Amit Shah mourns death of Swami Kesavananda Bharathi, says 'irreplaceable loss for nation'

Mourning the demise of  Swami Kesavananda Bharathi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday stated the death to be 'an irreplaceable loss for the nation'. Kesavananda Bharathi, a petitioner in a case that led to the Supreme Court evolving the celebrated doctrine of basic structure of the Constitution, died in Kasaragod on Sunday.

Taking to Twitter, Amit Shah said that Kesavananda Bharathi 'will always be remembered as an icon of Indian culture for his rich contribution to safeguard our tradition and ethos' and further extended his deepest condolences to his followers.

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Police had said the 79-year old Kerala-based seer Kesavananda Bharathi Sripadagalvaru died at the Edaneer Mutt here due to age-related ailments. The case in which Bharathi had challenged a Kerala Land Reform Act nearly four decades ago set the principle that the Supreme Court is the guardian of the basic structure of the Constitution and the verdict involved 13 judges the largest bench ever to sit in the apex court. The case of Kesavananda Bharathi vs 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.

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PM Modi pays tribute

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered Kesavananda Bharati for his contributions towards community service and empowering the downtrodden. 

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