Defining the scope and powers of Parliament to extend its jurisdiction beyond Indian territory, the Supreme Court has held it can legislate on any extraterritorial issue which has a direct “nexus” with Indians or any resources impacting India’s interests.
“Parliament may exercise its legislative powers with respect to extraterritorial aspects or causes, things, phenomena, resources, actions or transactions, and the like — that occur, arise or exist or may be expected to do so ... in the social, political, economic, cultural, biological, environmental or physical spheres outside India’s territory,” ruled a Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices B. Sudershan Reddy, K.S. Radhakrishnan, S.S. Nijjar and Swatanter Kumar.