Supreme Court redefines balance between private property and state power

Supreme Court gives a boost to private property rights

In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court of India has moved to restore the balance between private property and state power. A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Court sat on this important issue, in a matter composed of 16 petitions — the original being one filed by the Property Owners Association in 1992. The matter was progressively referred to larger and larger Benches and drew the attention of multiple senior advocates. The crucial question is whether the Directive Principle outlined in Article 39 (B) of the Constitution, which directs state policy towards ensuring that “the ownership and control of the