The correct option is The Supreme Court reiterated the Basic Structure doctrine.
Explanation
The Minerva Mills v. Union of India (1980) judgment is a landmark decision that reinforced the supremacy of the Constitution over Parliament and consolidated the Basic Structure doctrine established in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973).
Detailed Analysis:
- Reiteration of Basic Structure: The Supreme Court struck down clauses 4 and 5 of Article 368, which had been inserted by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1976). These clauses attempted to give Parliament unlimited amending power and exclude judicial review of constitutional amendments. The Court ruled that Parliament cannot use its limited amending power to grant itself absolute power, thereby reiterating the Basic Structure doctrine.
- Judicial Review: The judgment explicitly declared that Judicial Review is a basic feature of the Constitution. By striking down the attempt to bar judicial scrutiny, the Court affirmed that the judiciary retains the power to review the constitutionality of amendments.
- Rejection of Absolute Supremacy: The Court rejected the notion that Parliament is supreme or sovereign in the sense of possessing unlimited constituent power. Instead, the Constitution is supreme.
- Harmony between Rights and Directives: The judgment also held that the Indian Constitution is founded on the bedrock of the balance between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy.
Key Takeaway: The Minerva Mills case (1980) is pivotal for striking down the "absolute power" clauses of the 42nd Amendment, thereby reaffirming the Basic Structure doctrine and the essentiality of Judicial Review.