25 October 2026
ISRO has completed a series of Crew Module and Service Module separation tests for the Gaganyaan Programme. A test setup simulating the full Crew Module and Service Module assembly was built at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, with extensive instrumentation. The tests validated the design of the separation system and included cutting several umbilical connections between the two modules. Shock survivability was checked for avionics, inertial navigation, the thermal protection system, the deployable umbilical shield and pyrotechnic devices. Crew Module separation uses precisely sequenced pyrotechnic devices and jettisoning systems, and happens before re-entry. The results support the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, G1.
Test centre:
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
First uncrewed mission:
G1
Why it matters for exams: Gaganyaan milestones, the role of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the naming of the uncrewed missions are routinely asked in science and technology sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
25 October 2026
ISRO held a curtain raiser at its headquarters in Bengaluru for the Space Science and Technologies thematic session of the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave, known as ESTIC 2026. ESTIC 2026 will be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 27 to 29 October 2026, and the space session is scheduled for 29 October 2026. Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO, took part in the curtain raiser. Shri D. K. Singh, Director, URSC, chairs the Thematic Committee on Space Science and Technologies. Dr. Rajeev Jaiswal, Director, ITLU, also attended, along with senior officials, scientists and media representatives.
Conclave venue:
Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
Conclave dates:
27-29 October 2026
Curtain raiser venue:
ISRO Headquarters, Bengaluru
Why it matters for exams: The office of Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO and the venue Bharat Mandapam are both frequently asked facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
ISRO has released S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar data products from the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, known as NISAR, for public download. Daily processed S-Band products cover Indian land and global sites across the mission's science themes. Processing, archiving and dissemination are done at the Integrated Multi-Mission Ground Segment for Earth Observation Satellites, called IMGEOS, at Shadnagar. The data is distributed through ISRO's Bhoonidhi portal, where registered users can search and order products. Standard, interferometric and offset products are offered, and the current baseline version is v1.4.0. Products from Cycle 25 onward, which began on 8 July 2026, come from the operational production environment.
Data portal:
Bhoonidhi
Processing centre:
IMGEOS, Shadnagar
Baseline version:
v1.4.0
Why it matters for exams: NISAR is a joint India-United States mission and its full form, its bands and India's data portal are standard questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
The Chairman of ISRO, who is also Secretary of the Department of Space, led the Indian delegation to the 77th International Astronautical Congress at Antalya in Turkiye. The congress was held from 5 to 9 October 2026, and was organised by the International Astronautical Federation and hosted by the Turkish Space Agency. The International Academy of Astronautics held its Academy Day and Board of Trustees meeting on 4 October 2026. Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe, joined the bilateral meetings. India held bilateral meetings with the heads of NASA, ESA, CNES, ASI, the Australian Space Agency, CSA, UKSA, CONAE, JAXA and the Uzbekistan Space Agency. The talks covered human spaceflight, lunar exploration, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and capacity building.
Congress edition:
77th
Venue:
Antalya, Turkiye
Host agency:
Turkish Space Agency
Why it matters for exams: The International Astronautical Federation, the host country of each congress and the name of India's planned space station are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
The Supreme Court of India has granted regular bail in a corruption case over tenders under the Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan, holding that prolonged pre-trial detention cannot be permitted to degenerate into punishment without trial. The case is Mahesh Chandra Joshi v. State of Rajasthan. The Court invoked Article 21 of the Constitution, which protects personal liberty and the right to a speedy trial. One appellant had been in custody since 7 May 2026 and the other since 18 February 2026. The prosecution case involves 22 accused, three chargesheets, 124 prosecution witnesses and 192 documents running to about 20,000 pages. The Court said further pre-trial incarceration of the appellants was neither warranted nor necessary, that the seriousness of the charges by itself cannot eclipse the other considerations governing bail, and that legitimate concerns can be met through bail conditions.
Case:
Mahesh Chandra Joshi v. State of Rajasthan
Constitutional provision:
Article 21
Accused in the case:
22
Why it matters for exams: Article 21 and the right to a speedy trial are core polity topics, and the Jal Jeevan Mission is a standard scheme question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
Hearing Pinarayi Vijayan v. K M Shajahan, the Supreme Court of India explained that Section 175(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita gives a public servant wider protection before a Magistrate orders an investigation than Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure did. Under Section 175(4), the Magistrate must first receive a report on the incident from the public servant's superior officer and consider the public servant's own account. The matter arose from a Kerala High Court order directing registration of an FIR in the CMRL-Exalogic case, which concerns payments of Rs 2.78 crore by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited to Exalogic Solutions. The Enforcement Directorate had sent a communication under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to the Kerala government. The Court set aside the High Court Division Bench order refusing leave to appeal, allowed the petitioners to pursue the appeal and stayed the investigation for one week. It said its observations were limited to the right to appeal and expressed no view on the merits.
Case:
Pinarayi Vijayan v. K M Shajahan
Provision explained:
Section 175(4), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita
Stay granted:
One week
Why it matters for exams: The new criminal codes and the sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita that replace the Code of Criminal Procedure are heavily examined.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
In Rano Singh v. Gurbax Singh, the Supreme Court of India has held that a suit for possession alone is not maintainable where the plaintiff's title is seriously disputed by a registered sale deed. The plaintiff was allotted a plot in 1952 under an agreement to sell, with a condition to build a house within three years. In 1954 he asked the housing society to transfer the plot to his nephew, who took possession, paid the dues and built a house by 1959. The society executed a registered sale deed in the nephew's favour in 1960, and none was ever executed for the plaintiff. The Court held that an agreement to sell does not confer title without a registered sale deed, and that the plaintiffs needed to seek cancellation of the 1960 sale deed or specific performance. The appeal was dismissed, upholding the trial court and the Delhi High Court.
Case:
Rano Singh v. Gurbax Singh
High Court whose view was upheld:
Delhi High Court
Why it matters for exams: The rule that only a registered sale deed transfers title is basic property law and a common objective question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
In Kusumlal Sao v. State of Chhattisgarh, the Supreme Court of India has set aside a conviction under Section 302 and Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code. Forensic analysis of two witnesses' phones showed a WhatsApp message suggesting the accused's involvement, but the Court held it was not shown to be part of the same transaction as the crime and so did not fall under Section 6 of the Indian Evidence Act. The Court noted that the time of death was not fixed by substantive evidence, that one witness denied sending the message, and that its author and basis could not be determined. It held the message at best created a suspicion. The Court also found the chain of circumstantial evidence incomplete, said the blood-stained soil recovery was doubtful with no DNA match, and held the possibility of an accident had not been excluded.
Case:
Kusumlal Sao v. State of Chhattisgarh
Sections of conviction set aside:
Sections 302 and 201, Indian Penal Code
Why it matters for exams: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and the res gestae rule in Section 6 of the Indian Evidence Act are standard law questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
In Satinder Pal Singh v. Bedi Hospital, the Supreme Court of India has held that a public authority can revisit an auction to maximise the price of public property so long as no enforceable contract has been concluded. The Court said the highest bidder in a public auction does not acquire an enforceable right merely by being the highest bidder, and that under the Chandigarh Estate Rules, 2007 an agreement to sell is not by itself an enforceable contract, which comes into existence only on execution of the conveyance deed. It said a substantially lower price fetched at the auction can be a relevant consideration for not finalising the contract with the highest bidder, and that the conduct of a public authority must be informed by fairness in action and in furtherance of public purpose. The Court allowed the appeals, set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court order that had quashed the cancellation, and directed the Chandigarh Administration to hold a fresh e-auction of Site No. 4 in Sector 33C, Chandigarh, with the process to commence and conclude within three months.
Case:
Satinder Pal Singh v. Bedi Hospital
Court:
Supreme Court of India
Why it matters for exams: The rule that the highest bidder gets no vested right until the bid is accepted is a recurring question in law and governance papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India has released its money supply data for the fortnight ended on October 15, 2026. The release carries the press release number 2026-2027/1378 and was issued by Ajit Prasad, Deputy General Manager in the Communication Department. Money supply data is published fortnightly and is the standard series used to track monetary aggregates in India. The underlying figures are provided as an accompanying data table on the Reserve Bank's website.
Fortnight ended:
October 15, 2026
Press release number:
2026-2027/1378
Why it matters for exams: Money supply measures and the Reserve Bank's role as the monetary authority are core banking and economy topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
Background
ISRO, whose Gaganyaan separation tests are in the news this week, is also developing engines that burn liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
The combination is ISRO's primary propulsion choice for the Next Generation Launch Vehicle and for a future heavy-lift vehicle for a crewed lunar landing targeted for 2040.
The LM20-TD technology demonstrator gives about 20 tonnes of thrust and was built by modifying the existing CE-20 cryogenic engine.
The LME1100 is a 1100 kN gas generator cycle engine whose full-scale gas generator had its first ignition test on 9 October 2026.
The design of a 2400 kN engine based on a Full Flow Staged Combustion Cycle, meant for a human-rated heavy-lift vehicle, is complete.
More than 70 per cent of LME1100 parts are produced by additive manufacturing, and methane is preferred because it burns cleanly, needs little maintenance and can be made on Mars from carbon dioxide and water ice.
LME1100 thrust:
1100 kN
Demonstrator:
LM20-TD, about 20 tonnes thrust
Crewed lunar landing target:
2040
Why it matters for exams: The Next Generation Launch Vehicle and India's 2040 lunar target make ISRO's engine programme standing examination material.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
LOX Liquid Oxygen — Oxygen cooled to a liquid, used as the oxidiser in rocket engines.
Additive manufacturing Additive manufacturing — Building a part layer by layer, commonly called three-dimensional printing.
Background
The Securities and Exchange Board of India was constituted as a non-statutory body on April 12, 1988 through a resolution of the Government of India.
It was established as a statutory body in the year 1992, and the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992) came into force on January 30, 1992.
The Preamble of the Securities and Exchange Board of India describes the basic functions of the Board as being to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate the securities market and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
On its page about its establishment the Board sets out both the founding resolution of the Government of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
Constituted as a non-statutory body:
April 12, 1988
Established as a statutory body:
1992
Governing Act:
Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992)
Act provisions in force from:
January 30, 1992
Why it matters for exams: Examiners ask which Act gives the Securities and Exchange Board of India its statutory basis and in which year the Board was first constituted.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
SEBI Securities and Exchange Board of India — The statutory regulator of the securities market in India.
Preamble Preamble of a statute or body — The opening statement that sets out the basic purpose of a body or a law.