Current affairs
Law in the news, for your exam
Recent judgments, bills and constitutional developments — short, dated, and linked to the provision behind each one.
The Article 143 Reference: What the Supreme Court's Advisory Opinion on Governors' Powers Really Settles
After the Supreme Court set timelines for Governors to act on state Bills, the President invoked her rare Article 143 power to ask whether courts can do that at all — here is what the resulting advisory opinion means for the Assent process and for federalism.
Privacy versus the Right to Know: Supreme Court Sends the DPDP-RTI Clash to a Constitution Bench
The Supreme Court has referred to a larger bench the question of whether the Digital Personal Data Protection Act's amendment to the RTI Act uses privacy as a pretext to gut citizens' right to information.
Why an Ordinance, Not a Bill? Expanding the Supreme Court's Judge Strength Explained
Reports of a Central ordinance to raise the Supreme Court's sanctioned judge strength put the spotlight on Article 124's law-making requirement and the President's ordinance power under Article 123 — and on why the number of judges was never fixed by the Constitution itself.
Can the Supreme Court Set Deadlines for the President and Governors? Inside the Presidential Reference Opinion
The Supreme Court has answered a rare Presidential Reference asking whether courts can compel Governors and the President to act on Bills within fixed timelines — reopening a fight over the limits of judicial power under Articles 143, 200 and 201.
Caste, Conversion and Reservation: What the Supreme Court's Ruling on 'Converted Dalits' Means
The Supreme Court has weighed in on a decades-old constitutional puzzle — whether a person born into a Scheduled Caste loses that status, and the reservation that comes with it, on converting to Christianity or Islam.
Living Wills Meet Reality: The Supreme Court Applies India's Right to Die With Dignity for the First Time
Seven years after recognising passive euthanasia and advance medical directives as part of Article 21, the Supreme Court has for the first time actually applied that right to permit withdrawal of life support in a pending case.
Did Parliament Properly Debate the CEC/EC Appointments Law? Why the Supreme Court Is Asking
A pending constitutional challenge to the law governing appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners has put the Supreme Court in the delicate position of probing how a law was passed in Parliament, without appearing to inquire into Parliament's internal proceedings.
Why Nine Judges Are Deciding What Counts as an 'Industry' — And Why It Matters to Every Employee
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has begun re-examining the 1978 test for what counts as an 'industry' under labour law, a question that decides whether hospitals, universities, charities and clubs owe their staff the protections of industrial adjudication.
The Supreme Court's SIR Verdict: Electoral Roll Revision, Article 324 and the Right to Vote
A clutch of petitions against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has forced the Supreme Court to draw the line, once again, between the Commission's plenary powers and the constitutional promise of universal adult suffrage.
Free Speech Ends Where Vilification Begins: The Supreme Court's Ruling on Public Figures and Communal Remarks
A Supreme Court ruling holding that free expression does not protect the vilification of communities has reopened the constitutional conversation between Article 19's speech guarantee and the fraternity that Article 51A demands of every citizen — and especially of those in high constitutional office.
No Dismissal Without Inquiry: Supreme Court Tightens the Screws on Article 311(2)'s Escape Clause
A recent Supreme Court ruling makes clear that a government servant cannot be sacked by invoking the 'inquiry not practicable' exception under Article 311(2) unless the disciplinary authority actually records material justifying that conclusion.
No Turning Back the Clock: Supreme Court Rules New District Judge Eligibility Norms Apply Only Prospectively
A Constitution Bench has held that a fresh eligibility requirement for direct recruitment to the post of District Judge cannot upset appointments and selection processes already under way, reaffirming the principle that judicial rule-changes ordinarily look forward, not back.
The Sabarimala Reference: What the Nine-Judge Bench Is Really Deciding About Religion and the Constitution
As a nine-judge Constitution Bench reserves judgment after weeks of hearings, the Supreme Court is revisiting not just Sabarimala's temple gates but the entire framework for judging which religious practices deserve constitutional protection.
Why the Supreme Court's District Judge Eligibility Ruling Will Only Apply From Today Onwards
A Constitution Bench decision on who can become a District Judge shows how India's top court balances legal certainty with fairness by making some rulings operate only for the future.
Explained: The Supreme Court's First Real-World Order on Passive Euthanasia Since 2018
Nearly a decade after declaring that the right to die with dignity flows from Article 21, the Supreme Court has, for the first time, actually applied that right to permit withdrawal of life support for a man who had lain in a persistent vegetative state for thirteen years.
Monthly compilations
Every month's current affairs in one printable PDF — a Prep Plus revision staple.