Daily Briefing Current Affairs

GS-2CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND SENTENCING REFORM

The Lottery and the Ledger: Why India Needs Sentencing Guidelines Judges Must Consider but Need Not Obey

A national sentencing policy is under study by the Law Commission following the Supreme Court's 2024 directive in Sunita Devi. The proposal for a Sentencing Council on the England and Wales model is now part of that debate. An analysis highlights the urgent need for a statutory Sentencing Council in India to curb arbitrary punishments and reduce appellate pendency caused by unguided judicial discretion. This issue…

Sub TopicPRESUMPTIVE SENTENCING GUIDELINES THROUGH A STATUTORY…SourceINDIAN EXPRESS, LIVELAW…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views40,006
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GS-2SECULARISM AND COMPELLED EXPRESSION

Two Stanzas or Six: Where Respect for a National Song Ends and Compelled Worship Begins

The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response to a constitutional challenge against mandatory recitation of the full Vande Mataram. The orders come with a 2026 amendment that extends penal protection under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act to the national song. The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre regarding petitions challenging recent government orders that mandate the singing of the full…

Sub TopicCONSTITUTIONAL VALIDITY OF MANDATORY RECITATION OF THE…SourceSUPREME COURT OF INDIA, THE…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views29,135
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GS-2DRUG PRICE REGULATION

Regulation by Exception: How India's Emergency Pricing Power Became Its Main One

The Supreme Court has reserved orders on petitions seeking stricter enforcement of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. It has questioned both the NPPA's inaction and the basis on which drugs are kept outside price control. The Supreme Court strongly criticized the Centre and the NPPA for allowing exorbitant medicine markups, questioning why economic policy is prioritized over citizens' lives. The hearing highlights the…

Sub TopicPARAGRAPH 19 OF THE DPCO, 2013 AS THE MAIN INSTRUMENT OF…SourceSUPREME COURT OF INDIA, THE…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views30,909
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GS-2BRICS AND COUNTER-TERRORISM DIPLOMACY

A Line for a Line: What India Gave to Get Pahalgam into the BRICS Declaration

India used its 2026 BRICS chairship to secure a named multilateral condemnation of Pahalgam and a renewed call for the CCIT. In return it joined language on West Asia and sanctions that sits uneasily with its Western partnerships. The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum concluded in New Delhi with a joint declaration condemning the Pahalgam terror attack, urging UN Security Council reforms and rejecting unilateral sanctions in…

Sub TopicTRADE-OFFS IN THE 12TH BRICS PARLIAMENTARY FORUM'S NEW…SourcePIB, THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views33,747
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GS-2INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS IN MULTILATERAL FORUMS

Two Tracks, One Guest List: Why India Invites Pakistan to the SCO While Shutting the Door on SAARC

The invitation would make Khichi the first senior Pakistani minister hosted in India since May 2025. It also comes as Pakistan holds the SCO presidency ahead of the summit it hosts in August 2027, where India's level of participation is still undecided. India has officially invited Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture to the inaugural SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi in November 2026. The…

Sub TopicINDIA'S INVITATION TO PAKISTAN'S CULTURE MINISTER FOR…SourcePIB, THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views26,335
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GS-2PRIVACY VERSUS PRESS FREEDOM

Who Counts as Press? Why India's Journalism Exemption Must Protect the Purpose, Not the Publisher

The Supreme Court has formally taken up the first comprehensive challenge by legacy media to India's data protection law and has framed it as a balance between privacy and press freedom. The case now turns on how a journalism exemption should be drafted. The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre on a petition by digital news publishers challenging the DPDP Act 2023 for lacking a journalistic exemption. The case…

Sub TopicDESIGNING A CONSTITUTIONALLY SOUND JOURNALISTIC…SourceSUPREME COURT OF INDIA, THE…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views43,083
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GS-2ELECTION COMMISSION AND JUDICIAL REVIEW

Unanimous on Paper: Why Only the Election Commission's Own Files Can Settle the SIR Dispute

The Election Commission has formally told the Supreme Court that its SIR decisions were unanimous, while reports of internal dissent by the two Election Commissioners remain unresolved. Petitioners want the internal records preserved or produced, making the Commission's own files the central evidence in the case.

Sub TopicWHETHER THE SUPREME COURT CAN COMPEL THE ELECTION…SourceSUPREME COURT OF INDIA, THE…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views35,682
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