What is the case of D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal 1996?
How right against illegal detention became a fundamental right in this landmark case of India?
D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal 1996 is a landmark case in Indian legal history, as it recognized the right against illegal detention as a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution.
The case was brought to the Supreme Court of India by D.K. Basu, a human rights activist, following the custodial death of a person in West Bengal. Basu claimed that the person's death was a result of the police's illegal detention and use of torture. The Supreme Court, in its decision, recognized that the right to life and personal liberty, as guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, includes the right against illegal detention.