Table of Contents
- Over 4,000 Criminal Cases Pending Against MPs/MLAs: Amicus Curiae Report to SC
- Navy to Lease Two More MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones from the US
- GISAT-1A: ISRO’s September Launch to End a Seven-Month Gap
- Are Courts Precluded from Granting Fair Compensation for a Nuclear Mishap? SC Asks Centre
- NASA’s Moon Base Plan, Explained
- Notice to Actors: What the Law Says on Surrogate Advertisements
- Centre–State Tussle Over the Mines and Minerals (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- FM–Bankers Meet: PSB Confluence 2026
- Why India Is Finding It Difficult to Buy Critical Minerals from Abroad
- Government Clears 31 Applications Under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme
- China’s Grand Plan for AI: Global Governance Ambitions
- Why Adivasis Are Resisting the Ken-Betwa River Link (The Hindu Science Page)
1. Over 4,000 Criminal Cases Pending Against MPs/MLAs: Amicus Curiae Report to SC
Why in News: Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appointed amicus curiae in a long-running PIL on expeditious trial of criminal cases against legislators, has submitted a fresh report to the Supreme Court. The report reveals that criminal cases against sitting and former MPs and MLAs total 4,192, a figure that has stayed roughly static since 2018 despite continuous judicial monitoring.
Key Facts
- The affidavit shows that 1,243 criminal cases were decided in 2025, while 1,050 new cases were registered in the same year — meaning disposals barely outpaced fresh filings.
- 251 of 543 Lok Sabha MPs currently face criminal cases, of which 170 are “serious” cases (punishable with five years’ imprisonment or more).
- Among Chief Ministers, Telangana’s Revanth Reddy (89 cases), West Bengal’s Suvendu Adhikari (29 cases) — note: some reports list him as Leader of Opposition — and Karnataka’s D.K. Shivakumar (19 cases) figure prominently in the disclosures.
- The amicus has recommended that non-bailable warrants (NBWs) be issued against accused persons who skip two consecutive hearings, and that Special MP/MLA Courts be allowed to exclusively try such cases until they conclude.
- The matter arises from a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking speedy disposal of cases against lawmakers.
UPSC Relevance
- Polity & Governance: Criminalisation of politics, Representation of the People Act, 1951 (Sections 8 and 8A on disqualification), Law Commission’s 244th and 255th Reports, ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) data.
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper II — “Criminalisation of politics undermines the representative character of Indian democracy. Discuss the judicial and legislative measures needed to address it.”
- Concept to Remember: Amicus curiae — literally “friend of the court” — a person (usually a senior lawyer) appointed by a court to assist it with expertise on a matter, without representing any party to the case.
2. Navy to Lease Two More MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones from the US
Why in News: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with US firm General Atomics to lease two additional MQ-9B Sea Guardian long-range surveillance drones for the Indian Navy, at a cost of roughly Rs 1,943 crore.
Key Facts
- The MQ-9B Sea Guardian is a High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics, optimised for maritime domain awareness.
- It carries a multi-mode maritime surface-search radar, electro-optical/infrared sensors, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, and can deploy sonobuoys for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
- This lease builds on India’s existing arrangement: the Navy has operated two Sea Guardians on lease from General Atomics since 2020, operating out of INS Rajali, Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu).
- Separately, India signed a broader $3–4 billion deal for 31 MQ-9B Predator drones (15 Sea Guardians for the Navy; 8 Sky Guardians each for the Army and Air Force), with deliveries expected from later in the decade.
UPSC Relevance
- International Relations/Security: India–US defence cooperation, the COMCASA, LEMOA and BECA foundational agreements that enable such platform integration.
- Prelims Fact Check: Distinguish between MQ-9B Sea Guardian (naval/maritime variant) and MQ-9B Sky Guardian (used by Army/Air Force for land ISR).
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — Indigenisation of defence production vs. reliance on leased/imported platforms; the role of unmanned systems in maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region.
3. GISAT-1A: ISRO’s September Launch to End a Seven-Month Gap
Why in News: After the setback to India’s launch schedule earlier in the year, ISRO’s GISAT-1A (EOS-05) geo-imaging satellite is now expected to lift off aboard a GSLV Mk II rocket in September 2026 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota — ending an extended gap in Indian orbital launches.
Key Facts
- GISAT-1A (also called EOS-05) is the replacement for EOS-03, which was lost when the GSLV-F10 cryogenic upper stage failed in August 2021.
- It is a geostationary Earth-observation satellite, built by ISRO’s U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, carrying an optical payload built around a 700-mm Ritchey-Chrétien telescope with multispectral and hyperspectral imaging capability.
- Operating from geostationary orbit (~36,000 km altitude), it will provide near-real-time, continuous imaging of the Indian subcontinent — unlike sun-synchronous polar-orbit satellites, which revisit a location only periodically.
- Applications include quick disaster monitoring, weather tracking, agriculture, forestry and resource management.
- The mission will fly under the designation GSLV-F17.
UPSC Relevance
- Science & Tech: Difference between sun-synchronous (polar) orbit and geostationary orbit satellites; India’s Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) series.
- Prelims Fact: GSLV Mk II uses an indigenous cryogenic upper stage (CUS); know India’s major launch vehicles — PSLV, GSLV Mk II, LVM3 (GSLV Mk III).
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — Space technology applications in disaster management and governance.
4. Are Courts Precluded from Granting Fair Compensation for a Nuclear Mishap? SC Asks Centre
Why in News: The Supreme Court, hearing a PIL filed by former bureaucrat EAS Sarma and others, has asked the Centre to clarify whether constitutional courts are barred from awarding “fair and just” compensation in the event of a nuclear accident, under the newly enacted SHANTI Act.
Key Facts
- The SHANTI Act — Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 — replaced the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 (CLNDA) and permits private companies to set up civil nuclear power plants.
- The Act caps operator liability at Rs 3,000 crore in case of a nuclear mishap — a provision the petitioners argue violates Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
- A Bench led by CJI Surya Kant observed that even if Parliament has capped statutory liability, this does not by itself preclude constitutional courts from awarding fair and just compensation — echoing the logic used after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy litigation.
- The Court also sought clarity on a possible conflict of interest: Section 17(4) of the Act allows the Atomic Energy Commission (which itself operates nuclear plants) to recommend members to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the regulator.
- Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners, argued the liability cap risks letting operators “cut corners on safety.”
UPSC Relevance
- Polity: Article 21 (right to life) and the judicially evolved doctrine of “just, fair and reasonable” compensation for victims of industrial/nuclear disasters; the M.C. Mehta absolute liability principle.
- Governance: Independence of regulators — comparison with debates on SEBI, RBI, TRAI autonomy.
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper II/III — “Balancing energy security through private participation in nuclear power with the constitutional guarantee of adequate compensation for disaster victims.” Also useful for Environment & Disaster Management answers.
5. NASA’s Moon Base Plan, Explained
Why in News: NASA has unveiled details of a phased Moon Base program, shifting its Artemis-era focus from the now-shelved Lunar Gateway space station to a permanent lunar surface outpost near the lunar south pole.
Key Facts
- NASA’s plan runs in three broad phases (2026–2032+): starting with uncrewed robotic and rover missions, moving to crewed sorties, and culminating in a permanent base that could eventually cover “hundreds of square miles,” supported by hopping scout drones and lunar terrain vehicles.
- Contracts have been awarded to companies including Blue Origin (Blue Moon lander), Firefly Aerospace, Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost (for Lunar Terrain Vehicles).
- Artemis II, the first crewed test flight around the Moon, was completed in April 2026; Artemis III (crewed landing) is targeted for around 2027–2028.
- NASA has paused development of the Lunar Gateway, the planned mini space station meant to be a relay point between Orion and the lunar lander, in favour of a direct surface-base approach — though it intends to repurpose some Gateway hardware.
- A December 2025 US Executive Order on “Ensuring American Space Superiority” set a goal of establishing initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, alongside development of a nuclear power reactor for lunar surface use.
- The shift is partly driven by the emerging US–China Moon race, with China targeting a crewed landing around 2029–2030.
UPSC Relevance
- Science & Tech / IR: Artemis Accords, India’s association with Artemis, comparison with China–Russia’s International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
- Prelims Fact: Know the difference between Artemis I (uncrewed, 2022), Artemis II (crewed flyby, 2026) and Artemis III (planned crewed landing).
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — Geopolitics of space resource exploitation and lunar governance (Outer Space Treaty, Moon Agreement).
6. Notice to Actors: What the Law Says on Surrogate Advertisements
Why in News: Maharashtra’s food safety authorities have issued notices to top Bollywood actors, warning them to stop appearing in surrogate advertisements for a cardamom/mouth-freshener brand that is widely associated with a banned pan-masala product.
Key Facts
- Surrogate advertising is a marketing technique used to indirectly promote a restricted or banned product (such as tobacco, pan masala, or liquor) by advertising an ostensibly legal product that shares the same brand name, logo, or visual identity.
- The state’s notice invokes the principle that Indian law restricts advertisements that are misleading — a standard rooted in the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, along with Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines.
- India has separately been drafting stricter rules to curb surrogate advertising, following earlier complaints that liquor brands were being promoted through club-soda or music-CD proxy products.
- This is distinct from, but sometimes confused with, restrictions on surrogacy (reproductive) advertising under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, which imposes a near-total ban on advertising or soliciting commercial surrogacy services to prevent exploitation of women.
UPSC Relevance
- Governance: Consumer protection law, self-regulation via ASCI vs statutory regulation; the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, which explicitly bans surrogate tobacco advertising.
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper II — Consumer rights and advertising regulation in India; ethics angle on celebrity endorsement responsibility (useful for GS Paper IV, Ethics).
7. Centre–State Tussle Over the Mines and Minerals (Amendment) Bill, 2026
Why in News: Parliament has passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which restricts states’ powers to tax mineral rights and mineral-bearing land — triggering objections from mineral-rich states over fiscal federalism.
Key Facts
- The Bill inserts a new Section 9D into the MMDR Act, 1957, barring states from imposing taxes, cess, or other levies on mineral rights or mineral-bearing lands except as permitted by the Centre.
- It also seeks to invalidate past state levies that were imposed but not yet deposited or recovered before the Bill’s enactment (though already-recovered amounts need not be refunded).
- The Bill follows the Supreme Court’s July 2024 nine-judge bench ruling (Mineral Area Development Authority v. Steel Authority of India) which had affirmed that states do have the power to tax mineral rights, and that the MMDR Act, 1957 does not limit this power — a verdict this new Bill effectively seeks to constrain going forward.
- Under the Constitution: Entry 54 (Union List) allows Parliament to regulate mines/minerals if declared expedient in public interest; Entry 23 (State List) gives states mining regulation power subject to the Union List; Entry 50 (State List) gives states the power to tax mineral rights, subject to any limitations Parliament imposes by law relating to mineral development.
- The Bill also allows existing mining lease holders to explore and extract critical minerals (lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite) within their existing leases without additional fees — linked to India’s critical minerals security push.
- States argue the law undermines fiscal federalism and reduces their revenue autonomy soon after a favourable Supreme Court verdict; the Centre argues it ensures predictability and reduces “tax-on-tax” burdens for investors.
UPSC Relevance
- Polity: Constitutional distribution of legislative powers (Seventh Schedule); fiscal federalism debates (similar to GST compensation cess disputes).
- Landmark Case: Mineral Area Development Authority (MADA) v. Steel Authority of India (2024) — a must-know 9-judge bench ruling for Mains.
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper II — “Cooperative federalism versus legislative overreach: Examine recent Centre-State friction over resource taxation in India.”
8. FM–Bankers Meet: PSB Confluence 2026
Why in News: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the PSB (Public Sector Bank) Confluence 2026 in New Delhi, announcing that a high-level committee on “Banking for Viksit Bharat” — first flagged in the Union Budget 2026-27 — will be constituted soon.
Key Facts
- The two-day conclave, organised around banks and FICCI/IBA-linked events, focused on seven themes: deposit mobilisation, banking for youth, support for the investment cycle, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), agriculture/horticulture value-chain financing, credit card business reforms, and priority sector lending.
- RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, speaking separately at FIBAC 2026, urged banks to treat Artificial Intelligence as a board-level strategic priority, not routine technology procurement — comparing its transformative potential to digitalisation in the 2000s and liberalisation in the 1990s.
- The meet comes against the backdrop of credit growth trailing deposit growth for much of 2025-26, prompting repeated government nudges to public sector banks to expand lending, especially to productive/corporate sectors.
UPSC Relevance
- Economy: Monetary transmission, priority sector lending (PSL) norms, bank recapitalisation history, financial inclusion architecture.
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — Banking sector reforms roadmap for “Viksit Bharat @2047”; role of public sector banks in credit-led growth.
9. Why India Is Finding It Difficult to Buy Critical Minerals from Abroad
Why in News: India’s push to secure lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and rare earth elements (REEs) from overseas is running into structural obstacles — from China’s export controls to geopolitical instability in resource-rich nations and rising resource nationalism.
Key Facts
- India remains fully import-dependent for lithium, cobalt and nickel, and imports over 90% of its copper and 60% of its natural graphite needs.
- China dominates the upstream and midstream value chain: it accounts for roughly 70-80% of India’s lithium imports, and globally processes a dominant share of rare earths and cobalt.
- In April 2025, China imposed export controls on seven heavy rare earth elements; in October 2025 it expanded these controls to cover foreign-made products containing Chinese-sourced rare earths or Chinese processing technology (though implementation was suspended until November 2026).
- The International Energy Agency’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 warns that full enforcement of such controls could put an estimated $6.5 trillion of annual downstream production outside China at risk across automotive, defence, and high-tech sectors.
- India’s institutional response includes KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) — a joint venture of NALCO, Hindustan Copper and MECL — tasked with securing overseas mineral assets (e.g., lithium exploration MoUs in Argentina and Australia), and the National Critical Mineral Mission.
- Other barriers: resource nationalism in supplier countries (e.g., DRC’s revised mining code raising royalties on cobalt; Chile’s National Lithium Strategy pursuing partial nationalisation), and the high cost/slow pace of building processing capacity outside China.
UPSC Relevance
- Economy/IR: Supply-chain resilience, “friend-shoring,” Quad’s Critical Minerals initiative, India’s 30-mineral critical minerals list (Ministry of Mines).
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — “Critical minerals are the new oil of the 21st century. Discuss India’s strategy for critical mineral security.” A recurring, high-yield theme.
10. Government Clears 31 Applications Under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme
Why in News: The government has approved 31 fresh proposals worth Rs 7,877 crore under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), part of the broader push toward electronics self-reliance.
Key Facts
- The ECMS was notified on 8 April 2025 with an original outlay of Rs 22,919 crore, later enhanced to Rs 40,000 crore in the Union Budget 2026-27.
- With this tranche, the government has now approved 106 applications across roughly 30 product categories and 15 states, with cumulative committed investment of Rs 69,548 crore — already exceeding the scheme’s original investment target of Rs 59,350 crore.
- Approved product categories in this round include camera and display modules, capacitors, connectors, rare-earth permanent magnets, optical transceivers, relays, hermetic terminals, and more — i.e., the “invisible” upstream components that feed into mobile phones, EVs, and IT hardware.
- The scheme aims to build a $500 billion domestic electronics manufacturing ecosystem by 2030-31; India’s electronics production has grown from about Rs 1.9 lakh crore (2014-15) to Rs 13.11 lakh crore (2025-26).
UPSC Relevance
- Economy: Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) family of schemes, Make in India 2.0, electronics value-chain deepening (from assembly to components).
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — Moving from “assembly-led” to “component-led” electronics manufacturing; import substitution in strategic sectors.
11. China’s Grand Plan for AI: Global Governance Ambitions
Why in News: At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, China unveiled a sweeping Global AI Governance Action Plan and formally launched the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO).
Key Facts
- President Xi Jinping proposed four guiding principles: openness and win-win cooperation, heightened risk awareness, inclusiveness and universality, and international solidarity.
- China’s action plan spans eight areas: data, computing power, ecosystems, industrial empowerment, talent development, rules and standards, governance, and AI ethics.
- WAICO, signed by 29 countries, is being read by analysts as China’s bid to institutionalise its own AI governance norms globally — building on the 2023 Global AI Governance Initiative and the 2025 Global AI Governance Action Plan.
- China frames the United Nations as the “main channel” for equitable global AI governance, positioning itself against a perceived US-led, market-driven approach.
- Domestically, China’s core AI industry was valued at over 1.2 trillion yuan (~$176.6 billion) in 2025, feeding into the “AI Plus” initiative under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).
UPSC Relevance
- International Relations: Comparison of US, EU, and China’s approaches to AI governance; India’s own AI governance framework (IndiaAI Mission).
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper II/III — “Emerging technology governance is becoming a new arena of great-power competition. Discuss with reference to Artificial Intelligence.”
12. Why Adivasis Are Resisting the Ken-Betwa River Link
Why in News (The Hindu, Science page): Tribal and farming communities in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur and Panna districts have intensified protests — including symbolic “funeral pyre” (Chita Andolan) demonstrations and marches — against India’s first inter-state river-linking project, the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP).
Key Facts
- The Ken-Betwa Link Project, valued at roughly Rs 44,000–45,000 crore, involves building the Daudhan Dam (77 m high, 2.13 km long) on the Ken river and a 221-km link canal to transfer “surplus” Ken water to the Betwa basin, benefiting the water-stressed Bundelkhand region across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
- The project directly affects 24 villages: about eight will be submerged by the reservoir, and sixteen more are being relocated as part of a linked expansion of the Panna Tiger Reserve (a compensatory/rehabilitation measure for lost tiger habitat).
- Protesters — led by groups such as the Jai Kisan Sangathan — allege inadequate compensation, flawed consent processes, and lack of transparency in rehabilitation, and say tens of thousands of people face displacement from land, forests, and rivers central to their identity and livelihood.
- Environmental objections include the submergence of core forest area inside the Panna Tiger Reserve, and questions raised even by the government’s own Central Empowered Committee (CEC) about the claimed “water surplus” in the Ken basin that underpins the entire project’s rationale.
- Critics argue that strengthening Bundelkhand’s existing local water bodies/irrigation systems could be a less disruptive alternative to a large inter-basin transfer.
- The project is the first to be implemented under India’s long-pending National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, first conceived in the Vajpayee era.
UPSC Relevance
- Environment: Trade-offs between large water infrastructure projects and forest/wildlife conservation; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 provisions on tiger reserves; Forest Rights Act, 2006 and free, prior, informed consent for tribal communities.
- Governance: Displacement, resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) policy gaps; the role of the National Green Tribunal and CEC in project scrutiny.
- Mains Linkage: GS Paper III — “Critically examine the environmental and social costs of India’s river-interlinking programme, with reference to the Ken-Betwa Link Project.” A recurring favourite for Environment and Disaster Management answers.