Context

The Supreme Court clarified that its March 11, 2026 judgment on the OBC creamy layer does not require a sweeping revision of service allocations or seniority in past recruitment years. The ruling will, however, govern the service allocation of OBC candidates selected through the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025.

Background & Key Facts

• The March 11 judgment: It upheld a 1993 Office Memorandum that excludes parental salary and agricultural income from the income/wealth test used to decide OBC non-creamy layer status.
• The Centre's concern: Represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the government warned of a "potential impact" on more than 6.69 lakh reserved vacancies, including 3.7 lakh OBC vacancies, filled over the last 10 years. It also flagged effects on seniority, pay, promotions and the Foundation Course for CSE-2025 candidates.
• The clarification: A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan said the Centre had erred in assuming retrospective consequences. The judgment decided only the rights of the candidates who approached the court, and it does not reopen concluded selections or confer relief on non-parties.
• CSE 2025: Results were declared on March 6, five days before the judgment, but services had not yet been allocated. The court found no justification to defer the ruling's application to that allocation.

Context

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed voters marked Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to seek re-inclusion by resubmitting enumeration forms, instead of using Form 6. In Delhi, an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has sought an FIR against a BJP booth-level agent over allegedly false deletion requests.

Background & Key Facts

• Where it applies: The directive covers seven States and UTs where the SIR is under way: Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland.
• Why it matters: Form 6 is meant for first-time voters and includes a declaration that the applicant is not registered elsewhere, which raised concerns about its legality for existing voters. The Supreme Court, hearing a petition by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri on October 28, had asked why Form 6 was used and why Form 8 could not be.
• New process: Booth-wise ASDD lists, with probable reasons for exclusion, must be displayed again at polling stations. Partially filled forms will be generated on ECINET. Old EPIC numbers can be re-assigned, which the petitioners said preserves voters' history.
• Mustafabad complaint: The ERO sought an FIR against BLA Chandra Shekhar Nainwal. Of 37 Form 7 applications linked to him, 36 were found "false/fabricated", and three electors listed as dead were living at their addresses. Section 31 of the RP Act, 1950 (false declarations) has been invoked. Mr. Nainwal denied filing them and any link with the BJP.

Context

Union Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that voter IDs with biometric authentication would replace Aadhaar to identify beneficiaries of his Ministry's schemes. The editorial "Epic failures" argues that this conflicts with the Supreme Court's rulings and could exclude many people from welfare.

Background & Key Facts

• The Court's position: In its May 27 judgment on the Bihar SIR, the Supreme Court held that the ECI may make only a "limited enquiry" into citizenship and that its consequences are "confined to electoral consequences alone". It called the EPIC "a derivative document" based on the roll.
• The West Bengal example: The editorial says lakhs were deleted for "logical discrepancies", and 93% of appeals led to restoration by September 2026. The Court is yet to rule on the legality of this method.
• The exchange: Rahul Gandhi called the plan "rights theft". The Minister said he was distorting facts, and clarified that voter ID and biometric checks would be used along with Aadhaar.
• The basic objection: Not every citizen is an eligible voter. Children, for instance, are not on the roll, so tying benefits to it can exclude genuine beneficiaries.

Context

A Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant called bans on vehicles and construction "old, tried and failed tools". It asked the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) whether they had any scientific solution. Hours later, CAQM invoked Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR.

Background & Key Facts

• Air quality: Delhi's 24-hour average AQI was 382 ("very poor") at 4 p.m. on Friday, up from 369. Stubble burning contributed 7.9% of PM2.5, down from 14.2% a day earlier.
• GRAP-III measures: BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles are banned in Delhi and five NCR districts. Dust-generating construction and demolition is banned with some exceptions, and classes up to Grade 5 move to hybrid mode.
• Government's reply: Additional Solicitor-General Aishwarya Bhati said GRAP was not a "complete failure". She cited urbanisation, festive activity and stubble burning as reasons pollution control is difficult.
• Court's observations: The court criticised the "commodification and commercialisation" of Deepavali by affluent sections and noted that the poor bear the worst effects. Justice V. Mohana suggested awareness campaigns and a return to traditional practices.

AQI Categories (as reported)

Context

A Ground Zero report from Arunachal Pradesh describes growing protests by the Adi community against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). Villagers allege that consent for its Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) was obtained through deceit, force and threats, and protests have met a heavy security response.

Background & Key Facts

• The project: The 11,000 MW project, to be developed by NHPC, was declared a national project in 2008. Parong in Siang district is one of three proposed PFR sites.
• China factor: The push follows reports that China has begun its Medog dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows into India as the Siang and later forms the Brahmaputra. The government argues SUMP is needed to counter it.
• Impact claimed: Activists estimate 27 villages would be fully submerged and up to 40 affected. Livelihoods depend on riverbank paddy farming and orange orchards, and the Adi trace their origins to Riga village.
• Protests and crackdown: On October 4, 54 elderly protesters were allegedly injured in a lathi charge at Uggeng. Activists were arrested under the Arunachal Pradesh UAPA, 2014, and a march in Pasighat on October 23 turned violent, with NHPC premises set on fire. The Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum rejected talks in Itanagar on November 5.
• Contested MoUs: MoUs since September 2025 record "irrevocable consent" for the PFR, linked to a special relief package. Villagers allege that signatures were obtained by deceit or threat of losing scheme benefits. Activists also propose smaller dams on tributaries as an alternative.

Context

In an op-ed, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat writes about families displaced by three projects in Madhya Pradesh's Panna and Chhatarpur districts. She describes the Majhgaya and Runjh dams and the Ken-Betwa river-linking project, and the arrest of ward councillor Divya Ahirwar, who has since got bail. The piece is written from a political standpoint, but it raises legal points relevant to exam answers.

Background & Key Facts

• Compensation dispute: At Majhgaya, the package was raised from ₹5 lakh to ₹12.5 lakh only in December 2025 after protests. Section 38(1) of the LARR Act, 2013 requires rehabilitation to be completed six months before submergence for irrigation projects.
• Ken-Betwa project: It involves a 96.7-metre dam near Daudhan on the Ken, meant to bring water to Bundelkhand. A Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee in 2019 noted that 6,000 of 9,000 hectares needed was forest land, including part of the Panna Tiger Reserve, and that about 2.3 million trees would be felled.
• Affected people: About 8,000 Adivasi families in 22 villages are directly affected. The author says no village has had forest rights recognised, though Section 4(5) of the Forest Rights Act bars eviction until this is complete.
• Protests: Residents run a "chita andolan" (funeral pyre movement). The author links this struggle to protests over voter deletions under Article 326, and both to the right to life under Article 21.

Context

The Gauhati High Court quashed the National Security Act (NSA) detention of land-rights activist Pranab Doley, who had protested against a luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park. He was released after 118 days in custody.

Background & Key Facts

• Sequence: Mr. Doley was arrested on July 12 after protesting the hotel project at Ingle Pathar. A Golaghat court granted him bail on July 29, and the State invoked the NSA on July 30.
• The ruling: The court held the detention illegal because the grounds cited lacked the required proximity.
• Who he is: Mr. Doley, 40, is convener of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee.

Context

Ahead of the 10th anniversary of demonetisation, economists Anindya Chakrabarti, Chirantan Chatterjee and Samarth Gupta write about their forthcoming research. It finds that the cash shortage reduced purchases of medicines for acute illnesses.

Background & Key Facts

• The event: On November 8, 2016, 86% of India's currency by value was demonetised at four hours' notice. Nearly 99.3% of the withdrawn notes returned to banks, according to the RBI.
• Data: The study used AIOCD sales data across 805 firms, 31 regions and 18 illness categories.
• Finding: Sales of acute-illness drugs fell by nearly 3.6% in volume and 3.1% in value relative to chronic drugs. Prices and product variety did not change, and prescription and outbreak data showed no break.
• Explanation: Chronic drugs are bought regularly, so buyers plan and compare prices. Acute purchases are sudden and are deferred when cash runs short. Areas with fewer public health centres saw larger declines.

Context

Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad said petrol samples from major oil companies contained ethanol far above the prescribed 20%, up to 31.2%. The State-owned oil marketing companies said the tests did not follow prescribed procedures.

Background & Key Facts

• Test results: IOCL and HPCL samples showed 31.2% and 30.5% ethanol. BPCL, Nayara and Shell samples showed 26.5%, 26.1% and 25.5%. The samples came from six districts, and NABL-accredited labs did the testing.
• Transparency claim: The Minister said in-house reports by the companies did not disclose ethanol content.
• Consumer impact: He said 99% of India's over 35 crore vehicles are not built for blends above 20%. He estimated a ₹62,000 crore loss from a 10% mileage loss on 6,200 crore litres a year, and ₹1 lakh crore with repairs, without explaining the latter.
• Demands: Penalties for over-blending, display of blend percentages at fuel stations, and an E20 spoilage fund for compensation.
• Companies' response: The OMCs asked for full sampling documents, outlet-wise lab reports and samples for retesting.

Context

With rice prices rising after a deficient and uneven monsoon, the Centre has ordered traders, wholesalers, retailers, processors and millers to declare rice and paddy stocks every week until January 31, 2027.

Background & Key Facts

• Order: Under a November 6 order, six categories must be declared, from Basmati to paddy. Units update the Food Stock Portal every Friday, and violations attract action under Sections 6 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
• State stock limits: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana may impose stock limits through control orders.
• Supply measures: More rice goes to NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar for sale as Bharat Rice. The OMSS (Domestic) e-auction target for 2026-27 was doubled to 50 lakh tonnes, of which about 25 lakh tonnes had been sold by October 31.

Context

Global technology stocks fell sharply over fears that AI infrastructure spending will take longer to pay off, a concern heightened by the U.S. midterm results. Indian markets bucked the trend, and the government approved 12 more electronics component projects.

Background & Key Facts

• Global selloff: The Nasdaq-100 fell 6.36% on November 5, wiping out about $2.53 trillion. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 12.2%, and the losses spread to Asian markets the next day.
• Data-centre risk: A Macquarie note flagged possible moratoriums or curbs on new data centres after polls in Texas, Georgia and Ohio. Scrutiny of power, water, emissions and zoning could raise costs.
• India: The Sensex rose 2.17% to 81,028.02 and the Nifty crossed 25,000, helped by lower crude prices. FPIs were net buyers of ₹14,974.68 crore on November 5.
• ECMS: Approvals now total 118, with committed investment of ₹77,051 crore, almost 30% above the ₹59,350 crore target.

Context

Chief Justice Surya Kant, heading a three-judge Bench, rejected a bail plea in a cyberfraud case. He said orally that cybercriminals "have no space in society" and could not be rehabilitated, unlike murderers.

Background & Key Facts

• Earlier directions: The same Bench recently mandated SOPs to curb cyber fraud and ensure time-bound refunds, and directed action through zero FIRs.
• Digital arrests: I4C data showed complaints falling from 1,23,672 in 2024 to 58,249 in 2025, and 16,377 by June 30, 2026.
• Gaps: The e-Zero FIR system works in 19 States, while only 14 have notified State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres.
• New rules: The Telecommunications (Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation) Rules, 2025 have been notified, and the User Identification Rules are near final.

Context

The International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) adopted the Seoul Declaration at its 13th General Assembly. It expressed concern over unilateral actions and called for strict adherence to the UN Charter.

Background & Key Facts

• Meeting: The assembly was held in Seoul from November 4 to 6, with 83 political parties taking part. It was co-hosted by South Korea's ruling Democratic Party and the Opposition People Power Party.
• Declaration: It reaffirmed sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference and the peaceful settlement of disputes. It warned that the threat of force and selective observance of obligations erode trust in international law.
• Limits: Conflicts in Palestine and Iran were discussed but not named. ICAPP standing committee chair Chung Eui-yong said parties can only influence governments, not act as mediators.