Kesavananda Bharathi, whose legal fight led to the landmark decision outlining the basic rights under the Constitution, passed away this morning.
The amendments in the Kerala land reforms law which he had challenged were upheld by the Supreme Court in 1973.
Police said the 79-year old Kerala-based seer Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru died at the Edaneer Mutt here due to age-related ailments.
“As per the information with us, he passed away at around 3.30 am on Sunday,” police told PTI.
The case of Kesavananda Bharati vs the State of Kerala was heard for 68 days and continues to hold the top spot for the longest proceedings ever to have taken place in the top court.
Bharati argued that the three amendments breached his fundamental rights under Article 25 (right to practice and propagate religion), Article 26 (freedom of religious denomination, including managing and administering its property) and Article 31 (right to property).
The hearing in the case commenced on October 31, 1972, and concluded on March 23, 1973, and it’s the most referred to case name in Indian Constitutional law.
The seer, however, lost his case. The court upheld the constitutionality of the land reforms Act. In 1968, at the age of 19 years, Sri Keshavananda Bharati Sripadangalavaru succeeded Sri Ishwarananda Bharati Swami as the head of the Edneer Mutt.
The family-run mutt belongs to the lineage of Sri Thotakacharya, one of the first four disciples of Adi Shankaracharya.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu tweeted and expressed deep grief;
