---
title: "basic structure doctrine — Definition & Meaning"
description: "The basic structure doctrine asserts that Parliament can't alter the Constitution's essential framework, protecting its core principles in India."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/basic-structure-doctrine"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The basic structure doctrine holds that Parliament's amending power under Article 368 cannot alter the Constitution's essential framework, which courts may strike down even validly enacted amendments to protect.
- In which case was the basic structure doctrine first propounded?
- Does the basic structure doctrine apply to ordinary laws?
- Which features has the Supreme Court declared part of the basic structure?
- How did Minerva Mills (1980) strengthen the doctrine?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The basic structure doctrine holds that Parliament's amending power under Article 368 cannot alter the Constitution's essential framework, which courts may strike down even validly enacted amendments to protect.

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In Minerva Mills v. Union of India (1980), the Supreme Court invoked the basic structure doctrine to strike down clauses of the 42nd Amendment that sought to make Parliament's amending power unlimited and beyond judicial review.

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