A 13-judge bench is constituted for the very first time in the Supreme court. The government attempts to pack the court with government-leaning judges to obtain a favourable verdict. We hear about the divisions and backgrounds of judges on the bench.

Yazdi Dandiwala, a former article clerk, takes us through the petitioners’ preparations. On October 31, 1972 Nani Palkhivala opens arguments for the petitioners. He leads an impassioned defence of fundamental rights. We hear about all the courtroom dynamics, and the behind-the-scenes drama before Palkhivala brings his arguments to a close with a flourish.

Credits

• Host: Raghu Karnad
• Research Manager: Ramya Boddupalli
• Research: Bhavya Dore, Ramya Boddupalli
• Legal Research: Aishwarya Chaturvedi
• Script writing: Bhavya Dore, Ramya Boddupalli
• Script Editor: Supriya Nair
• Producer: Gaurav Vaz
• Sound Design, Score & Title Track: Saachi Rajadhyaksha
• Mixing & Mastering: Ayan De
• Guests: Arvind Datar, Rohinton Nariman, Sandip Thakore, Yazdi Dandiwala
• Advisors: Lawrence Liang, Ranvir Singh, Shyam Divan and Vivek Divan

Special thanks to Anand Thakore, Gita Sahgal, Homi Ranina, Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Reetika Subramanian and Vimal Thakore.

Clips used:

• Song: Apni Azadi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_2SIAEDziw
• Nani Palkhivala budget speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0wcIAzXcyU
• TR Andhyarujina on Kesavananda Bharati: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/tr-andhyarujinakesavananda-bharati-1131229.html

For transcript and more resources go to: https://www.anildivanfoundation.org/season-2