---
title: "Doctrine of Eclipse: Meaning & Article 13 | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Doctrine of Eclipse makes pre-Constitution laws dormant if they conflict with fundamental rights, crucial for UPSC GS2 polity and legal studies."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/doctrine-of-eclipse"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed July 7, 2026

TL;DR

- The Doctrine of Eclipse is a constitutional principle in Indian law that addresses the status of pre-Constitution laws that conflict with fundamental rights under the Constitution of India, 1950.
- According to this doctrine, such laws are not entirely void but are rendered dormant, or 'eclipsed,' by the conflicting fundamental right.
- Does the Doctrine of Eclipse apply to post-constitutional laws?
- How does the Doctrine of Eclipse differ from the Doctrine of Severability?
- What is the leading case on the Doctrine of Eclipse?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated July 7, 2026

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Example

In Bhikaji Narain Dhakras v. State of Madhya Pradesh (1955), the Supreme Court held that the 1947 C.P. and Berar Motor Vehicles Act, eclipsed by Article 19(1)(g) in 1950, revived fully after the First Amendment of 1951 authorised state transport monopolies.

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