26 October 2026
The Supreme Court Collegium met on 26 October and recommended four sitting High Court judges for appointment as Chief Justices of High Courts. Justice P. Sam Koshy of the Telangana High Court was recommended for the Delhi High Court. Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak, sitting in the Gujarat High Court, was recommended for the Gujarat High Court. Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty of the Calcutta High Court was recommended for the Telangana High Court. Justice Sudhir Singh of the Patna High Court was recommended for the Uttarakhand High Court. The same Collegium resolutions also recommended nine fresh appointments of judges, two to the Bombay High Court and seven to the Madhya Pradesh High Court. A Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by the President under Article 217 of the Constitution on the Collegium's recommendation.
Judges recommended as Chief Justices:
4
Why it matters for exams: Article 217 and the Collegium system of appointing High Court Chief Justices are standing Polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Collegium Supreme Court Collegium — The group of the Chief Justice of India and the senior-most Supreme Court judges that recommends judicial appointments.
26 October 2026
In The Muppathadam Service Co-Operative Bank Ltd. v. State Chief Information Commissioner, decided on 26 October, the Supreme Court held that a member of a cooperative society cannot be denied information about the society's affairs merely because the society is not itself a public authority. The bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran read Section 2(f) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 to cover information held by a private body that a public authority can access under another law. The Court relied on the Registrar's supervisory and inspection powers under Section 66 of the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, 1969. It rejected the society's reliance on the commercial confidence exemption in Section 8(1)(d) and the personal information exemption in Section 8(1)(j). The judgment follows the earlier rulings in Thalappalam Service Cooperative Bank Ltd. v. State of Kerala and CPIO, Supreme Court of India v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal.
Act interpreted:
Right to Information Act, 2005
Why it matters for exams: The scope of Section 2(f) and the exemptions in Section 8 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 are repeatedly asked.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
RTI Act Right to Information Act, 2005 — The law that gives citizens the right to seek information held by public authorities.
26 October 2026
Hearing Sarika Tyagi v. Union of India, a writ petition of 2026, the Supreme Court directed all States, Union Territories and High Courts to ensure exclusive bar rooms and washrooms for women lawyers in the courts within their jurisdiction. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana said a separate women's bar room with basic amenities must be provided in district and taluka courts in proportion to the number of women practising there, and that State governments must allocate funds where none exist. Building and infrastructure committees of the High Courts were asked to oversee implementation. Attorney General R. Venkataramani was named the central nodal authority to collect and compile progress reports from Advocates General and Standing Counsels. The matter was listed again for 2 December. The Court has earlier linked basic facilities for women advocates to the right to life and dignity under Article 21.
Next hearing:
2 December
Why it matters for exams: The office of the Attorney General for India and Article 21's expanding content are standard Polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Attorney General for India Attorney General for India — The Union Government's chief legal adviser, appointed by the President under Article 76.
26 October 2026
The Supreme Court was told that fourteen States have agreed to raise the retirement age of judges of the district judiciary from 60 to 62 years. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana said consenting States should amend their service rules, preferably within two months, subject to a suitability assessment by the concerned High Court. Officers in those States who have reached 60 will not retire until 62, pending the rule amendments. The Court asked the remaining States and Union Territories to reconsider their position, and recalled that it had earlier held that States cannot cite financial burden to oppose the change. The issue goes back to the Court's 2002 judgment, which declined to accept the recommendation of the Justice K. Jagannatha Shetty Commission to raise the retirement age of district judges to 62. Supreme Court judges retire at 65 and High Court judges at 62.
States that agreed:
14
Proposed retirement age:
62 years
Why it matters for exams: The retirement ages of Supreme Court and High Court judges and the Shetty Commission on judicial service conditions are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
District judiciary District judiciary — The subordinate courts below the High Court, whose officers are appointed and controlled by the State and the High Court.
26 October 2026
Hearing its own suo motu case, In Re: 2 Million Lives At Risk, Contamination In Jojari River, Rajasthan, the Supreme Court asked Rajasthan to explain why mining leases were granted and then regularised in areas earlier identified as illegal mining sites. The bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta warned that it would order a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry if the State did not correct course. The Court accepted a committee recommendation to protect the entire recorded river corridors of the Jojari, Luni and Bandi, taking whichever boundary is wider in Revenue and Water Resources Department records. It held that the High Flood Line must reflect flood conditions and not dry-season flow, and the State said no fresh industrial permissions would be granted until flood lines are scientifically determined. Rajasthan was told to return with a financial proposal to fund common effluent treatment plants using zero-liquid-discharge technology. An earlier order bars construction within 100 metres of the river edge. The case is listed again for 27 November.
Construction ban:
100 metres of the river edge
Why it matters for exams: The Luni river system of Rajasthan and the role of common effluent treatment plants are standard Geography and Environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CETP Common Effluent Treatment Plant — A shared plant that treats liquid waste from a cluster of industrial units before discharge.
High Flood Line High Flood Line — The mapped line marking the highest level a river's floodwater reaches.
26 October 2026
In Arun @ Deepak v. State of U.P., the Supreme Court directed the State to pay Rs 6 lakh as compensation to a man who spent six years in jail in a kidnapping and murder case before being acquitted. The Court described the investigation as a classic example of how not to investigate and said police officers must be educated in the process of investigation. Compensation for wrongful imprisonment by the State is awarded by the constitutional courts under their writ jurisdiction, tracing the power to the right to life and personal liberty in Article 21.
Compensation ordered:
Rs 6 lakh
Years spent in jail:
Six
Why it matters for exams: Compensation for wrongful imprisonment under Article 21 and the writ of habeas corpus are regular Polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Habeas corpus Habeas corpus — The writ by which a court orders a detained person to be produced and released if the detention is illegal.
26 October 2026
The Madras High Court permitted the medical termination of a 24-week pregnancy after foetal abnormalities were diagnosed. The Court held that where the child would not be able to lead a normal life, the mother has the right to decide whether to bring the child into the world, and that a court must protect a woman's reproductive autonomy. Terminations in India are governed by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The 2021 amendment to that Act raised the outer limit to 24 weeks for specified categories of women, and allows termination beyond that limit where a Medical Board diagnoses substantial foetal abnormalities.
Stage of pregnancy:
24 weeks
Why it matters for exams: The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 and its 2021 amendment with the 24-week limit and Medical Board requirement are frequently asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MTP Act Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 — The law that sets out when and by whom a pregnancy may be lawfully terminated in India.
26 October 2026
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court declared unconstitutional a rule that made an injury report compulsory before a child sexual assault survivor could receive financial assistance under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Evam Bal Samman Kosh Scheme, 2015. The Court held the condition manifestly arbitrary and violative of Article 14, and held that compensation for a child victim of sexual assault cannot depend on the presence of physical injury, since many offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act leave no visible injury. Victim compensation schemes in India are framed by State governments under Section 357A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, now carried into the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
Scheme involved:
Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Evam Bal Samman Kosh Scheme, 2015
Why it matters for exams: The POCSO Act and Section 357A victim compensation schemes are standard Law and Polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
POCSO Act Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 — The special law for sexual offences against children, which also provides for special courts.
26 October 2026
In an affidavit in Rakesh Kumar Singh v. Union of India, the Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that all three of its orders on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls were taken unanimously by the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners. The affidavit was filed by Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu. It said decisions follow Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which favours unanimity and provides for a majority decision otherwise. The Commission denied amending Form 6, saying only the Central Government can amend that form under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and that the Special Intensive Revision declaration is a separate document. It also said a committee of experts from IIT Madras and IISc Bengaluru has been formed to review the ECINet platform, and that a plea to restrain the Chief Election Commissioner is not maintainable in view of Article 324(5) of the Constitution.
SIR orders said to be unanimous:
3
Why it matters for exams: Article 324, the composition of the Election Commission and the 2023 Act on the appointment of Election Commissioners are core Polity material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SIR Special Intensive Revision — The Election Commission's intensive house-to-house revision of electoral rolls.
Form 6 Form 6 — The form prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 for including a new name in the electoral roll.
26 October 2026
In N. Arasappa v. State of Karnataka, decided on 26 October, the Supreme Court set aside a land acquisition in Bengaluru made for a cooperative house building society, holding it was vitiated by fraud, bribery and the absence of an approved housing scheme or layout plan. The bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran also set aside the Karnataka High Court Division Bench decision that had upheld the acquisition. The land was acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, with the Section 4 notification issued in 1988 and the Section 6 declaration in 1989. The Court directed that possession be restored to the landowners whether or not they had challenged the acquisition, required them to refund any compensation received without interest, and raised costs to Rs 50,000 for each petitioner.
Costs awarded:
Rs 50,000 for each petitioner
Why it matters for exams: The Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and the 2013 Act that replaced it, with the Section 4 notification and Section 6 declaration, are standard questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Land Acquisition Act, 1894 Land Acquisition Act, 1894 — The colonial-era law for compulsory acquisition of land, repealed and replaced in 2013.
26 October 2026
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released the findings of an Independent Drive Test of mobile networks in Vijayanagara district, part of the Karnataka Licensed Service Area. The test was conducted from 11 to 14 August 2026 under the supervision of the TRAI Regional Office, Bengaluru, and covered a 439.8 km city drive, 13 hotspot locations, a 7.6 km walk test and a 74 km highway drive from Hosapete to Banavikallu on National Highway 50. Voice and data quality were measured on 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G using SIMs of Airtel, BSNL, RJIL and VIL. Hotspots covered included the Achyutaraya Temple Complex and Queen's Bath at Hampi and the Tungabhadra Dam entrance. In the city drive the highest average download speed recorded was 151.30 Mbps.
City drive distance:
439.8 km
Highest average download speed in the city drive:
151.30 Mbps
Why it matters for exams: TRAI, its parent Act of 1997 and its ministry are frequent questions on regulators.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IDT Independent Drive Test — A field test in which TRAI measures call and data quality by travelling through an area.
LSA Licensed Service Area — The telecom circle for which an operator holds a licence.
26 October 2026
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare held a review of Special Campaign 6 and of preparations for Kayakalp activities. The meeting was chaired by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava and held virtually from Kartavya Bhawan-1 in New Delhi, with 336 central health institutions represented. Special Campaign 6 runs from 2 to 31 October 2026 and aims to institutionalise cleanliness and reduce pendency in government offices, while Kayakalp activities are a one-day sanitation and hygiene drive. The review reported that all identified cleanliness sites had been cleaned, that nearly all public grievance appeals had been resolved, and that about Rs 50 lakhs in revenue had been generated through auction and clearance drives. Institutions covered included AIIMS Guwahati, AIIMS Rishikesh, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, NIMHANS Bengaluru, CDSCO Ahmedabad and RIMS Imphal.
Institutions represented:
336
Campaign period:
02-31 October 2026
Revenue from auction and clearance:
about Rs 50 lakhs
Why it matters for exams: Kayakalp is the Health Ministry's award scheme for clean public health facilities, and CDSCO and NIMHANS are frequently asked institutions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kayakalp Kayakalp — The Health Ministry's scheme that awards public health facilities for cleanliness and infection control.
CDSCO Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation — India's national drug regulator, headed by the Drugs Controller General of India.