27 October 2026
Karnataka's final electoral roll, published after the Special Intensive Revision, leaves out more than 99.32 lakh names.
The electorate falls from about 5.54 crore before the exercise to about 4.55 crore, a drop of roughly 17.9 per cent.
Over 8.6 lakh names struck off at the draft stage were put back at the final stage.
At the draft stage, published on 24 August, about 65.4 lakh electors had been recorded as permanently shifted and about 15.1 lakh as absent, with further entries marked dead or duplicate.
Electors who had shifted or could not be traced can apply to get back on the roll by filing Form 6.
The revision was carried out by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, V. Anbukkumar, through Electoral Registration Officers and their assistants.
Names deleted:
over 99.32 lakh
Final electorate:
about 4.55 crore
Electorate before revision:
about 5.54 crore
Names restored at final stage:
over 8.6 lakh
Why it matters for exams: Special Intensive Revision, Form 6 and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer are the named electoral-law items an examiner asks about from any roll revision.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SIR Special Intensive Revision — A house-to-house revision of electoral rolls in which every elector's entry is verified afresh.
CEO Chief Electoral Officer — The officer who runs electoral roll work and elections in a State under the Election Commission of India.
28 October 2026
The Karnataka High Court has directed the State not to take coercive steps against three broadcasters over the two per cent cine cess while their challenge is heard.
The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, JioStar India and Zee Entertainment Enterprises have questioned the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Cine and Cultural Activists (Welfare) Act, 2024, as amended in 2026, and the notification that brought the levy into force.
Section 9 of the Act provides for a cess on cinema tickets, subscription fees and the revenue of related establishments.
Section 2(o) defines a related establishment to take in over-the-top television channels.
Justice H.T. Narendra Prasad issued notice to the State government and the Labour Department and extended interim protection, limited to the petitioners rather than a general stay.
The matter is to be heard with connected petitions, including one by the Multiplex Association, on 17 November.
Act challenged:
Karnataka Cine and Cultural Activists (Welfare) Act, 2024
Cess rate:
2 per cent
Judge:
Justice H.T. Narendra Prasad
Why it matters for exams: The Karnataka Cine and Cultural Activists (Welfare) Act, 2024 and its Section 9 cess on cinema tickets and subscriptions is a named State law an examiner can ask about.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OTT Over-the-top — Content delivered straight over the internet rather than through cable or broadcast television.
23 October 2026
The Karnataka High Court has held that a litigant has no right to copies of the recording of court proceedings unless the court specifically orders them.
Justice C.M. Poonacha read Rule 8, on storage and access, together with Rule 10, on disclaimers, prohibitions and restrictions, in the Karnataka Rules on Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, 2021.
The court held that archival recordings are not the official record of proceedings unless the bench directs otherwise.
Rule 10(2) bars unauthorised recording, sharing or dissemination, and the court holds exclusive copyright in the recordings and archival data.
Since the petitioner had no such right, his challenge to the refusal of his request did not arise, and the writ petition was dismissed.
The case is A. Sathyanarayana Swamy v. The High Court of Karnataka, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 428.
Rules applied:
Rules 8 and 10, Karnataka Rules on Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, 2021
Judge:
Justice C.M. Poonacha
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (Kar) 428
Why it matters for exams: The Karnataka Rules on Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, 2021 is a named subordinate legislation and the first such State rules questions are built on.
Kerala PSCUPSC
30 October 2026
Karnataka has told hospitals to show the rates of major procedures on boards at their reception counters from 1 November, and to keep a register with the prices of other procedures. Health Minister U T Khader announced this on 22 October after meeting the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), noting that hospitals offer over 4,000 procedures. A 1 October circular from the Food Safety and Drug Administration also wanted bills to show the landing price and MRP of medicines. PHANA challenged it in the High Court, arguing Karnataka has not adopted the central Clinical Establishments Act, and on 30 October the state agreed to re-examine the circular and defer it until the next hearing on 12 November. The government also plans a policy to stop hospitals from holding back bodies over unpaid bills.
Rate display from:
1 November 2026
Procedures offered:
over 4,000
Next High Court hearing:
12 November 2026
Why it matters for exams: Health regulation is a State subject; the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 applies only where a state adopts it, and NPPA fixes drug price ceilings.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PHANA Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association — The association of private hospitals in Karnataka.
KPME Act Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act — Karnataka's own law for registering and regulating private hospitals and clinics.
NPPA National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority — The central body that fixes ceiling prices of essential medicines.
MRP Maximum Retail Price — The highest price at which a packaged product may be sold.
28 October 2026
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have found that a key Southern Ocean water mass is turning saltier. The water mass is Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), which forms near Antarctica, sits hundreds of metres below the surface and spreads north into the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. For decades AAIW had been growing fresher, but the trend reversed around 2015, when Antarctic sea ice began to fall sharply. With less sea ice melting, less fresh water reaches this layer, and warmer, saltier deep water is also rising. The team used temperature and salinity readings, including those from the Argo network of robotic floats, along with satellite records of sea ice. The study, by the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (CAOS) with the universities of Melbourne and Southampton, appears in Nature Climate Change. A saltier AAIW can weaken ocean layering and let stored carbon escape more easily, adding to warming.
Water mass:
Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW)
Trend reversed:
around 2015
Salinity rise:
about 0.0048 g/kg per decade
Journal:
Nature Climate Change
Why it matters for exams: Ocean water masses, the Southern Ocean, the Argo float network and climate feedbacks from Antarctic sea ice are core Geography and Environment topics; the study is by IISc, Bengaluru.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
AAIW Antarctic Intermediate Water — A water mass that forms in the Southern Ocean and spreads north at intermediate depth into three oceans.
CAOS Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences — The IISc centre that carried out the study.
Argo Argo float network — A worldwide network of robotic floats that measure ocean temperature and salinity.
IISc Indian Institute of Science — Research university in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
30 October 2026
The Karnataka government on 30 October named 71 people for the 2026 Kannada Rajyotsava Award, ahead of the state's 71st formation day on 1 November. The award is the state's second-highest civilian honour; the highest is the Karnataka Ratna. This year's winners come from fields ranging from literature, Yakshagana and cinema to the judiciary, the media and social service, and 12 of them are women. Among the names are former Advocate General B.V. Acharya for the judiciary, Yakshagana artiste Gopala Ganiga, writer Dr Indira Hegde, photojournalist Vishwanath Suvarna and A.C. Bhandary of the Akhila Bharata Tulu Okkuta for social service. Each winner gets Rs 5 lakh, a 25-gram gold medal and a memento. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was to present the awards at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru on 1 November.
Awardees:
71
Women among them:
12
Prize:
Rs 5 lakh, 25-gram gold medal
Occasion:
71st Karnataka Rajyotsava
Why it matters for exams: State honours are a regular GK question: the Rajyotsava Award is Karnataka's second-highest civilian honour and the Karnataka Ratna its highest.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Rajyotsava Karnataka Rajyotsava (Kannada Rajyotsava) — Karnataka's formation day, 1 November, marking the 1956 reorganisation of states.
Karnataka Ratna Karnataka Ratna — Karnataka's highest civilian honour, first given to Kuvempu in 1992.
Yakshagana Yakshagana — A traditional dance-drama of coastal Karnataka combining music, dance and dialogue.
27 October 2026
Votes for four seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council, the state's upper House, were counted from 27 October. Voting had taken place on 23 October in two teachers' and two graduates' constituencies, with 43 candidates in the fray. The BJP won three seats and its ally JD(S) one. AP Ranganath of the JD(S) took the Bengaluru Teachers' seat by 908 votes, Shashil G Namoshi kept the North-East Teachers' seat, SV Sankanur won the West Graduates' seat for a third straight time and KM Suresh won the South-East Graduates' seat. Only teachers and graduates registered in these constituencies can vote in them. The Council has 75 members and is chaired by Saleem Ahmed; Congress remains the largest party in it.
Seats contested:
4
BJP / JD(S) wins:
3 / 1
Council strength:
75
Polling day:
23 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Legislative Councils are a core Polity topic: Article 169 lets Parliament create or abolish them, and Article 171 reserves one-twelfth of seats each for graduates and teachers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
MLC Member of the Legislative Council — A member of a state's upper House; one-third retire every two years.
JD(S) Janata Dal (Secular) — A political party based mainly in Karnataka.
Graduates' constituency Graduates' constituency — A Council seat elected only by graduates of at least three years' standing living in the area.
23 October 2026
The Karnataka High Court has ruled that a senior citizen may ask for a property transfer to be cancelled even when the deed carries no written promise to look after him. The power used was Section 23, under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. An elderly man from Bhadravathi taluk in Shivamogga district had released his share of farmland to his daughter by a 2025 deed. After his wife died, the Assistant Commissioner cancelled the deed on his plea. Justice Suraj Govindaraj dismissed the daughter's challenge: where a transfer rested on an understanding of care, the authority must test that claim on the facts. A receipt shown as proof of payment was found doubtful, and the court advised that care duties be written into such deeds.
Law:
Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007
Provision:
Section 23
Judge:
Justice Suraj Govindaraj
Citation:
2026:KHC:58865
Why it matters for exams: The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and its Section 23 on voiding property transfers are frequently asked in Polity and social-justice papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Section 23 Section 23, Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 — Lets a tribunal declare a senior citizen's property transfer void if the receiver fails to provide basic care.
Release deed Release deed — A document by which a co-owner gives up his share in a property to another.
Maintenance Tribunal Maintenance Tribunal — The body under the 2007 Act, headed by an officer not below Sub-Divisional Officer, that hears parents' claims.
Background
Karnataka announced its 71 Rajyotsava Awards this week, to be given on 1 November, the day the State marks its 71st Rajyotsava.
The State was reorganised on linguistic lines in the 1950s and was known as Mysore until it was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
Rajyotsava, literally the state festival, is observed on 1 November every year, and the Rajyotsava Awards are the government's annual honours for achievement.
The highest civilian honour of the State is Karnataka Ratna, which stands above the Rajyotsava Award.
Bengaluru is the capital, and the Kannada and Culture Department handles these honours.
The day is marked across government offices and institutions in the State.
Formation day:
1 November
Years completed in 2026:
71
Renamed Karnataka:
1973
Capital:
Bengaluru
Why it matters for exams: Karnataka's formation day of 1 November and its renaming from Mysore in 1973 are fixed facts in every States Reorganisation question set.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has asked Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav not to finalise the 27 July draft that would declare parts of the Western Ghats an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). He wants it held until a state high-level committee reports and a physical survey is done within a year. The draft, based on the Kasturirangan report, spreads over six states and 56,825.7 sq km in all; Karnataka's part of it is 20,668 sq km. The Western Ghats run for about 1,600 km parallel to India's west coast and are broken only by the Palghat Gap, about 30 km wide. UNESCO lists them as a World Heritage property of 39 component parts and notes that the range is older than the Himalayas. The mountains act as a barrier to the south-west monsoon winds and shape India's monsoon. They are counted among the world's eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity.
Draft ESA area:
56,825.7 sq km
Karnataka's share:
20,668 sq km
Length of the range:
about 1,600 km
World Heritage components:
39
Why it matters for exams: The Western Ghats as a UNESCO World Heritage property and biodiversity hotspot, the Palghat Gap, and the Kasturirangan-based ESA draft are standing Geography and Environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ESA Ecologically Sensitive Area — An area notified by the Union Environment Ministry where mining, quarrying, polluting industry and large construction are restricted.
Kasturirangan report Report on the Western Ghats chaired by K. Kasturirangan — The report on which the Western Ghats ESA draft is based.
Palghat Gap Palakkad Gap — A gap of about 30 km in Kerala, the only break in the Western Ghats.
Background
With the Pink Line's elevated stretch now cleared for service, it helps to know where Bengaluru's metro began. Namma Metro opened on 20 October 2011 with a 6.7 km run from MG Road to Baiyappanahalli, part of the east-west corridor. Union urban development minister Kamal Nath flagged off the first trip. The system is built and run by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The 42.3 km first phase, joining the east-west and north-south lines, was in operation by 2017; these lines are today's Purple and Green Lines. The Yellow Line, a 19 km corridor of 16 stations towards Bommasandra, opened in August 2025. The network now runs to about 96 km, and the Pink Line will take it past 100 km.
First stretch:
MG Road – Baiyappanahalli, 6.7 km
Opened:
20 October 2011
First phase:
42.3 km
Yellow Line:
19 km, 16 stations
Why it matters for exams: Namma Metro's operator (BMRCL), its first stretch (MG Road–Baiyappanahalli) and its colour-coded lines are standard questions on Indian urban transport.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
BMRCL Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited — The company that builds and runs Namma Metro.
Purple and Green Lines Namma Metro's east-west and north-south lines — The two lines of the first phase, joined in 2017.