9 October 2026
The Maharashtra government has filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court defending the constitutional validity of the Maharashtra Special Public Security Act, 2025.
The affidavit was filed through Pritamkumar Jawale, Deputy Secretary of the Home Department, before Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna.
The State said Maharashtra tops the country with 64 Maoist frontal organisations, and that it had no law to ban left-wing extremist front organisations before this Act.
It said it adopted a law similar to those already in force in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The affidavit cited the Bhima-Koregaon violence of 1 January 2018 and the Elgar Parishad case as evidence of urban Maoist activity.
The State argued that Article 19(2) of the Constitution permits restrictions on freedom of speech and of association on public order grounds.
It said the Joint Committee examined more than 15,000 written objections, after which the Title and Preamble were revised, the Advisory Board's composition was altered, and investigation was restricted to officers not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The petitions challenging the Act were filed by the Indian National Congress and others, and the matter is listed for further hearing.
Maoist frontal organisations in Maharashtra:
64
Written objections examined by the Joint Committee:
more than 15,000
Minimum rank for investigation:
Assistant Commissioner of Police / Deputy Superintendent of Police
Why it matters for exams: A State security law challenged on constitutional grounds, with the exact Article relied on and the comparator States, is standard polity and internal security material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MSPSA Maharashtra Special Public Security Act, 2025 — A State law to ban and act against unlawful front organisations of left-wing extremist groups.
Article 19(2) Clause 2 of Article 19 of the Constitution of India — It allows the State to impose reasonable restrictions on the freedom of speech on grounds that include public order.
9 October 2026
A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna heard a petition by a Pune resident on the protests by Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants in the city.
The protests followed questions over the conduct of the MPSC drug inspector examination, with thousands of aspirants gathered at three locations in Pune.
The bench said the protesters are students, not anti-nationals, and that students who find irregularities have every right to protest.
It asked the State to restore aspirants' confidence in recruitment examinations and said all upcoming processes must be fair and impartial.
The court directed the State to file an affidavit within three weeks setting out its recruitment plan and giving details of nearly 70,000 vacancies, broken down by department and by reservation category.
Advocate General Milind Sathe told the court that the aspirants' demands included the resignation of the MPSC chairman, an examination fee of ₹100 and all examinations being held offline.
The State said a representation on the MPSC chairman had been forwarded to the Governor.
The bench asked the protesters to return to their studies, said backlog vacancies should be cleared first, and adjourned the hearing by three weeks.
Vacancies to be detailed by the State:
nearly 70,000
Protest locations in Pune:
three
Examination fee sought by aspirants:
₹100
Time given for the State's affidavit:
three weeks
Why it matters for exams: The vacancy figure, the court's language on the right to protest and the State Public Service Commission's accountability are all directly examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MPSC Maharashtra Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that conducts recruitment examinations for Maharashtra's State services.
Advocate General Advocate General of a State — The State's chief legal adviser, appointed by the Governor under Article 165 of the Constitution.
9 October 2026
The Maharashtra government has declared drought in 265 of the State's 358 talukas through a Government Resolution of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
The declaration covers 74 per cent of the State's area and spans 32 districts, including Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Pune, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Buldhana, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Yavatmal, Wardha, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
The Resolution rests on an Agriculture Commissioner's report and activates Trigger-1 under the Drought Management Manual, 2016, the first stage of the State's drought-response framework.
From 1 June to 18 September the State recorded 755.9 mm of rain against an average of 932.3 mm, a deficit of 18.8 per cent.
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division recorded 424.5 mm against a normal of 613.1 mm, a deficit of 30.8 per cent, while the Konkan division was short by 6.3 per cent.
Dharashiv and Beed received no rainfall from July onwards.
Relief measures include exemption from land revenue, restructuring of crop loans and deferment of recovery, electricity bill concessions for agricultural pumps above 7.5 HP, waiver of examination fees for school and college students, relaxed norms for rural employment guarantee works, tanker supply of drinking water and arrangements for foodgrain and fodder.
District collectors were directed to begin crop damage surveys with geotagged photographs and report through the Commissioner of Agriculture, with crop-loss assistance to follow in a later Resolution.
Talukas declared drought-affected:
265 of 358
Share of State area covered:
74 per cent
State rainfall, 1 June to 18 September:
755.9 mm against an average of 932.3 mm
State rainfall deficit:
18.8 per cent
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division deficit:
30.8 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Taluka counts, the Trigger-1 mechanism and division-wise rainfall deficits are the kind of precise State-level disaster management data that examinations use.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Trigger-1 First trigger under the Drought Management Manual, 2016 — The first stage of drought assessment, set off when prescribed rainfall deficit and dry spell conditions are met.
GR Government Resolution — The formal written order through which a State government in Maharashtra conveys an administrative decision.
9 October 2026
Justice Shailesh Brahme, sitting as a single judge at the Kolhapur seat of the Bombay High Court, has rejected the election petition filed by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Vinayak Raut and upheld Narayan Rane's election to the 18th Lok Sabha from the Sindhudurg constituency.
Rane was declared elected with 4,48,514 votes; Raut polled 4,00,656.
The petition said Rane's campaigners breached the Model Code of Conduct, and invoked Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which bars public speeches during the Code period.
Justice Brahme examined paragraphs 5(l) to 5(n) of the petition and the annexed documents.
He held that the claim in paragraph 5(l) about campaigning on 6 May 2024 was very vague and lacked material particulars, specifying neither time nor place nor the identity of those campaigning.
The news reports relied on were not sufficient to corroborate the claim.
Paragraph 5(m), based on a complaint dated 16 May 2024, did not sufficiently identify the person, the amount, the time or the place.
The Court held that electronic evidence cannot substitute material pleadings in an election petition, and that the petitioners had not provided transcriptions.
Votes polled by Narayan Rane:
4,48,514
Votes polled by Vinayak Raut:
4,00,656
Provision invoked:
Section 126, Representation of the People Act, 1951
Bench:
Kolhapur seat, single judge
Why it matters for exams: The pleading standard for election petitions, with the exact section of the Representation of the People Act and the vote figures, is examinable polity and law material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Election petition Petition under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — A petition before the High Court challenging an election, which must set out material particulars of every corrupt practice pleaded.
MCC Model Code of Conduct — The set of norms enforced by the Election Commission of India from the announcement of an election until results are declared.
9 October 2026
Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay High Court has passed an interim order protecting the personality rights of actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Interim Application (L) 29905 of 2026.
The Court directed Google, Meta Platforms, other social media platforms and unidentified John Doe parties to take down objectionable and derogatory content featuring her.
It found a very strong prima facie case for interim relief.
The Court held that her personality and privacy rights under Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21 of the Constitution appear to be violated, particularly by morphed and deepfake images.
It also held that her moral rights as a performer, protected under the Copyright Act, are being violated.
Justice Jamdar reminded Google of its duty under Rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
He said intermediaries must exercise due diligence to prevent online harassment and the unauthorised uploading of a person's images or videos.
Advocate Rashmin Khandekar appeared for the applicant, and the matter will be heard further.
Case:
Interim Application (L) 29905 of 2026
Constitutional provisions invoked:
Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21
Intermediary rule cited:
Rule 3, IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
Why it matters for exams: Personality rights, the IT Intermediary Guidelines Rules, 2021 and performers' moral rights under the Copyright Act are a live cluster of law and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Personality rights Rights over one's name, image, likeness and voice — They let a person stop the unauthorised commercial or derogatory use of their identity.
John Doe order Order against unidentified defendants — A court order that binds unknown parties who cannot yet be named in the suit.
9 October 2026
Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay High Court heard Anticipatory Bail Application 8 of 2026, Suryakant Gulabrao Yewale versus State of Maharashtra, arising from a transaction in a 40-acre government-owned land parcel at Mundhwa in Pune.
The land was bought by Ameida Enterprises LLP, a name also reported as Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar holds 99 per cent and Digvijay Patil holds 1 per cent.
The police named only Patil in the case, and the judge said it was surprising that the 99 per cent partner was not arraigned while the 1 per cent partner was.
The Court had earlier, on 7 September, asked the Director General of Police to explain in a personal affidavit why Pawar was not named.
The Court accepted the DGP's affidavit, in which he said he had directed the Pune Police to carry out a further investigation in a detailed and professional manner and would personally monitor it.
The Court granted anticipatory bail to Suryakant Yewale, a Pune Tehsildar, holding that he acted as a quasi-judicial authority.
It found no specific averment that he passed orders in anyone's favour under the Bombay Tenancy Act for illegal consideration.
Parth Pawar's stake in Ameida Enterprises LLP:
99 per cent
Digvijay Patil's stake:
1 per cent
Land parcel:
40 acres at Mundhwa, Pune
Case:
Anticipatory Bail Application 8 of 2026
Why it matters for exams: The case shows how a High Court supervises an investigation and what distinguishes a quasi-judicial act, both recurring themes in governance and law papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LLP Limited Liability Partnership — A partnership registered under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008, in which partners' liability is limited.
Quasi-judicial authority An administrative authority exercising judicial functions — An officer who decides rights between parties following a procedure, like a Tehsildar under a tenancy law.
9 October 2026
A division bench of Justice G. S. Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale of the Bombay High Court has held that keeping Mumbai clean is a collective duty of its citizens and not solely the municipal corporation's responsibility.
The bench described citizens as equal stakeholders in a clean and hygienic city.
The proceedings arise in Kannamwar Co-Op. Hsg. Soc. Association Ltd. and others versus Union of India and others, a petition that began over a dumping ground facility and has been widened to cover health and hygiene across the city.
The Court linked city cleanliness to the fundamental duty in Article 51A(j) of the Constitution and to constitutional goals on public health and environmental protection.
It said improper waste disposal harms community health and creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents that can spread dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera.
The Court took on record the corporation's affidavit on enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2025, ward-wise fines, CCTV monitoring and the MyBMC Marg app.
It directed ward officers to attend immediately to instances of clogged drainage, saying the photographed drain was only the tip of the iceberg.
It also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to confirm whether PM10 levels were within the safe permissible limit.
Fundamental duty invoked:
Article 51A(j)
Bye-laws being enforced:
Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2025
Diseases named by the Court:
dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera
Pollutant the MPCB must confirm:
PM10
Why it matters for exams: A court reading fundamental duties under Article 51A(j) into municipal sanitation, with named vector-borne diseases and a specific bye-law, links polity, environment and health in one item.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Article 51A(j) Clause (j) of Article 51A of the Constitution of India — A fundamental duty of every citizen to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity.
MPCB Maharashtra Pollution Control Board — The State board that monitors air and water quality and enforces pollution control law in Maharashtra.
Background
Ellora was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. It has 34 monasteries and temples. Its sanctuaries are devoted to Buddhism, Brahmanism (Hinduism) and Jainism. Caves 1-12 are Buddhist (5th-8th centuries), caves 13-29 Brahmanical (7th-10th centuries) and caves 30-34 Jaina (9th-12th centuries). Cave 16, the Kailasa temple, is described as the largest monolithic temple. UNESCO says the site illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient India.
Monasteries and temples:
34
Kailasa temple:
Cave 16
Inscribed on World Heritage List:
1983
Why it matters for exams: Maharashtra's World Heritage sites and the Kailasa temple are standard questions in heritage and art-history papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018. The open Oval Maidan is the centrepiece, with Victorian Gothic buildings on its eastern side and Art Deco structures on its western side. The first wave of development in the 1880s created the Victorian Gothic public buildings. The second wave, the Backbay Reclamation Scheme of the early twentieth century, produced Art Deco residential and commercial buildings along Marine Drive. UNESCO links the two ensembles to Mumbai's rise as a major international mercantile centre.
Styles:
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco
Centrepiece:
Oval Maidan
Inscribed on World Heritage List:
2018
Why it matters for exams: Mumbai's heritage ensemble is a favourite in questions on World Heritage sites and urban history.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Tadoba is described on the Chandrapur district website as Maharashtra's oldest National Park, created in 1955. It lies in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. The reserve consists of two forested rectangles, the Tadoba and Andhari ranges, which is why it is called the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. It is a Project Tiger reserve. Bison and deer are among the fauna found there.
District:
Chandrapur
National Park created:
1955
Ranges:
Tadoba and Andhari
Why it matters for exams: Tiger reserves and national parks are asked with their districts and states in geography and environment papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) was founded on May 26, 1989. A Press Information Bureau release on its 36th Foundation Day describes its rise as India's largest container port. The port operates five container terminals: NSFT, NSICT, NSIGT, BMCT and APMT. It occupies 277 hectares of land. The release expands BMCT as Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals.
Container terminals:
5
Land area:
277 hectares
Founded:
May 26, 1989
Why it matters for exams: Ports and their features are a steady source of economy and geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Maharashtra's rainfall and drought are assessed division by division, and the State's drought declaration of 265 of its 358 talukas rests on that division-wise picture.
The six revenue divisions used in the assessment are Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati and Nagpur.
Konkan is the coastal strip and recorded the smallest shortfall in the season behind the declaration, a deficit of 6.3 per cent.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the Marathwada division, recorded the worst deficit at 30.8 per cent, with 424.5 mm against a normal of 613.1 mm.
The Pune and Nashik divisions were each short by about 30 per cent, and Amravati and Nagpur, the two Vidarbha divisions, by 27 per cent.
Talukas are the units in which drought is declared, and Maharashtra has 358 of them.
The affected talukas in the declaration lie across 32 districts, from Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg on the coast to Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in the east.
Dharashiv and five other Marathwada districts fall within the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division.
Revenue divisions in the assessment:
Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, Nagpur
Talukas in Maharashtra:
358
Smallest and largest divisional deficits:
Konkan 6.3 per cent; Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 30.8 per cent
Districts covered by the declaration:
32
Why it matters for exams: The division and taluka framework is the permanent administrative geography behind every Maharashtra drought, flood or revenue question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Revenue division Administrative grouping of districts under a Divisional Commissioner — Maharashtra groups its districts into divisions, each headed by a Divisional Commissioner, for revenue and relief administration.
Marathwada The region around Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — A historically drought-prone region of Maharashtra, administered through the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Division.