Polity

25 items tagged Polity.

• 2026-09-06

  Centre advances Census 2027 population count in four poll-bound states

  The Union Home Ministry on 5 September 2026 advanced the population enumeration phase of Census 2027 in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa, ahead of the nationwide schedule planned for February 2027. In these four states, a self-enumeration option will run from 16 to 30 November 2026, followed by house-to-house enumeration from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027 and a revisional round from 5 to 9 January 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on 5 January 2027. The government deferred the exercise in Manipur amid protests and a demand from sections there for the National Register of Citizens exercise to be completed before the census, even as it moved up the schedule in the four states holding assembly elections in early 2027.

• 2026-09-06

  Supreme Court pushes states to raise district judiciary retirement age to 62

  With 5.18 crore cases pending in district courts across the country, the Supreme Court has pressed states to raise the retirement age of judicial officers in the subordinate judiciary from 60 to 62 years, calling it the crying need of the hour to stem the loss of experienced judicial talent. A three judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has so far seen only seven states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, respond positively and agree to amend their service rules. The court has given the remaining states and union territories a further window to decide, warning that unfilled posts and an ageing out of trained officers would otherwise keep access to justice a distant goal.

• 2026-09-04

  CBI raids 89 locations across 20 states in digital arrest crackdown, Operation Chakra VI

  The Central Bureau of Investigation carried out coordinated searches at 89 locations across 20 states on 4 September 2026 under Operation Chakra VI, its sixth nationwide crackdown against digital arrest syndicates, arresting three people accused of laundering the proceeds of the fraud. The searches related to three cases with a combined alleged loss of about Rs 42.36 crore, including one from Karnataka in which a victim was kept under digital arrest for a month and defrauded of Rs 15.45 crore. In a digital arrest scam, fraudsters posing as police officers or other law enforcement officials keep a victim under sustained psychological coercion over a video call, often forbidding contact with family, while extracting money described as bail, verification deposits or asset audits.

• 2026-09-03

  SC/ST quota medical seats in Karnataka decline after reservation matrix reset

  Karnataka has reverted to its earlier reservation quantum of 15 percent for Scheduled Castes and 3 percent for Scheduled Tribes from the 2026-27 academic year, after the state's 2022 hike to 17 percent and 7 percent, based on the H N Nagamohan Das Commission's population based recommendations, came under challenge in the Karnataka High Court over related recruitment cases. As a result, SC reserved medical seats have fallen from 953 to 906 and ST reserved seats from 392 to 182, out of a total of 6,045 government medical seats for 2026-27, up from 5,609 the previous year. State minister T Raghumurthy said the government is awaiting the High Court's ruling and has asked the Centre to place the enhanced reservation under the Ninth Schedule for constitutional protection. The 2022 hike had taken Karnataka's overall reservation to 56 percent, breaching the Supreme Court's 50 percent cap.

• 2026-09-02

  Supreme Court invokes Article 142 to quash FIRs against NEET UG protesters

  A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana invoked Article 142 of the Constitution on 1 September 2026 to quash FIRs registered against protesters who took part in nationwide agitations over the NEET UG 2026 paper leak between 20 and 25 July. The bench excluded 2,873 individuals with prior criminal antecedents from this relief, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that no fresh FIRs would be registered over the same protests. The Centre also told the court that a policy for compensating families of students who died by suicide linked to the NEET 2026 controversy was being finalised within three months. Following the order, the Cockroach Janata Party called off a protest march it had planned for 5 September.

• 2026-09-02

  Delhi's SIR draft electoral roll excludes 47.7 lakh of 1.45 crore registered voters

  The Election Commission published Delhi's draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision on 31 August 2026, excluding around 47.7 lakh of the capital's roughly 1.45 crore registered voters. The excluded electors were classified under categories such as absent, shifted, dead, duplicate and others after a door to door enumeration exercise conducted between 30 June and 17 August, in which forms were digitised for about two thirds of the electorate. Around 34 percent of the enumeration forms received are flagged for further scrutiny over anomalies such as mismatches with the 2002 intensive revision roll or inconsistencies in age or family details. Affected voters can file claims for inclusion until 30 September, with the final electoral roll due for publication on 4 November 2026.

• 2026-09-01

  Bureau of Immigration ends boarding pass stamping for international flyers from September 1

  From 1 September 2026, the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs stopped stamping boarding passes at immigration counters for passengers departing India on international flights, across all international airports in the country. Passengers can now show an electronic boarding pass on their phone for immigration clearance, and those still carrying a paper boarding pass will no longer have it stamped. The Bureau said the change was meant to reduce passenger inconvenience caused by incorrect or illegible stamping, and it does not affect visa or e-Arrival Card requirements for entering India.

• 2026-08-31

  Jharkhand allows selected prisoners to work outside jail under new reform

  The Jharkhand government will allow selected prisoners with a record of good conduct to step outside jail during the day to work and earn a livelihood, returning to prison by evening. The arrangement will be introduced through open and semi open barracks at four central jails, the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, the Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribag, the Ghaghidih Central Jail in East Singhbhum, and the Dumka Central Jail. IG (Prisons) Sudarshan Mandal said prisoners would have reasonable opportunities to earn a living since these jails are in urban centres. The state cabinet approved the initiative through a government resolution that draws on the Jharkhand Prison and Correctional Service Act, 2025, which provides for the establishment of open correctional institutions.

• 2026-08-31

  Tamil Nadu to set up safe houses in every district for inter-caste couples

  The Tamil Nadu government has decided to set up a safe house in every district to provide security to individuals and families vulnerable to, or affected by, honour killings, caste killings and related violence. Announcing the decision in the Assembly, Minister for Social Justice Vanni Arasu said it was in line with the Supreme Court's judgment in Shakti Vahini versus Union of India and followed representations from survivors of honour killings and activists. The government also indicated it would enact separate legislation against caste killings.

• 2026-08-31

  FSSAI proposes red hexagonal warning labels for unhealthy packaged foods

  The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, in a compliance affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on 28 August 2026, proposed a red hexagonal front of pack warning label for packaged foods high in added saturated fat, sugar or salt, based on thresholds set out in the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition. The rollout is proposed in two phases, with the first covering products high in two or more of the specified nutrients and the second extending the warning to products high in even one. Single ingredient foods and products inherently rich in these nutrients, such as ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey, are proposed to be exempted. The affidavit came in response to a Supreme Court bench hearing a public interest litigation filed by the NGO 3S and Our Health Society.

• 2026-08-31

  PM Modi renews drug-free India call in 137th Mann Ki Baat

  In the 137th episode of his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, broadcast on 30 August 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi renewed his appeal around the Drug Free Youth for a Developed India campaign, urging citizens, especially young people, to help build a drug free India. He also renewed his Vocal for Local appeal, urging citizens to buy India made products.

• 2026-08-31

  NBEMS announces NEET-PG re-exam for Jaipur candidates hit by power outage

  The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences announced a re examination for candidates affected at two test centres, numbers 41682 and 41683, at the iON Digital Zone in Jaipur's Sitapura during NEET PG 2026, after internal power supply issues disrupted the exam there. The re examination will be held on 5 September 2026 at 3 pm in Jaipur. About 2,445 candidates were affected at the Jaipur centres, out of 2,65,980 who appeared nationally for NEET PG 2026.

• 2026-08-26

  PM Modi chairs 53rd PRAGATI meeting, reviews infrastructure projects and cyber fraud

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 53rd meeting of PRAGATI, the ICT enabled, multi modal platform for Pro Active Governance and Timely Implementation, on 25 August 2026. The meeting reviewed six infrastructure projects in the railway, road and power sectors spanning nine states, together worth more than Rs 30,000 crore, with an emphasis on adherence to timelines, inter agency coordination and resolution of pending issues. The Prime Minister said infrastructure projects should be viewed as an integrated whole rather than as individual stretches, and called for exploring common utility corridors while planning major transport projects. During a separate review of cyber fraud cases, including incidents of digital arrest, he called for sustained public awareness campaigns, particularly for senior citizens and youth, and regular capacity building of personnel to identify emerging fraud techniques.

• 2026-08-24

  Karnataka's SIR draft electoral rolls exclude over 1.07 crore voters

  The office of Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer published the draft electoral rolls on 24 August 2026 following the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), removing 19.48 per cent of the state's electors, or more than 1.07 crore voters, categorised as Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead or Others (ASDDO). Bengaluru's rolls will shrink sharply, from an electorate of over 1.03 crore to just 56.11 lakh voters in the draft list. A further 20.35 lakh voters have been flagged for logical discrepancies and 23.45 lakh could not be mapped to the 2002 electoral roll; these voters will receive notices and hearings before the final rolls are published on 27 October 2026.

• 2026-08-23

  Government removes 12-minute-per-hour cap on TV advertisements

  The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting notified the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2026 in the Gazette on 21 August 2026, omitting sub-rule (11) of rule 7 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, which had capped television advertisements at 12 minutes per clock hour since 2006. The Ministry said the cap, introduced when only 62 TV channels existed, no longer suited a fully digitised broadcasting sector of more than 900 channels facing competition from digital media, which carries no comparable advertising ceiling. The government said removing the cap would give broadcasters greater commercial flexibility, promote fair competition with digital platforms, and improve ease of doing business.

• 2026-08-23

  Government restricts cold-medicine combinations for children below four years

  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notified on 22 August 2026 restrictions on the manufacture, sale and distribution of all fixed dose combinations containing Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride, mandating a label warning that they must not be used in children below four years of age. The notification, issued under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, extends an earlier April 2025 restriction on select formulations to all such combinations, following recommendations of an Expert Committee and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board that flagged risks to young children and the availability of safer alternatives.

• 2026-08-22

  Union Cabinet approves a High Court Bench for Ladakh

  The Union Cabinet approved setting up a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir in Ladakh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on 20 August 2026. Shah said the bench would significantly enhance access to justice for citizens in remote areas of Ladakh by reducing the time needed to avail themselves of the legal services they are entitled to, and reiterated the government's commitment to the all round development of Ladakh and to ensuring constitutional safeguards. Ladakh has functioned as a Union Territory without its own legislature since 2019.

• 2026-08-21

  Amit Shah chairs the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council

  Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council at Kovalam near Chennai on 20 August 2026. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay hosted the meeting, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also taking part in deliberations on key inter-state and national issues concerning the southern states.

• 2026-08-21

  PM Modi chairs third high-level meeting with Secretaries

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the third high-level meeting with Secretaries to the Government of India at his residence on 20 August 2026, covering the future agenda for Infrastructure and Connectivity, Security and External Affairs, and Governance. He described data as a national asset whose value is often lost to departmental silos, and called for greater interoperability, while urging Secretaries to think with a long-term perspective rather than immediate statistics alone. He also called for wider engagement between government departments, universities and young people to bring fresh ideas into policymaking, and for the effective use of Artificial Intelligence alongside human judgement. The meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretary and senior officials from key Ministries.

• 2026-08-20

  Supreme Court directs Centre to file affidavit on NTA exam reforms in three weeks

  The Supreme Court directed the Centre to file an affidavit within three weeks detailing the steps taken to implement examination reform recommendations made by the Radhakrishnan committee and reviewed by the Nandan Nilekani committee. The bench questioned whether the National Testing Agency has the dedicated manpower, cybersecurity capacity and infrastructure for institutional permanence, rather than relying on temporary procedural safeguards for each examination. The Centre told the court its current security protocols for the NEET UG examination, including GPS tracked transport of sealed question papers and videographed opening in the presence of student witnesses, made the system difficult to breach.

• 2026-08-20

  Jharkhand cancels 44 recruitment examinations over alleged irregularities

  The Hemant Soren led Jharkhand government cancelled 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the outsourced agency TSR Data Processing since 2014, following a 25 day student agitation over alleged irregularities. The cancelled tests cover posts including drug inspectors, assistant professors, civil judges, deputy collectors and forest range officers, and the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination was cancelled as well, along with results published through the outsourced agency. The government has set up a committee under senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to recommend reforms to the JPSC and JSSC examination systems within two months, even as around 2,000 candidates already appointed through the cancelled JSSC CGL exam protested the decision, fearing job loss.

• 2026-08-19

  President Murmu gives assent to bill renaming Kerala as Keralam

  President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, after the Lok Sabha passed it on 11 August and the Rajya Sabha on 12 August. The Act amends the Constitution, including the First Schedule, to substitute Kerala with Keralam, but the change takes legal effect only once the Central Government issues a notification appointing the date, as with other Article 3 name changes. The bill followed a 2024 resolution of the Kerala Legislative Assembly seeking a name that better reflects the state's Malayalam linguistic identity.

• 2026-08-19

  NTA removes 600 exam experts and adds CISF security in system overhaul

  After lapses in the UGC-NET 2026 papers forced the cancellation of three subject papers, the Education Ministry directed the National Testing Agency to overhaul its examination processes on a war footing. The NTA has removed around 600 experts from its examination team, is onboarding new domain specialists in cybersecurity, psychometrics and question paper design, and will introduce a four-tier system for checking question papers before they are used. Its offices are being shifted from Okhla to Minto Road in Delhi with CISF security cover, after student groups protested outside its Delhi office over the UGC-NET lapses.

• 2026-08-19

  Nation takes pledge against drug abuse on NMBA's sixth anniversary

  The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment held a National Mass Pledge Against Drug Abuse on 18 August to mark the sixth anniversary of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched on 15 August 2020 to tackle drug demand across the country. The ministry aimed to mobilise 10 to 12 crore citizens through both physical and online participation in the pledge. Officials said the campaign has so far reached over 29.26 crore individuals, including more than 11.17 crore youth and 7.90 crore women, with 28.30 lakh persons treated and rehabilitated and outreach carried out in 21.34 lakh educational institutions.

• 2026-08-17

  Parliament passes bill to rename Kerala as Keralam

  Both Houses of Parliament have passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which amends the First Schedule of the Constitution to replace Kerala with Keralam. The Lok Sabha cleared the bill on 11 August and the Rajya Sabha followed a day later, but the change takes legal effect only after presidential assent and a subsequent notification. The bill responds to a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 2024 seeking a name that more closely reflects the state's Malayalam linguistic identity.