3 November 2026
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called on Bhupender Yadav, who is Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, at New Delhi on Tuesday evening.
They discussed diverting and transferring reserved forest land at Lamachaur, in Haldwani, so that a permanent High Court complex can be built there.
The High Court is to move from Nainital to Haldwani.
Dhami said the existing Nainital complex faces landslide risk, traffic congestion and heavy tourist movement.
The State's case is that the inflow of tourists and litigants hurts accessibility and parking.
He described the proposed Lamachaur site as enjoying excellent connectivity to roads and national highways.
Dhami pointed to a Supreme Court order and stressed that the land must be handed over and formally transferred within the set timeframe.
Yadav assured him that positive and proactive action would be taken on the proposal.
Proposed site:
Lamachaur area, Haldwani
Union minister met:
Bhupender Yadav
Why it matters for exams: The durable facts are that the Uttarakhand High Court is to move from Nainital to Haldwani, that the proposed site is the Lamachaur area, and that reserved forest land there needs transfer and diversion by the Union environment ministry.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Diversion of forest land Diversion of reserved forest land — The permission a State needs from the Union environment ministry to use notified forest land for a non-forest purpose.
27 October 2026
The Uttarakhand government placed a supplementary budget and nine other Bills before the State Assembly sitting at Gairsain on 27 October. Of the extra spending, Rs 3,679 crore falls under the revenue head and Rs 4,164 crore under the capital head; the main budget passed in March was Rs 1.11 lakh crore. The key Bill is the Uttarakhand Irrigation Bill 2026, which is meant to replace the 153-year-old Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873. The others include the Uttarakhand Fire and Emergency Services Bill- 2026 and a second Jan Vishwas amendment Bill. The extra grants keep Rs 290 crore for the Kumbh due from January 2027 and Rs 30 crore for the Haridwar-Ganga corridor project. Another Rs 122 crore is set aside for the Gairsain water supply dam project. The House passed the supplementary budget the next day amid Opposition protests and was then adjourned sine die.
Revenue head:
Rs 3,679 crore
Capital head:
Rs 4,164 crore
Kumbh provision:
Rs 290 crore
Law to be replaced:
Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873
Why it matters for exams: The Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873 is a standing colonial-era irrigation law, and Gairsain in Chamoli is Uttarakhand's summer capital where the Assembly meets.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Supplementary budget Supplementary demands for grants — Extra spending a government seeks from the legislature during the year, over the main budget.
Sine die Without a day — Adjournment of a House without fixing a date for its next sitting.
Jan Vishwas Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) law — A law that removes or softens minor criminal penalties in older statutes to ease compliance.
31 October 2026
Every charter helicopter flying the Char Dham routes in Uttarakhand must now carry a co-pilot as well as the pilot. It was agreed on 31 October when officials of the DGCA met the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) at a high-level meeting. It came a day after a private helicopter returning to Dehradun from the Badrinath shrine went down near Joshimath in Chamoli district, killing all six on board. UCADA CEO Prateek Jain said pilots must also file a report after every flight, recording the weather on the route and other useful details, so the next crew is better prepared. A format for this report is being prepared. Teams from the DGCA and the AAIB reached Joshimath to examine the cause of the crash. Operators later wrote to the regulators that the two-pilot rule would make the services costly to run.
State authority:
UCADA
UCADA CEO:
Prateek Jain
Crash site:
Joshimath
Why it matters for exams: Aviation regulators are standard questions: the DGCA regulates civil aviation safety and the AAIB investigates aircraft accidents; Badrinath and Joshimath sit on the Alaknanda in Chamoli.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
UCADA Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority — The State body that manages helipads and helicopter services in Uttarakhand.
DGCA Directorate General of Civil Aviation — India's civil aviation regulator under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
AAIB Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau — The central bureau that investigates civil aircraft accidents in India.
31 October 2026
The Valley of Flowers in Chamoli district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, closed its gates for the winter on 31 October. Between June 1 and October 31 it drew 35,261 visitors, the highest ever for the park: 34,996 Indians and 265 foreigners. Fees brought in a record ₹66.96 lakh, which will go to conservation, repair of the trekking route and protection of its biodiversity. Spread over 87.5 square kilometres in the high Bhuyandar Valley, it is known for more than 500 rare flower species that bloom in the monsoon. Trekkers set out from the base camp at Ghangaria. Heavy snow keeps the park shut for about six months, but staff will keep patrolling to watch wildlife such as snow leopards and guard rare medicinal plants. It opens to visitors every year on June 1.
Visitors this season:
35,261
Revenue:
₹66.96 lakh
Area:
87.5 square kilometres
Base camp:
Ghangaria
Why it matters for exams: The Valley of Flowers National Park in Chamoli is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Nanda Devi National Park, a frequent geography and environment question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
UNESCO World Heritage Site United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site — A place listed by UNESCO for outstanding cultural or natural value.
Snow leopard Panthera uncia — A high-altitude big cat of the Himalaya and Central Asia.
31 October 2026
The Uttarakhand High Court has held that a woman who says her divorce by mutual consent was obtained by fraud must raise that plea before the family court that granted it. A division bench of Justices Ravindra Maithani and Siddhartha Sah observed that every court has the power to undo its own order when fraud has tainted it. The family court at Vikasnagar in Dehradun district had dissolved the marriage on Aug 31 on a joint application under section 27 of the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code, 2024. The wife told the High Court that the joint petition was never read over to her and that the child custody terms were changed without her informed consent. Her application to the family court to recall the order had not been taken on record. Disposing of her appeal on 31 October, the bench left her free to take the fraud plea to that court and said it expected the court to decide it according to law.
Law:
Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code, 2024
Provision:
section 27
Family court:
Vikasnagar
Why it matters for exams: Uttarakhand's Uniform Civil Code, 2024 is the first State UCC after independence and links to Article 44 of the Constitution, a frequent Polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
UCC Uniform Civil Code — One set of personal laws on marriage, divorce and succession for all citizens regardless of religion.
Division bench Bench of two judges — A bench of two High Court judges hearing a case together.
Mutual consent divorce Divorce on a joint application of both spouses — Divorce granted when husband and wife jointly ask the court to end the marriage.
28 October 2026
A study just published in the international journal Landslides has examined how an avalanche from a hanging glacier above Badrinath could affect the pilgrim town in Chamoli district. It was done by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) of the DRDO, and the University of Cambridge. Of three glaciers studied, the one marked Site 2 was the most dangerous and could release 5.89 million cubic metres of ice. In a high-mobility case, 398 buildings, 3.87 hectares of farmland and 15.57 hectares of forest could be hit, besides a helipad, parking areas and roads. The team combined remote-sensing data with the Rapid Mass Movement Simulation (RAMMS) model. The authors said the results do not point to an imminent collapse, and called for early-warning systems and better land-use planning.
Journal:
Landslides
Buildings at risk:
398
Ice at Site 2:
5.89 million cubic metres
Model used:
RAMMS
Why it matters for exams: Hanging glaciers and Himalayan avalanche hazards are a disaster-management topic; the study links IISc and DRDO's DGRE, and Badrinath is one of the Char Dham.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Hanging glacier Hanging glacier — A mass of ice on a steep mountain slope from which sections can break off and fall into the valley.
DGRE Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment — A DRDO laboratory that studies snow, avalanches and terrain.
RAMMS Rapid Mass Movement Simulation — A computer model that simulates avalanches and other mass flows.
27 October 2026
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Dhiraj Seth visited Mana and Joshimath in the Garhwal Sector of Uttarakhand on 27 October. He was briefed on operational readiness, combat preparedness and infrastructure projects in the sector. Speaking to troops, he called for wider use of technology, steady growth in capability and constant vigilance on the frontier. At Mana, which is recognised as India's First Village, he praised soldiers and residents for promoting tourism and keeping local heritage alive. The Army said the visit was part of its work to strengthen border communities and open up livelihoods in remote villages. It described the twin aims as staying ready on the border and helping develop the villages along it.
Village visited:
Mana
Known as:
First Village
Sector:
Garhwal Sector
Why it matters for exams: Mana near Badrinath, called India's First Village, is a staple of border-village and Vibrant Villages questions, and the COAS heads the Indian Army.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
COAS Chief of the Army Staff — The professional head of the Indian Army.
Vibrant Villages Programme Vibrant Villages Programme — A Union scheme to develop villages along India's northern land border.
Background
The Uttarakhand High Court is working under an Acting Chief Justice while its move to Haldwani is being arranged, and the Supreme Court Collegium has recommended a new Chief Justice for it.
The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended Justice Sudhir Singh for appointment as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.
The recommendation was made at a Collegium meeting held on October 26.
Justice Singh is serving at the Patna High Court.
He had a stint at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2023, and the Union government notified his transfer back to Patna on July 14, 2025.
The Collegium is the body of senior judges of the Supreme Court that recommends appointments and transfers in the higher judiciary.
A Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by the President after that recommendation.
Recommendee:
Justice Sudhir Singh
Present court:
Patna High Court
Why it matters for exams: The durable fact is that Justice Sudhir Singh of the Patna High Court is the Collegium's recommendee for Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Collegium Supreme Court Collegium — The group of senior Supreme Court judges that recommends appointments and transfers of High Court judges.
Background
Uttarakhand's upper Himalaya is in the news through the Char Dham air routes and Joshimath, and the same high country is to carry a new 100-mile endurance run.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said the State government will organise a 100 Miles Himalayan Endurance Ultra Run.
The proposed route starts at Mana Pass, at an altitude of about 5,600 metres.
It passes through Badrinath and Joshimath before finishing at Auli.
The run is planned for the first week of May 2027.
The announcement was made at the Adi Kailash Parikrama Run 2.0 held at Gunji in Pithoragarh district.
Mana Pass lies on the northern border of Chamoli district, and Auli is Uttarakhand's best known ski slope.
Start:
Mana Pass, about 5,600 metres
Finish:
Auli
Planned for:
First week of May 2027
Why it matters for exams: The durable facts are the name 100 Miles Himalayan Endurance Ultra Run, its route from Mana Pass through Badrinath and Joshimath to Auli, and that it was announced at the Adi Kailash Parikrama Run 2.0 at Gunji.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Auli Auli — Uttarakhand's best known skiing slope, in Chamoli district near Joshimath.
Background
Uttarakhand's request for forest land at Haldwani rests on a Supreme Court decision already given.
The Court permitted the State of Uttarakhand to go ahead with its proposal to move the High Court from Nainital to Haldwani.
It also set aside the High Court's own direction that a referendum be held on the question.
The case is reported as High Court Bar Association v State of Uttarakhand and others.
The State Cabinet had approved the shift as far back as 2022.
The Court said such issues belong to the High Court's administrative side, in consultation with the State, rather than to judicial proceedings.
The Court directed that possession of the Haldwani land be handed over on an as is, where is basis within six weeks, with a transfer notification to follow within eight weeks.
Case:
High Court Bar Association v State of Uttarakhand and ors.
Cabinet approval of shift:
2022
Time for possession:
Six weeks, with a transfer notification within eight weeks
Why it matters for exams: The durable fact is that the Supreme Court permitted the shift of the Uttarakhand High Court from Nainital to Haldwani and set aside the direction for a referendum, in High Court Bar Association v State of Uttarakhand.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Referendum Referendum — A direct vote of those concerned; the Supreme Court held it was not the way to decide a High Court's seat here.
Background
The Assembly session held at Gairsain on 27 and 28 October goes back to a status the hill town gained in 2020. On 8 June 2020 a State government notification named Bhararisain (Gairsain) in Chamoli district as the summer capital of Uttarakhand, after the Governor gave her assent. The notification was signed by the then Chief Secretary, Utpal Kumar Singh. Gairsain had been an emotive issue in the hill State ever since Uttarakhand was created as a separate State on 9 November 2000. The VN Dixit Commission, set up to settle where the permanent capital should be, had favoured Dehradun and set Gairsain aside as prone to earthquakes. A number of Vidhan Sabha sessions have since been held at Gairsain, while Dehradun remains the State capital.
Summer capital:
Bhararisain
District:
Chamoli
State formed:
9 November 2000
Why it matters for exams: Capitals are standard questions: Uttarakhand, formed in 2000, has Dehradun as its main seat of government and Bhararisain (Gairsain) as its summer capital.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Summer capital Summer capital — A second seat of government used in the warmer months.
VN Dixit Commission Capital site commission headed by VN Dixit — The panel Uttarakhand set up to recommend a permanent capital.