The Supreme Court ruled that electors purged from the voter list during West Bengal's special intensive revision, but subsequently cleared by Appellate Tribunals by April 21 or April 27, must be allowed to vote in the Assembly election. This order, issued by a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, provides a significant reprieve for citizens whose voting rights were denied due to "logical discrepancy." The court, exercising its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142, directed the Election Commission to publish a "supplementary revised electoral roll" for these individuals. However, those with pending appeals before tribunals will not be allowed to vote.
The Supreme Court mandated that electors cleared by Appellate Tribunals by specific dates must be allowed to vote in the West Bengal Assembly election.
The ruling addresses the denial of voting rights to citizens purged from the voter list under the "logical discrepancy" category.
The court invoked its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142 to issue these directions.
Exam Points
The ruling was made by a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
The Supreme Court exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.
Over 34 lakh appeals were filed as on April 11 regarding voter list purges.
Salem C. Vijiaraghavachariar (1852-1944), a prominent Congress leader and the first Tamil to become AICC president, was initially sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in the Andamans (Kala Paani) after being convicted in the Salem Hindu-Muslim riots case of 1882. He successfully appealed to the High Court of Madras, getting his conviction quashed on January 9, 1883. Known for his rebellious spirit, he also challenged his removal from the Salem Municipal Council and advocated for social reforms like post-puberty marriage for women and daughters' property rights. He played a crucial role in drafting the Swaraj Constitution as part of the Motilal Nehru's panel.
Salem C. Vijiaraghavachariar was a significant figure in the national movement and the first Tamil AICC president.
He successfully challenged a conviction that would have led to imprisonment in the Andamans (Kala Paani).
Vijiaraghavachariar was known for his legal acumen and advocacy for social reforms, including women's rights.
Exam Points
Salem C. Vijiaraghavachariar (1852-1944) was the first Tamil to become the All India Congress Committee president (Nagpur session, 1920).
His conviction in the Salem Hindu-Muslim riots case (August 1882) was quashed on January 9, 1883.
He was part of the Motilal Nehru's panel that drafted the Swaraj Constitution.
India is experiencing a rise in industrial accidents, particularly boiler explosions, attributed to the neglect of risks that build up over time, such as overpressure, scaling, and mismanaged water levels. The article highlights that current regulations and oversight frameworks are insufficient, often penalizing downtime over unsafe operations and rewarding maintenance shutdowns. The focus on fabrication standards rather than continuous auditing is failing. The 'ease of doing business' approach has favored self-certification and scheduled third-party audits over surprise inspections. Contract labor, especially migrants, is disproportionately affected, often lacking safety information in their native languages. The new OSHW Code 2020 is criticized for not clearly holding principal employers criminally liable for safety lapses, perpetuating a culture where accidents are a cost of doing business.
Industrial accidents in India are increasing due to accumulated risks and inadequate regulatory oversight.
Current boiler inspection regimes prioritize fabrication standards over continuous monitoring and penalize downtime, encouraging unsafe practices.
The 'ease of doing business' approach has weakened safety enforcement through self-certification and scheduled audits.
Exam Points
Boiler explosion in Sakti, Chhattisgarh, killed 20 people.
Similar incidents include Visakhapatnam gas leak (2020) and Neyveli thermal power station blast (2020).
The Boiler Accident Inquiry Rules were notified in 2025.
R. Vaishali's historic victory at the Women's Candidates tournament, making her the first Indian to win it and the second to contest the Women's World Championship match, is a significant achievement. Alongside Divya Deshmukh's World Cup win and Koneru Humpy's rapid championship, these successes highlight India's prowess in women's chess. However, the article argues that despite these individual triumphs and India being reigning World team champions, the country lacks significant depth in women's chess compared to boys. It suggests that these women are products of parental support and corporate sponsorship rather than a robust system. To maintain momentum, the chess federation must focus on developing girls, providing Grandmaster training, and organizing more tournaments, with increased corporate support.
R. Vaishali's win at the Women's Candidates is a historic achievement for Indian chess.
India has seen significant individual successes in women's chess, including Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy.
Despite these achievements, India lacks depth in women's chess compared to men's, with current successes largely attributed to individual support rather than systemic development.
Exam Points
R. Vaishali is the first Indian to win the Women's Candidates (dating back to 1952).
She will challenge China's Ju Wenjun in the World Championship.
Divya Deshmukh won the World Cup in July, making her the first Indian woman to do so.
India's National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), launched in 2011, has achieved remarkable success in poverty alleviation, empowering over 20 million women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and facilitating significant bank linkages. Its unique design, focusing on social mobilization, institutional architecture, and access to credit and skills, has made it a globally recognized model. African governments, including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, and Rwanda, are increasingly exploring and adopting the SHG-based framework, viewing it as a contextually relevant, cost-effective, and institution-building approach. This demonstrates India's evolving development diplomacy, moving beyond traditional aid to exporting social-sector institutional models and fostering South-South cooperation through knowledge and practice sharing, rather than just resources.
The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) has significantly contributed to poverty alleviation and women's empowerment in India.
NRLM's success is attributed to its unique ecosystem, including federated community institutions, community-based cadres, and integration into formal financial systems.
African governments are increasingly adopting the Indian SHG-based livelihoods framework as a model for their own development.
Exam Points
The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) was launched in 2011 under the Ministry of Rural Development.
As of mid-2025, NRLM is active in 742 districts and has reached over 100 million households.
Over 20 million women members of SHGs earn over ₹1,00,000 in income.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah announced a proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats from 550 to 850, assuring that each state would receive an additional 50% seats while maintaining the current proportion based on the 1971 population. The current system, governed by Articles 81 and 82, ties seat allocation to the 1971 Census and territorial constituency division to the 2001 Census, with a freeze until the first census after 2026. The new Bills aim to remove this 2026 sunset proviso, immediately reallocating seats based on the latest census (2011 Census), and linking both steps to the same census. This change removes a constitutional safeguard for states that stabilized their population, potentially altering the balance of representation.
The government proposes increasing Lok Sabha seats from 550 to 850, with each state getting an additional 50% seats.
The current seat allocation is based on the 1971 Census, and the proposed change aims to maintain this proportion.
Existing constitutional provisions (Articles 81 and 82) freeze seat readjustment until after the first census post-2026.
Exam Points
Proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats from 550 to a maximum of 850.
Current seat proportion is based on the 1971 population (determined in 1973).
Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution govern Lok Sabha seat distribution.
The article argues for India to establish a no-fault vaccine injury compensation mechanism, emphasizing that while vaccination is a civic duty, the state must accept responsibility for rare but real adverse effects. India's current legal remedies, like tort law (requiring proof of fault) and consumer protection law (contested for free services), are inadequate for vaccine injuries, which often stem from individual immune responses rather than negligence. The Supreme Court's directive in Rachana Gangu v. Union of India (2026) to frame such a policy highlights the governance deficit. Drawing from international examples, the author proposes a Vaccine Injury Compensation Act with a presumptive causation table, an independent administrative tribunal, and a dedicated compensation fund shared by the government and manufacturers, stressing transparency and accountability to build public trust.
The state has a responsibility to compensate individuals who suffer rare but serious adverse effects from vaccinations, which are promoted as a civic duty.
Existing legal frameworks in India, such as tort law and consumer protection law, are insufficient for addressing vaccine injuries.
A no-fault compensation mechanism is ethically necessary because individuals take a risk for collective immunity.
Exam Points
The Supreme Court directed the Union government to frame a no-fault compensation policy in Rachana Gangu v. Union of India (2026).
Over 219.86 crore COVID-19 doses were administered by late 2022.
Government affidavit recorded 92,114 Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) cases, including 1,171 deaths.
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, is re-examining the broader implications of its 2018 Sabarimala ruling, which struck down the age-based restriction on women's entry. The 2018 ruling held that Ayyappa devotees do not constitute a separate religious denomination and that the custom was not an "essential religious practice" (ERP). The current hearing delves into the ERP doctrine's evolution, the State's role in religious reform, and the definition of religious denominations under Articles 25 and 26. The Union government argued against judicial overreach in religious matters, while critics highlight the narrowing interpretation of ERP, which now requires practices to be indispensable to a religion's core identity, rather than merely inherently religious.
A nine-judge Supreme Court Bench is reviewing the constitutional implications of the 2018 Sabarimala verdict.
The 2018 ruling declared the age-based restriction on women's entry unconstitutional and stated Ayyappa devotees are not a separate religious denomination.
The current examination focuses on the 'essential religious practice' (ERP) doctrine and the definition of 'religious denomination' under the Constitution.
Exam Points
A nine-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, is hearing the petitions.
The 2018 ruling was in Indian Young Lawyers' Association vs. State of Kerala.
The 2018 ruling was by a 4:1 majority.
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