General Studies Paper-2 Context The Supreme Court has upheld the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 while striking down few provisions and balancing state regulation with minority rights. Key Amendments of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 Composition of the Central Waqf Council: The Union Minister in-charge of waqf is the ex-officio chairperson. Council members include: Members of Parliament (MPs). Persons of national eminence. Retired Supreme Court/High Court judges. Eminent scholars in Muslim law. Removes the Muslim requirement for MPs, former judges, and eminent persons. It mandates two non-Muslim members in the Council. Composition of Waqf Boards: Empowers state governments to nominate one....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The number of pending cases in the Supreme Court of India has surged to an all-time high, raising serious concerns about the efficiency, accessibility, and credibility of the judicial system. Current Caseload According to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), the Supreme Court of India is witnessing an unprecedented rise in case pendency, with 88,492 matters currently awaiting disposal, that includes 69,605 civil cases and 18,887 criminal cases. It has grown by over 35% in the past five years, despite digitization efforts and structural reforms. Causes of Pendency of Cases Low Disposal of Cases: In August....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Supreme Court has decided to examine a petition to introduce a “system”, similar to the creamy layer concept for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in reservation benefits among the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Reservation in India As per existing instructions, reservation is provided to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at the rate of 15%, 7.5% and 27%, respectively, in case of direct recruitment on an all-India basis by open competition. In direct recruitment on an all-India basis, other than by open competition, the percentage fixed is 16.66%....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Lok Sabha has passed the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Income-Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025. About The Income-Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025 The Bill seeks to replace the Income-tax Act, 1961. It simplifies tax language, clarifies deductions, and strengthens cross-referencing across provisions. Tax rates and regimes for individuals and corporations remain unchanged. There are no changes in offences and penalties. Power to Frame Schemes: The Act provided specific provisions for a faceless mechanism in areas such as inquiries, valuations, revision of orders, and tax recovery. New Change: The Bill grants general powers to the central....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context the Supreme Court heard a petition challenging the constitutional validity of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, balancing protection of honest officers and ensuring accountability in corruption probes. What is Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act? Introduced via the 2018 Amendment, Section 17A prohibits any police inquiry or investigation into public servants without prior approval from the competent authority (Central or State Government) if the act was done in the discharge of official duties. It aims to shield honest officials from harassment and prevent policy paralysis due to fear of prosecution. However, critics argue it creates hurdles....Read More

General Studies Paper -2 Context August 5th 2025, marks the sixth year for the abrogation of Article 370. What was Article 370? Article 370 was drafted as a temporary provision under Part XXI and came into effect in 1952. It allowed the state to have its own constitution, flag, and make laws on all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs, and communications. This meant the state had significant control over its internal matters. Article 35A: This article was added through a Presidential Order called The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954, issued under the powers of Article 370.....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Union Government and all States on Presidential reference on the President and Governor’s powers. The SC seeks opinion on whether the President and Governors can be judicially compelled to act within prescribed timelines on Bills passed by State legislatures. Background Recently, the Supreme Court verdict laid down a timeline for the President and governors to decide on state bills. Generally, the Governor is not bound by any time limit to act on a Bill. This creates a situation where the Governor can simply not act on a Bill....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar becomes the third Vice-President in India’s history to resign before completing his term, after V.V. Giri and R. Venkataraman in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution of India. Election of Vice-President of India The Vice-President of India is elected by the method of indirect election, with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot (Article 66). Eligibility criteria: He should be a citizen of India and have completed 35 years of age He should be qualified for election....Read More

General Studies Paper-2 Context The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has reignited debate over the eligibility of migrant workers as ‘ordinarily resident’ for voter registration. Who is ‘ordinarily resident’? The term “ordinarily resident” is defined and interpreted through the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RP Act), under Section 19 and Section 20. Section 19 of the RP Act requires that a person is ‘ordinarily resident’ in a constituency for inclusion in its electoral roll. Section 20 provides the meaning of the term ‘ordinarily resident’. It specifies that mere ownership or possession of a....Read More

General Studies Paper -2 Context: The Union government announced that the much delayed Census 2021 will be held in two phases beginning October 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027. About The census, typically conducted every ten years to update the National Population Register (NPR), was scheduled for 2021 but had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic. The delimitation of constituencies for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies is to be carried out on the basis of the first Census after 2026. This will be India’s first digital Census and will be the first Census since 1931 to....Read More