Polity & Governance: Current Affairs Master (2025–2026)

📊 High-Yield Data & Statistical Fact Sheet

• 8th Central Pay Commission:
  • Chairperson: Justice (Retd.) Ranjana Prakash Desai.
  • Operational Scope: Reviews pay/pension structures for 50 lakh central employees and defense personnel, balancing consumer price indices with a target compression ratio (currently ~1:13.9 gap between minimum pay and Cabinet Secretary salary).
• VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 (Rural Employment Reform):
  • Repeals the historical MGNREGA, 2005.
  • Transits rural job guarantee from a demand-driven right to a supply-driven, budget-capped system.
  • Increases work guarantee from 100 days to 125 days per financial year.
  • Restructures funding to a 60:40 Centre-State sharing ratio (90:10 for NE/Himalayan states) across wages and materials (replacing the 100% central wage funding).
• SHANTI Act, 2025 (Civil Nuclear Reform):
  • Repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.
  • Ends the absolute public monopoly by opening civil nuclear power production to private and foreign investment.
  • Caps operator liability at ₹3,000 crore per incident and exempts equipment suppliers from recourse unless damage intent is proven.
• Online Gaming Act, 2025:
  • Imposes an absolute ban on Real Money Games (RMGs) involving monetary stakes (e.g., Poker, Rummy, Fantasy Cricket).
  • Explicitly exempts competitive E-sports, treating them as skill-based sports.
  • Violations carry up to 3 years of jail and a ₹1 crore fine, with CERT-In blocking apps.
• Income Tax Act, 2025:
  • Replaces the legacy Income Tax Act, 1961.
  • Empowers digital search protocols, allowing officers to access electronic spaces (emails, WhatsApp) and mandates targets to provide access passwords.
  • Limits reopening of assessments to 5 years; allows taxpayers to update/fix returns for 4 years.

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1. APEX SUPREME COURT RULINGS (2025 BENCHMARKS)

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APEX SUPREME COURT RULINGS (2025 BENCHMARKS)

APEX SUPREME COURT RULINGS (2025 BENCHMARKS)

Cue Words	Notes
Analyze key facts and concepts related to APEX SUPREME COURT RULINGS (2025 BENCHMARKS).	To optimize GS2 Mains answers, memorize these exact case titles and rulings:
Detail the concepts and significance of I. Departmental Inquiry Safeguards (*State of Jharkhand v. Rukma Kesh Mishra, 2025*).	I. Departmental Inquiry Safeguards (State of Jharkhand v. Rukma Kesh Mishra, 2025) SC Ruling: Clarified that under Article 311, prior approval of the appointing authority is not a mandatory prerequisite to initiate departmental or disciplinary proceedings against a public servant. Such approval is only required at the final stage before passing the order of dismissal, removal, or reduction in rank.
Detail the concepts and significance of II. Land Registration & Property Title (*Samiullah v. State of Bihar, 2025*).	II. Land Registration & Property Title (Samiullah v. State of Bihar, 2025) SC Ruling: The court held that the mere registration of a sale deed or land document before a sub-registrar does not constitute absolute proof of title. Registration only records transaction details; legal ownership title must be independently established through civil court processes.
Detail the concepts and significance of III. Reproductive Rights & Surrogacy (*Surrogacy Act Benchmark, 2025*).	III. Reproductive Rights & Surrogacy (Surrogacy Act Benchmark, 2025) SC Ruling: Declared that the exclusion of single women (divorced or widowed) from the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 violated Article 14 (Equality) if they are medically unable to carry a child. The court permitted a widow to use frozen embryos created with her late husband's sperm, ruling the "Right to Procreate" is an integral part of the Right to Life under Article 21.
Detail the concepts and significance of IV. POSH Act Cross-Entity Applicability (*Dr. Sohail Malik v. Union of India, 2025*).	IV. POSH Act Cross-Entity Applicability (Dr. Sohail Malik v. Union of India, 2025) SC Ruling: The court ruled that under the POSH Act, 2013, an aggrieved woman can file a sexual harassment complaint with her own organization's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) even if the alleged harasser is an employee of a separate organization or an outsider. ICC Composition (POSH Act, 2013): Mandatory for every workplace with 10 or more employees; chaired by a senior woman employee, with at least two members committed to women's causes and one external member from an NGO/association working on sexual harassment issues (to prevent undue pressure on the complainant from within the organization).
Detail the concepts and significance of V. Legislative Plenary Override (*Contempt v. Override Ruling, 2025*).	V. Legislative Plenary Override (Contempt v. Override Ruling, 2025) SC Ruling: The Supreme Court held that an act passed by a State Legislature cannot be treated as Contempt of Court unless the act itself is declared unconstitutional. Legislative override via plenary powers is permissible to cure judicial defects.

2. EXECUTIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE & STATE DEVELOPMENTS

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EXECUTIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE & STATE DEVELOPMENTS

EXECUTIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE & STATE DEVELOPMENTS

Cue Words

Notes

Analyze key facts and concepts related to EXECUTIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE & STATE DEVELOPMENTS.

Seva Teerth Complex: The newly built executive enclave housing the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Cabinet Secretariat, the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), and "India House" (dignitary talk venue) under the Central Vista project. Uttarakhand UCC Amendments (2025): The first post-independence state UCC extended its live-in relationship registration period from 6 months to 1 year, increasing penalties for non-registration. Scheduled Tribes (STs) remain entirely excluded from UCC applicability. Ladakh Domicile & Reservations (2025): Mandates an 85% reservation in government jobs specifically for resident Ladakhis (reaching 95% total quota when combined with ST, EWS, and border residents). Authorised Tehsildars issue domicile certificates based on a 15-year stay criteria. Zonal Councils: Statutory bodies under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 chaired by the Union Home Minister, with Chief Ministers serving as Vice-Chairpersons on rotation.