CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Indian prison system is a legacy of the colonial era. It was created under the Prisons Act, 1894, which primarily focused on punishing offenders and instilling fear.

The Government of India has recently constituted three separate high-level committees to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Birsa Munda, and the centenary (100th birth anniversary) of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 

Home Minister Amit Shah introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to remove the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers facing serious charges. However, after a voice vote, the bill has been referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

The Manipur High Court’s order to the State to issue Beyoncé Laishram a fresh educational certificate is not only a matter of individual justice, but also a major commentary on the state of transgender rights.

Definition: Reservation is a policy of affirmative action under which special opportunities are provided to socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), women and persons with disabilities in the fields of education, employment, and political representation.

India has a long-standing civilization based on the Varna system, which later evolved into a complex caste-based social structure. This structure has had profound effects on political, social, and economic life. After independence, India undertook several social reforms; however, caste-based data was not officially collected in the decennial census for a long time.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai has raised the question whether the Supreme Court, despite being the ‘Guardian of the Constitution’, should sit idly by while governors continue to disrupt the democratic system by stalling bills passed by state assemblies for years. The debate is particularly linked to the Tamil Nadu case where the governor has not taken any decision on several important bills for four years.

On 21 August 2025, the Parliament passed the Online Gaming Promotion and Regulation Bill, 2025. The law is a significant step to protect citizens from the risks of online money games, while also promoting other types of online games and ensuring their proper regulation.

Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission (ECI) published the draft voter list on August 1, 2025 under 'Special Intensive Revision (SIR)'. In this draft, the names of about 65 lakh voters were removed, which were earlier included in the voter list prepared in January 2025.

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the validity of Exception 2 of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code.