9 October 2026
The Kerala Police has formed a special task force named Speak Up to deal with domestic violence, and an order announcing its formation has been issued.
IG Ajeetha Begum leads the task force.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said that over the past seven years 92 women have died in Kerala as a result of domestic violence.
A special control room will register complaints quickly, and complaints can be made through a digital helpline, WhatsApp and a dedicated mobile app.
The task force is to prevent domestic abuse and to provide legal assistance, counselling, safe accommodation and livelihood support.
Police intervention will give priority to the privacy of survivors.
Task force:
Speak Up
Head:
IG Ajeetha Begum
Deaths cited over seven years:
92
Why it matters for exams: Named State police initiatives and the officers heading them are common one-mark questions in Kerala PSC current affairs.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
IG Inspector General of Police — A senior rank in the State police hierarchy, above Deputy Inspector General.
9 October 2026
Chief Electoral Officer D Sajith Babu has directed district collectors to conduct a special voter enrolment drive across Keralam.
Digital help desks will function at village offices from October 15 to October 31.
The additional declaration form has been dropped, and applicants submit only online Form 6 through the Citizen Service portal or the Voter Helpline app.
An applicant must produce one of 12 documents proving photograph, age and address, and a person using Aadhaar must also submit another supporting document.
Booth level officers will visit households to complete the verification.
Electoral registration officers must check major differences between the electoral roll effective January 1, 2025 and the roll in force just before the Assembly polls.
A week-long Campus to Booth drive for college and higher secondary students begins on November 2 under the tagline Step Forward, Get Counted.
Help desk period:
October 15 to October 31
Documents accepted:
12
Campus to Booth start:
November 2
Why it matters for exams: Forms, officers and timelines of electoral roll revision are regularly asked in Kerala PSC general knowledge and UPSC polity papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CEO Chief Electoral Officer — The officer who supervises election work in a State on behalf of the Election Commission of India.
BLO Booth Level Officer — The local official who verifies voter details in a polling station area.
Form 6 Application for inclusion of name in the electoral roll — The form a new voter uses to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll.
SIR Special Intensive Revision — An intensive house-to-house revision of the electoral roll ordered by the Election Commission.
9 October 2026
Justice A Badharudeen of the Kerala High Court allowed a plea by advocate K M Shajahan and directed that an FIR be registered on the Enforcement Directorate report in the CMRL-Exalogic matter.
The court held that the police should register an FIR on the report instead of first conducting a preliminary inquiry.
The Enforcement Directorate report names former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas.
The report states that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited made payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions for IT consultancy services.
The State government had argued that the report was not enough for an FIR and that a preliminary inquiry was needed.
The detailed judgment is awaited.
Judge:
Justice A Badharudeen
Payment stated in the report:
Rs 2.78 crore
Why it matters for exams: High Court orders on when an FIR must be registered rather than a preliminary inquiry are a standing topic in Kerala PSC and UPSC polity and current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
FIR First Information Report — The first written record of information about a cognizable offence, registered by the police.
ED Enforcement Directorate — The central agency that investigates foreign exchange and money laundering matters.
CMRL Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited — A mineral processing company based in Ernakulam district.
9 October 2026
The UN migration agency IOM has warned that Djibouti is facing overlapping emergencies as refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen arrive on its shores while migrants continue to travel in the opposite direction.
More than 3,700 refugees have reached the Horn of Africa nation in the past three weeks after a dangerous crossing of the Red Sea, said Alexandre Coissac, head of IOM's mission in the country, briefing journalists in Geneva by video link.
IOM has recorded more than 20,000 journeys made from Ethiopia since 10 September by migrants heading for Yemen in the hope of finding work in the Gulf.
Another 539 Ethiopian migrants have arrived from Yemen on their way home.
Between 20 and 30 September, more than 3,000 stranded migrants were observed along migratory routes in Djibouti, facing dehydration, exhaustion and shortages of food and water.
Coissac said most migrants bound for Yemen were unaware of the grave situation there as fighting between Government and Houthi forces intensifies.
He called for more support for new arrivals, migrants in distress and host communities in Obock.
Refugees arrived in three weeks:
More than 3,700
Journeys from Ethiopia since 10 September:
more than 20,000
Ethiopian migrants returning from Yemen:
539
Stranded migrants, 20-30 September:
more than 3,000
Why it matters for exams: The Horn of Africa migration route, the Bab al-Mandab crossing and IOM's mandate are standard questions on world geography and migration.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN agency for migration, headquartered in Geneva.
Horn of Africa Horn of Africa — The eastern projection of Africa comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.
9 October 2026
Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls, presented a report to the General Assembly on violence against older women.
She said older women face violence, exploitation and neglect yet remain largely invisible in the laws, policies, data and services designed to protect women overall.
An estimated 664 million women were aged 60 or older in 2025, a number projected to reach 1.13 billion by 2050.
The report treats violence against older women as a distinct and intersectional issue rooted in discrimination, ageism and inequality.
It identifies physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence as well as coercive control, neglect, abandonment and technology-facilitated violence.
It also records exploitation of pensions and property, digital exclusion, denial of healthcare or assistive devices and barriers to reporting and justice.
Widows, migrant and stateless women, rural women, women with disabilities and women in institutional care are identified as particularly at risk.
Special Rapporteur:
Reem Alsalem
Women aged 60 or older, 2025:
664 million
Projected for 2050:
1.13 billion
Reported to:
UN General Assembly
Why it matters for exams: Special Rapporteurs, their reporting line to the General Assembly and ageing demographics are all exam staples.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Special Rapporteur Special Rapporteur — An independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to report on a theme or a country.
Ageism Ageism — Discrimination against a person on the ground of age.
9 October 2026
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told a high-level dialogue on reparatory justice in Geneva that the legacy of enslavement and colonialism continues to shape the lives of Africans and people of African descent.
Over 30 million people were violently uprooted from Africa and condemned to a life of slavery, he said, and no country involved in enslavement or colonialism has fully confronted that past.
He said the transatlantic trade was an organised system of domination that treated tens of millions of African men, women and children as commodities.
In some regions police are several times more likely to use force against people of African descent, and people of the diaspora are disproportionately represented in prisons.
Turk warned that artificial intelligence and other technologies are already reproducing human biases and could deepen systemic racism.
He said reparatory justice should not be understood as financial compensation alone, but should include truth-telling, formal apologies, memorials and restitution of cultural artefacts.
Many countries still lack anti-racism legislation and fewer than one in four have comprehensive anti-discrimination law.
Speaker:
Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Venue:
High-level dialogue on reparatory justice, Geneva
People uprooted from Africa:
Over 30 million
Countries with comprehensive anti-discrimination law:
fewer than one in four
Why it matters for exams: Reparatory justice, OHCHR and the mandate of the High Commissioner for Human Rights appear in both PSC and UPSC international organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights — The UN human rights office, based in Geneva and headed by the High Commissioner.
Reparatory justice Reparatory justice — Measures to repair the harms of enslavement and colonialism, going beyond money to apologies, memorials and restitution.
9 October 2026
In Chittibarika Chandra Shekar & Ors. v. State of Telangana, a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran held that a refusal to marry, even if followed by suicide, does not by itself amount to abetment under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Court found no material to show that the appellants had instigated the deceased.
It held that the refusal was not intended to drive her to suicide and that knowledge of such a consequence could not be attributed to the appellants.
The bench observed that people react differently to situations, and that a breakup ending in suicide cannot always be termed an abetment to suicide.
The appeal arose from a criminal revision before the Telangana High Court; the woman was in a consensual relationship with the first appellant.
The Court quashed the criminal proceedings against all six appellants.
The judgment is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 1029.
Case:
Chittibarika Chandra Shekar & Ors. v. State of Telangana
Bench:
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran
Provision:
Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (SC) 1029
Why it matters for exams: Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code and the ingredients of instigation are a standard criminal law question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Abetment Abetment of suicide — Instigating, conspiring in or intentionally aiding an act of suicide.
Section 306 IPC Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code — The offence of abetment of suicide, punishable with imprisonment up to ten years.
Criminal revision Criminal revision — A High Court's power to re-examine an order of a subordinate criminal court.
Quash Quashing of proceedings — A court order ending a criminal case before trial concludes.
9 October 2026
In the suo motu case In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued a set of directions in an order dated October 5.
Drivers and assistants of government and private buses, app-based aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido, and private cabs and autos must be verified, with their names and photographs displayed inside the vehicles.
Uniforms or visible identification are to be prescribed and unauthorised sub-letting of vehicles barred, with vehicle seizure and driver suspension for non-compliance.
The Commissioner of Police and the Chief Secretary must file a joint report on dedicated control-room command centres and real-time response protocols.
Weekly reports covering the preceding three months were sought on the Shishtachar Squads, with status reports on Operation Nirbheek and the Nazuk Scheme.
Police were directed to remove unlawfully parked heavy vehicles that create blind spots and to act against unauthorised liquor shops and eateries supplying liquor.
Preventive policing is to be built into police induction and refresher training through the Bureau of Police Research and Development.
Amicus curiae Senior Advocate Liz Mathew cited a 2020 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General showing a 39 per cent vacancy in active police station and beat patrol duties in Delhi. The next hearing is on November 16.
Case:
In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR
Bench:
Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran
Vacancy cited by amicus:
39 per cent
Next hearing:
November 16
Why it matters for exams: Suo motu jurisdiction and continuing mandamus style directions to the executive are a recurring theme in judiciary questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Suo motu Suo motu — A court taking up a matter on its own, without a petition from a party.
Shishtachar Squads Shishtachar Squads — Delhi Police units deployed against harassment of women in public places.
BPR&D Bureau of Police Research and Development — The central body for police research, training and modernisation.
CAG Comptroller and Auditor General — The constitutional auditor of the Union and the States under Article 148.
9 October 2026
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the Jharkhand Director General of Police appointment matter in Prakash Singh & Ors. v. Union of India, WP(C) No. 310/1996.
The Court prima facie found that a provision allowing an officer with less than six months of residual service to be considered for appointment as Director General of Police runs contrary to the Prakash Singh directions.
The rules in question are the Selection and Appointment of Director General and Inspector General of Police, Jharkhand (Head of Police Force) Rules, 2025, notified in January 2025.
The Court directed notice to the serving Director General of Police, Tadasha Mishra, so that she can be heard, since annulment of the rule would unsettle her appointment.
Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, the amicus curiae, was asked to examine the validity and source of power of the Jharkhand rule and whether other States have similar provisions.
The Union Public Service Commission was directed to assist the amicus curiae, and the matter was listed after one week.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Jharkhand and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Union.
Case:
Prakash Singh & Ors. v. Union of India, WP(C) No. 310/1996
Bench:
Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Justice V Mohana
Rules questioned:
Jharkhand (Head of Police Force) Rules, 2025
Amicus curiae:
Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran
Why it matters for exams: The Prakash Singh directions on police reform, including the two-year tenure and UPSC panel for the DGP, are a core polity topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Amicus curiae Amicus curiae — A lawyer appointed by a court to assist it rather than to represent a party.
DGP Director General of Police — The head of a State police force.
Prakash Singh judgment Prakash Singh v. Union of India — The 2006 Supreme Court judgment that laid down binding directions for police reform in the States.
UPSC Union Public Service Commission — The constitutional body that, under the Prakash Singh directions, empanels officers for appointment as DGP.
9 October 2026
The Madhya Pradesh Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026 has become law in the state.
The Assembly's own bills record shows it was introduced on 20 July 2026 and discussed and passed on 21 July 2026.
The Governor's assent is recorded as 17 August 2026.
It is listed as Act No. 09 of 2026.
The Madhya Pradesh Workplace Empowerment Code, also called the Shram Shakti Code, of the same session is listed as Act No. 07 of 2026, with assent on 7 August 2026.
Act number:
09 of 2026
Passed:
21/07/2026
Governor's assent:
17/08/2026
Shram Shakti Code:
Act No. 07 of 2026
Why it matters for exams: State ease-of-doing-business and labour codes are asked in economy and governance sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Ease of doing business Ease of doing business — A set of measures meant to simplify approvals, inspections and compliance for enterprises.
9 October 2026
The Madhya Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Bill, 2026 has become law in the state.
The Assembly's bills record shows it was introduced on 20 July 2026 and discussed and passed on 21 July 2026.
The Governor's assent is recorded as 31 August 2026.
It is listed as Act No. 16 of 2026.
The Madhya Pradesh Highways (Amendment) Bill, 2026 of the same session is listed as Act No. 17 of 2026, with assent on 8 September 2026.
Act number:
16 of 2026
Passed:
21/07/2026
Governor's assent:
31/08/2026
Why it matters for exams: State fire services legislation and Act numbering are asked in state administration questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Act number Act number — The serial number given to a law in the year the Governor assents to it.
9 October 2026
The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly's own bills record for 2026 lists the Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026.
The Bill was introduced on 20 July 2026 and was discussed and passed on 21 July 2026.
It was taken up in the eleventh session of the Assembly.
The Assembly's record shows no date of the Governor's assent and no Act number against the Bill.
The Bharatiya Suraksha Sanhita (Madhya Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2026 is the only other 2026 Bill on the record without an assent date.
Introduced:
20/07/2026
Discussed and passed:
21/07/2026
Session:
Eleventh session
Governor's assent:
not recorded
Why it matters for exams: The legislative stages of a Bill and the assent requirement under Article 200 are standard polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Assent Governor's assent — Under Article 200 a Bill passed by a state legislature becomes law only when the Governor assents to it.
UCC Uniform Civil Code — A common set of personal laws on matters such as marriage, divorce and succession.
9 October 2026
The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the State Bar Council to frame guidelines prescribing a minimum stipend for junior advocates.
The guidelines are to be framed within six months.
The Bar Council is to act along with the State Bar Association and the Advocates' Bar Association.
The direction was given in Vipin Pandey v Rani Durgavati University, Writ Petition WP-7749-2005.
The order is reported as 2026 LiveLaw (MP) 391.
Time given:
6 months
Body directed:
State Bar Council
Case:
WP-7749-2005
Citation:
2026 LiveLaw (MP) 391
Why it matters for exams: Stipend directions for junior advocates touch Article 21 livelihood questions and Bar Council powers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
State Bar Council State Bar Council — The statutory body under the Advocates Act that enrols and regulates advocates in a state.
9 October 2026
The Ujjain Municipal Corporation has taken up a road widening exercise in the city for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028.
The corporation told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that the exercise was part of the Ujjain Development Plan, 2035.
The corporation issued notices on 14 August, 25 and 27 August, and 1 September.
It recorded before the court that portions of 10 temples and one mosque had already been removed along the same road.
Action had been taken against around 80 religious places across Ujjain.
The administration said the widening was needed to manage the movement of devotees.
Religious places acted against:
around 80
Already removed along the road:
10 temples and one mosque
Plan cited:
Ujjain Development Plan, 2035
Event:
Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028
Why it matters for exams: Simhastha 2028 and the Ujjain Development Plan 2035 are named state projects likely to recur in questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Development Plan Development Plan — A statutory town planning document that sets out land use and road alignments for a city.
9 October 2026
A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Indore disposed of two writ appeals concerning the Shahi Masjid at Ujjain.
The bench comprised Justice Subodh Abhyankar and Justice Jai Kumar Pillai.
The appellants told the court they had reached a settlement with the Ujjain Municipal Corporation on removing part of the mosque for road widening.
The court held that the civic body's assurances and the interim notice in the case would bind it.
Counsel for the corporation said less than 10 per cent of the Shahi Masjid would be affected.
The road widening is being carried out ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain.
Bench:
Indore
Judges:
Subodh Abhyankar and Jai Kumar Pillai
Portion affected:
less than 10 per cent
Civic body:
Ujjain Municipal Corporation
Why it matters for exams: The Indore bench and the Simhastha road project are current Madhya Pradesh polity and judiciary material.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Writ appeal Writ appeal — An appeal to a division bench against the order of a single judge in a writ petition.
Simhastha Simhastha Kumbh — The religious congregation held at Ujjain every twelve years.
Background
Array
District number:
12th district of Kerala
Taluks at formation:
Mananthavady, Sulthanbathery, Vythiri
Altitude:
700 m to 2100 m above mean sea level
Area under forest:
About 885.92 sq.km
Why it matters for exams: District formation order, taluks, name origin and crop profile of Kerala's districts are repeat Kerala PSC questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Vayal Nadu Land of paddy fields — The phrase from which the name Wayanad is derived.
Background
The UPSC's own website lists its Constitutional Provisions as Articles 315 to 323.
Article 315 provides for Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the States.
Article 316 covers appointment and term of office of members, and Article 317 covers removal and suspension of a member.
Article 318 empowers regulations on conditions of service of members and staff; Article 319 prohibits members from holding certain offices after they cease to be members.
Article 320 sets out the functions of Public Service Commissions, Article 321 the power to extend those functions, Article 322 their expenses and Article 323 their reports.
Articles:
315 to 323
Removal and suspension of a member:
Article 317
Functions:
Article 320
Why it matters for exams: Article numbers and what each covers are asked directly in polity papers, and Kerala PSC and UPSC aspirants meet this body constantly.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Array
Members:
Five permanent members of the Security Council
Operations suspended:
1 November 1994
Last trust territory:
Palau
Why it matters for exams: Questions on the six principal UN organs often ask which one is dormant and why.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Trust Territory Territory placed under the International Trusteeship System — Such territories were administered by an Administering Authority under Council supervision.
Background
Array
Judges:
15
Term of office:
Nine years
Elected by:
General Assembly and Security Council, separately
Renewal:
One third every three years
Why it matters for exams: A staple of UN-system questions: number of judges, term, who elects them and the double-majority rule.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Absolute majority More than half of all votes that can be cast — A candidate must clear this bar in both the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Permanent Court of Arbitration Hague-based arbitration body set up by the Hague Conventions — Its national groups of jurists nominate candidates for the Court.
Background
NATO's own list of member countries names the United States among the 12 founding members.
The same list records the United States' accession year as 1949.
The United Kingdom is named with the United States among the founders.
At present, NATO has 32 member countries.
India is not a NATO member.
Founding members:
12
Current members:
32
US accession year:
1949
Why it matters for exams: NATO membership numbers and founding members are standard questions on military alliances.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization — The North Atlantic military alliance in which the United States is a founding member.