The Supreme Court of India is a venerated institution, half judicial tribunal, half political preceptor. It has often had to negotiate with the dominant yet shifting public opinion in the country. It has sometimes shared the onerous duties of statesmanship with the executive. At times it has sought to stamp its own indelible political and moral imprint on the national psyche. At other times, it has been alert that its activities did not exceed its capacity.

In the midst of the changing conglomeration of manifold forces, the role it played, the identity it sought, the reconciliation it attempted were laden with immense difficulties. Each tentative 'equilibrium ' was disturbed by the relentless forces of history and each major reshuffling of forces sent the judges forth on another lap in their odyssey. The course of the quest, the phases of the odyssey and the nature of future expectations is the theme of the book.

All these developments have been carefully analysed and boldly presented by the author in this edition of the work. It has been updated till present times and three new chapters have been added.

A very useful publication for lawyers, judges, law students and even the lay person.

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• All India Reporter :

This fine study is a treat to the legal thinkers, teachers, students and those who are interested to study the development of our Supreme Court. The details of the Court 's activities, as to how and why the Court did, what it did, are narrated in this book. The author deserves praise and congratulations.

• Indian Express :

"Judicial intervention should move from the greater rights to the smaller rights, from public to private grievances. It would only then be radical and be free from the allegations that it has indulged in political rhetoric, couched in judicial phrases. What we need is real judicial activism and not mere judicial populism", writes Mr. Gobind Das, senior Supreme Court advocate, in his recently published book titled `Supreme Court in Quest of Identity´.

• Patriot :

The Supreme Court should lay down specific guidelines for judicial intervention by lower courts in public interest litigation. The suggestion has been made in a recent book 'Supreme Court in Quest of Identity ' by Mr. Gobind Das, former Advocate General of Orissa and presently a Supreme Court lawyer, reports UNI.

                   WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 1  Introduction
                   BORN PERFECT 8 The beginning WISE RICH AND LANDS 16 (1950-1960)
                   NAILS IN THE COFFIN 39 (1960-1970)
                   BATTLE LINES DRAWN 65  (1971-1975)
                   LIONS UNDER THE THRONE 79 (1971-1977)
                   SPELL OF GRANDEUR 103 (1977-1980)
                   CREATIVE AMBIGUITY 131 (1980-1984)
                   HIGHWAYS NOT BYE LANES 200
                   The Bhagawati Court SARTRE NOT HALSBURY 246
                   The future  

                   CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE 258
                   The decade (1987-1998)
                   DANCE OF WOLVES 263 (1987-1992)
                   SOCIO-POLITICAL CORRECTNESS 367 (1993-1999)
                   CHRONOLOGY OF CASES 453