Anr., [2023] 15 S.C.R. 621 : 2023 INSC 1051
2023
76
In Re: Interplay Between Arbitration Agreements under The Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 and The Indian Stamp Act 1899, [2023] 15 S.C.R. 1081 : 2023 INSC 1066
2039
77
In Re: Article 370 of The Constitution, [2023] 16 S.C.R. 1 : 2023 INSC 1058
2051
78
Association for Democratic Reforms & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors., [2024] 2 S.C.R. 420 : 2024 INSC 113
2065
79
Dr Kavita Kamboj v. High Court of Punjab and Haryana & Ors., [2024] 2 S.C.R. 1136 : 2024 INSC 192
2095
80
Sita Soren v. Union of India, [2024] 3 S.C.R. 462 : 2024 INSC 161
2099
81
Government of NCT of Delhi & Anr. v. M/s BSK Realtors LLP & Anr., [2024] 5 S.C.R. 1159 : 2024 INSC 455
2113
82
Mineral Area Development Authority & Anr. v. M/s Steel Authority of India & Anr. Etc., [2024] 7 S.C.R. 1549 : 2024 INSC 554
2119
83
The State of Punjab & Ors. v. Davinder Singh & Ors., [2024] 8 S.C.R. 1321 : 2024 INSC 562
2159
84
Aligarh Muslim University v. Naresh Agarwal & Ors., [2024] 11 S.C.R. 1647 : 2024 INSC 856
2179
85
Property Owners Association & Ors. v. State of Maharashtra & Ors., [2024] 11 S.C.R. 1 : 2024 INSC 835
2206
86
Tej Prakash Pathak & Ors. v. Rajasthan High Court & Ors., [2024] 12 S.C.R. 28 : 2024 INSC 847
