UPSC Key: Jaswant Singh Khalra, Population Implosion and Extradition treaty

US strikes Iran; Tehran hits back at Gulf states, says Hormuz shut

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story: U.S. and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting U.S. facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work– Strait of Hormuz

• What are the strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz?

• Why West Asia remains central to India’s energy security?

• Which countries have been hit or put on alert?

• Know the concept of maritime chokepoints with suitable examples.

• India’s strategic petroleum reserve programme-why need of the hour?

• Why are global oil prices highly sensitive to geopolitical conflicts?

• What are the implications of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on global energy markets?

• How can India strengthen its long-term energy security amid geopolitical instability?

Key Takeaways:

• The renewed violence casts further doubt on the future of an interim U.S.-Iranian agreement signed last month that aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations.

• The strikes were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the barrage marked an escalation in pace and range.

• Iran’s strikes extended to Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks that had not come under attack since April. The United Arab Emirates, which had not been targeted since early May, said its air defenses had engaged missiles and drones from Iran.

• The U.S. military began launching more strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Central Command said in a statement on the social media platform X, “to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

• U.S. Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkinstold CNN that U.S. aircraft shot down an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone.

• In a brief phone interview with Reuters on Sunday afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the weekend’s strikes on Iran. “We’re beating them up,” he said.

• Iranian media said on Sunday there had been missile attacks and explosions around the port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas, home to military facilities on the strait, and nearby Qeshm Island.

• In a statement, Iran’s foreign ministry condemned “aggressive” U.S. attacks against Iran over the weekend. The ministry also said talks between Iran and Oman on Saturday in Muscat — focused on arrangements for managing the strait and transit routes — were unable to reach a result because of “overt and covert” U.S. pressure on Oman.

• In the past week, Trump has said he considers the ceasefire over, while leaving the door open to more talks. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on X on Sunday: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”

• The war that the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran on February 28 has destabilised the Gulf, where Iran has struck countries hosting U.S. bases. Iran’s effective blockade of the strait has driven energy prices higher and fuelled global inflation.

Do You Know:

• Iran has sought to establish a permanent system for collecting fees in the strait, which carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war, and has warned vessels not to sail without its authorisation.

• India said one of its nationals was missing after an attack on the container ship GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman. Oman said 23 crew members had been rescued. Qatar advised all vessels, including leisure boats, fishing boats and jet skis, to suspend activities.

• Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on Sunday that passage through the strait was not currently possible due to “recent illegal movements of the United States military forces in the region”. Permits would be issued “as soon as stability and calm are restored,” it said.

• Qatar, which has previously said it would not act as a mediator so long as it was under attack, said three people, including a child, had been injured by falling shrapnel. It said Iran was “fully legally responsible” for the attack.

• The UAE said it detected missile threats outside its borders, while Bahrain said it intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks, Jordan reported missile strikes and Oman reported being targeted with drones. Kuwait’s army later reported damage from strikes, and said an attack on an oil drilling platform injured a worker.

• Oman said it had summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest over drone attacks in two regions and the U.S. embassy in Oman told its nationals in Duqm and Musandam to shelter in place.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍US-Iran war timeline: 10 key events from February strikes to June peace deal

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1) With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2022)
1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Politics

Satluj saga: How a film shining light on a tragedy cannot reignite militancy

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: It took barely two days for the film “Satluj”, marking its release and removal on the OTT platform ZEE5, to drag Punjab’s “dark decade” back into everyday conversations. In the border belt of Majha, which bore the brunt of both militancy and police action, elders still recall that pain with a single Punjabi word: Santaap. Suffering. That memory, more than any film, explains why Punjab is unlikely to revisit those years.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Why was Satluj banned?

• Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra?

• How does CBFC certification work?

• How are streaming platforms regulated?

• What is Section 69A?

• Khalistan Movement-know in detail

• The film “Satluj” and Khalistan Movement-connect the dots

Key Takeaways:

• Militancy did not emerge in Punjab because of one film, one speech, one leader or any one event. It grew over years on account of accumulated political grievances. The reorganisation of Punjab in 1966 left several contentious issues unresolved – from sharing of river waters and Chandigarh to the question of greater autonomy. These grievances did not automatically produce violence, but they created fertile ground for alienation.

• The situation worsened with a series of political and administrative missteps. The 1978 Nirankari clash in Amritsar on Baisakhi, in which 13 Sikh protesters – who were led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale – were killed and the accused later acquitted. The incident catapulted Bhindranwale, the then newly anointed chief of the Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal, to prominence.

• Then followed a series of killings, beginning with the assassinations of the Nirankari chief Gurbachan Singh in 1980, and then of Punjab Kesari editor Lala Jagat Narain, a fierce critic of Bhindranwale, in 1981.

• Bhindranwale was a suspect in both the cases but was let off, with then Union home minister Zail Singh himself telling Parliament that there was no evidence against him. The Congress, then led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was trying to build up Bhindranwale as a counterweight to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the regional party that had mounted one of the fiercest resistances to the Emergency with thousands of its activists sent to jail.

• But soon Bhindranwale became a law unto himself, running a parallel administration from the Golden Temple complex after he shifted there with an armed band of followers in 1982. Finding themselves on a weak ground, fragmented Akali leaders allied with him to launch the Dharam Yudh Morcha to demand greater autonomy for Punjab.

• The botched up talks between the Centre and the Akalis proved to be the last straw. The subsequent fortification of the Golden Temple complex in 1983 (DIG A S Atwal was shot dead moments after stepping out of the complex), June 1984 Operation Blue Star – in which hundreds, some say thousands, including Army personnel, were killed, with the Akal Takht extensively damaged – the assassination of Indira Gandhi in October 1984 and the subsequent horrific anti-Sikh massacres, transformed a political crisis into a full-blown insurgency.

• Alongside political concerns were intensely personal grievances. Maj Gen Shabeg Singh, a hero of the 1971 war who helped Bhindranwale fortify the Golden Temple complex, was dismissed from the Army shortly before retirement on what were widely seen as trumped-up corruption charges. Gurbachan Singh Manochahal – who would later become one of Punjab’s most dreaded terrorists after floating a militant outfit called Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) – had been dismissed from the army after he broke the nose of an officer who had hurled an abuse at him for coming late from leave.

• Then Punjab DGP K P S Gill, dubbed “supercop” by the police personnel and his admirers for quashing militancy in the state, often argued that human rights campaigns “undermined” the hard-won peace. Many others believe Khalra reminded the country that the rule of law cannot become a casualty even in the fight against terror. Both perspectives continue to coexist in Punjab’s public memory.

Do You Know:

• After being stuck for nearly three years over certification issues, the movie Satluj, based on the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, premiered on ZEE5 on July 3. Just two days later, however, it was taken off the platform. While the film remains available internationally on ZEE5 global, it is unavailable in India “until further notice”.

• The film chronicles the life and death of Khalra, the Amritsar-based activist, who investigated the alleged illegal cremation of “thousands of unidentified bodies” by police during Punjab’s militancy years. He was abducted and killed in 1995, a case in which several police officials were convicted.

• The project, originally titled Ghallughara, changed its name to Punjab ’95 after the first round of scrutiny by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The CBFC sought 127 cuts before it would clear a theatrical release, which the makers refused.

• Therefore, the film never reached the cinemas and eventually arrived on the over-the-top (OTT) platform — without the cuts — under the name Satluj. Parallelly, the makers challenged the CBFC’s objections before the Bombay High Court in 2023, but later withdrew the petition.

• Theatre releases are governed by the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Under Section 4 of the Act, any person wishing to exhibit a film publicly must apply to the CBFC, a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Screening uncertified films in a cinema is a criminal offence.

• The CBFC certifies films into categories: U (unrestricted); UA (unrestricted with parental guidance); A (adults only), and S (restricted to specialised audiences).
The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, further split the UA category into age-based sub-categories and made certificates perpetually valid, removing the earlier 10-year limit.

• The Act also empowers the board to refuse certifications or to grant them subject to excisions and modifications if a film is against the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India; the security of the state; friendly relations with foreign states; public order, decency or morality; or involves defamation or contempt of court. These are the “reasonable restrictions” on free speech under Article 19(2) of the Constitution.

• OTT platforms typically operated with minimal oversight. But as their influence and reach grow, the government has made attempts to regulate these platforms.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Behind ‘Satluj’ takedown, India’s parallel regimes to regulate theatrical and OTT releases

The Editorial Page

Population spectres do harm. Managing demographic change is the challenge

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: Sonalde Desai Writes- Discussions of population devolve into debates about childbearing and ultimately centre on women’s bodies. Modern global discourse emphasises a return to traditional ways of life

Key Points to Ponder:

• What does population implosion mean?

• What is a population explosion called?

• What is Thomas Malthus theory regarding the population?

• Why author says that India on the verge of depopulation?

• The North-South divide in India’s aging population-know in detail

• What are the implications of declining fertility rates?

• How does the rapid decline in TFR — especially in southern states— poses significant risks?

• How the upcoming delimitation poses challenges for states that have successfully controlled their population growth?

• How population figures play a crucial role in tax devolution between central and state governments?

• ‘The perils of an ageing society are evident in countries like Japan’-Comment

Key Takeaways:

• Visions of population explosion or implosion seem to provoke strong passions. Three centuries ago, Malthus argued that population growth would outpace the food supply, leading to famine and disease. Today, the focus seems to have shifted to concerns about underpopulation in India and globally. Elon Musk even claims that population collapse poses a much greater risk than global warming.

• This is a strange turnaround. In the 1800s, the world population was a billion, and life expectancy was less than 30 years. Despite the population growing to over 8 billion, Malthus’s doomsday predictions have not materialised, and life expectancy now exceeds 70.

• However, the harm to the social fabric from these overblown claims may be incalculable. Discussions of population devolve into debates about childbearing and ultimately centre on women’s bodies.

• Malthus advocated chastity for women to reduce fertility. Modern global discourse emphasises a return to traditional ways of life, controlling access to contraception, and sometimes criminalises abortion. The Indian discourse echoes the global disconnect, with some unique twists, leaving fear and dissension in its wake. Hence, it is important to address some of these fears directly.

Do You Know:

• The Malthusian Theory of Population, proposed by Thomas R. Malthus in his 1798 Essay on the Principle of Population, suggests that human populations grow exponentially (geometric progression) while food production increases at a much slower, constant rate (arithmetic progression).

• India stands in stark contrast to countries like Japan. Faced with an inflexible gender culture and work-family constraints, nearly 30 per cent of Japanese women remain unmarried into their 30s.

• In contrast, marriage and family remain the linchpin of Indian family life. The NFHS shows that 97 per cent of women are married by age 30. Yet the very importance of family also leads to smaller families.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍ExplainSpeaking: The history and economics of India’s population growth

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2) Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic development:(UPSC CSE, 2012)
1. Low birthrate with low death rate
2. High birthrate with high death rate
3. High birthrate with low death rate
Select the correct order of the above stages using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3
(b) 2, 1, 3
(c) 2, 3, 1
(d) 3, 2, 1

Previous year UPSC main Question Covering similar theme:
📍Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. (2021)

The Ideas Page

State refuses to recognise its own people: this is nihilism, no way to govern

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

What’s the ongoing story: RS Sharma Writes-Every document in circulation is partial or disowned — the ration card the government itself says is not residence proof, the utility bill in another’s name, the rent agreement easily faked.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Compare and contrast between citizenship and legal identity in the Indian context.

• Which documents are proof of citizenship in India?

• What are the constitutional framework governing citizenship in India?

• How digital identity systems can improve welfare delivery while safeguarding individual rights?

• Why is administrative efficiency essential for inclusive governance?

• What are the challenges of balancing efficient identity verification with constitutional guarantees of equality, dignity and due process?

• Who are ‘Citizens’?

• Who is a citizen in India’s constitutional scheme? What are various principles/kinds of citizenship?

• Citizens and Aliens-compare and contrast in terms of civil and political rights

• What are those rights and privileges that the Constitution of India confers on the citizens of India and denies the same to aliens?

• The Citizenship Act of 1955 prescribes five ways of acquiring citizenship-Know them in detail

• The Citizenship Act, 1955, prescribes three ways of losing citizenship-What are they?

Key Takeaways:
RS Sharma Writes-

• Consider a 60-year-old farm labourer in a village in eastern Uttar Pradesh, born at home in the 1960s, who has voted in every election of his life. During the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, an official asks him to prove his date of birth, his residence and his citizenship. He has no birth certificate, because no one registered his birth. His ration card, he is told, is not proof of residence. His Aadhaar — posted years ago to his very door — proves neither his age, address, nor his citizenship. He never held a passport and never finished school. He stands before the state with empty hands, and the burden is on him to prove that he is not a foreigner.

• It is the predictable result of three failures of the state, each of its own making. None of this is the failing of any one government or party. It is the cumulative result of decades of collective neglect — of unglamorous, unfashionable tasks such as registering every birth, which never commanded political attention — for which the system as a whole, across successive governments, bears responsibility.

• The Registration of Births and Deaths Act has required, since 1969, that every birth be registered within 21 days; running that system was the state’s job, and for decades it did not. Among children under five, only 41 per cent of births were registered as recently as 2005-06, and before the mid-2000s most Indians were born at home — institutional deliveries were under 39 per cent nationally. The reassuring figure that 98 per cent of births are now registered describes today’s new-borns; it says nothing about the adults already on the rolls.

• Registration is also not a certificate in hand — these are two separate acts in law, and for decades, the second often did not happen. If the strictest view is right, that only a birth certificate issued at the time of birth is genuine proof of date of birth, then perhaps one voter in eight holds one; some 85 crore do not. A test that the overwhelming majority of citizens cannot pass is not a test of eligibility. It is a machine for exclusion.

Do You Know:

• The members of the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution were well aware of the profound significance of being an Indian citizen, so much so that the controversy generated by the provisions on citizenship in the draft Constitution necessitated Jawaharlal Nehru to admit that the provisions had received far more thought and consideration than any in the Constitution.

• The process, described by BR Ambedkar as a “headache” due to the two years it took to finalise, was complicated by the unprecedented consequences of the Partition, particularly the exodus it catalysed.

• In pre-colonial India, citizenship as it is understood in modern terms didn’t quite exist. Instead, society was organised into various hierarchical structures, with individuals’ rights and status often determined by factors such as caste, religion, occupation, and social standing.

• During the colonial period, citizenship took on a more formalised character. Before getting into that, however, it is important to distinguish between two distinct phases of British rule. India was formally governed by the East India Company from 1757-1858. However, for much of the early 19th century, the Company had to share power with the British Crown. In 1858, the Crown formally took control, thereafter becoming the direct legal authority over British India. For 90 years, India would be ruled as a British colony until she achieved independence in 1947.

• Historian Arun Sinha notes that these two phases of colonial rule were associated with two different conceptualisations of citizenship. He outlines the same in his 1958 article published in Sage Journals, Law of Citizenship and Aliens in India.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How citizenship was decided by makers of Indian Constitution

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3) With reference to India, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2021)
1. There is only one citizenship and one domicile.
2. A citizen by birth only can become the Head of State.
3. A foreigner once granted the citizenship cannot be deprived of it under any circumstances.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
📍”Right of movement and residence throughout the territory of India are freely available to the Indian citizens, but these rights are not absolute.” Comment. (2022)

Explained

EC now wants Sir status of new voters’ parents: What this means

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

What’s the ongoing story: The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) online voter registration portal, ECINET, now requires applicants to provide details of their parents’ status in the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — down to the polling booth number and the individual elector’s serial number on that roll.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the new procedure?

• What does the law say?

• Has there been an amendment?

• What is Form 6?

• What does it mean for new electors?

• What is Registration of Electors Rules, 1960?

• What are the constitutional role of the Election Commission of India?

• What is the importance of accurate electoral rolls in ensuring free and fair elections?

• How can digital technology improve voter registration and electoral administration?

• What are the challenges of digital inclusion in electoral reforms?

• What are the opportunities and challenges of digitalisation in India’s electoral process?

• Analyse the role of technology in promoting transparent, efficient and citizen-centric governance.

Key Takeaways:

• The EC’s ECINET portal lets users submit forms for new electoral registrations, changes to existing electoral rolls, and deletions.

• The version of Form 6, which is the electors’ enrolment form under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, available for online submission now has a new part that requires applicants to answer whether their parents were in the last SIR. This is under a section called the “declaration form”.

• If yes, they are required to provide the Assembly constituency number, the polling booth number (known as part number) and the serial number at which their father or mother was registered in the last SIR.

• So far, the EC has completed the SIR in 10 states and three Union Territories since June last year; for the remaining states/UTs, the last intensive revision refers to the exercise conducted in the early 2000s.

• The exercise is currently underway in 19 other states/UTs, while the EC is yet to announce the SIR for Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

• In the case of Assam, the EC has decided not to hold the SIR till the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise is completed in the state. For all states where the SIR has been completed or is underway, except for Bihar, the EC’s online Form 6 submission process requires the applicant to fill the new “declaration form” about their parents, inserted between existing parts of the form. If the applicant’s parents were not in the last SIR, then they must select that option and provide their parents’ names and Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers, if available.

Do You Know:

• Article 326 of the Constitution guarantees the right to enrol as an elector to all adult citizens who are ordinarily resident in a particular Assembly constituency, unless otherwise disqualified by law.
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 gives the Union government the power to make rules regarding the conduct of elections and the registration of electors.

• Section 28 of the RPA, titled “Power to make rules”, says: “The Central Government may, after consulting the Election Commission by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.” It also says that every rule made under the Act “shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament”.

• Form 6 is a part of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which emanates from the Act. Therefore, any change to the form would require an amendment and gazette notification by the Law and Justice Ministry.

• New applicants, predominantly people who have recently turned 18, are now required to trace themselves or their parents to the last SIR. Since the EC has yet to comment on or announce this change, it is unclear whether those who are unable to provide the details will face greater scrutiny. The introduction of the SIR declaration assumes greater significance at a time when the EC is conducting an unprecedented SIR of electoral rolls, where the rolls are being prepared afresh instead of being revised as was done annually so far.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Express Special | EC changes Form 6 for new voters without amendment to rules; seeks SIR details of parents

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2017)
1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.
2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 3 only

Bishnoi indictment: The long road to extradition

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: Days after indicting gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in a series of crimes including the killing of Canada-based Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has confirmed that it will seek his extradition.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What do you mean by extradition?

• What is meant by extradition treaty?

• What is extradition Act in India?

• Which countries does India have extradition treaty with?

• Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi extradition-Why?

• Do the charges against Bishnoi and Nagra make them extraditable?

• What is the extradition treaty between India and US?

• What governs extradition between India and the US?

• What happens if Washington sends an extradition request?

• Can India refuse — or merely delay — extradition?

Key Takeaways:

• Arrested in 2014, Bishnoi is now lodged in a jail in Gujarat. Responding to queries from The Indian Express, Ciaran McEvoy, Public Affairs Officer, US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, said in an email: “Bishnoi himself remains incarcerated in India. We intend to seek his extradition to the United States. (Extradition is a lengthy legal process and often takes years to complete.)”

• Earlier this week, the US DoJ had charged 37 people in the indictment as part of its ‘Operation Hardball’ — a coordinated action by law enforcement from the US, Canada and Europe which led to the arrest of 24 people linked to three Indian crime syndicates with transnational networks.

• Besides Bishnoi and his aide Goldy Brar, the other gang leaders who have been named in the US indictment are Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is lodged in an Assam jail, and Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda.

• Bishnoi and Brar have been charged with ordering Nijjar’s assassination. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar’s arrest.

Do You Know:

• Extradition between India and the US is governed by the bilateral Extradition Treaty signed in 1997 and India’s Extradition Act, 1962. However, the most significant legal consideration in Bishnoi’s case is that he is already in judicial custody and faces numerous criminal prosecutions across India. This means India could legally argue that Bishnoi must first face trial — and, if convicted, serve any sentence — in the murder, extortion and organised crime cases pending against him before any extradition takes place.

• There is no clarity on when the US DoJ will send the request for Bishnoi’s extradition. As per the procedure, the extradition request would be prepared by the US DoJ and transmitted by the US State Department to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The MEA, in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs and agencies such as the CBI, would examine whether the request conforms to the treaty and the Extradition Act.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Can India refuse to extradite Lawrence Bishnoi? Here’s what the law says

China’s Long March in space tech continues with reusable rocket

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story: China on Friday successfully landed a reusable rocket for the first time — a milestone for the country’s space programme that will challenge American companies’ dominance in the technology.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is reusable launch vehicle (RLV)?

• What is the principal advantage of reusable rockets?

• What is Vertical Take-off and Vertical Landing (VTVL) technology?

• How does China’s technology differ from previous reusable rockets?

• What strategic implications does this step have?

• How reusable launch vehicles can strengthen India’s commercial space sector?

• How is India’s preparedness to compete in the emerging reusable launch vehicle ecosystem?

Key Takeaways:

• The Long March 10B rocket — which can carry a payload of up to 16 metric tons to low Earth orbit — lifted off from the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site in Hainan, Southern China around noon (local time). Low Earth orbit is a region between 160 km and 2,000 km above the Earth.

• Six minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s booster — the part that houses the engine and provides the initial thrust — separated from its upper stage and began a controlled descent to a floating platform on the sea. There, it was caught by a net.

• Before China, only Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin demonstrated the ability to launch and land rockets.

• All rockets lift off in the same way. Multiple segments, beginning with the first stage, power its ascent one by one before being discarded and destroyed.

Do You Know:

• A reusable rocket, however, is one that can land on Earth after lifting off, thus allowing its valuable booster to be used again. This substantially reduces the cost of a launch and, by extension, space exploration.

• There is one key difference between the SpaceX-Blue Origin reusable rockets and China’s Long March — the final capture mechanism.
Traditional reusable rockets rely on hydraulic landing “legs” to touch down on a ground pad or ‘drone ship’ (floating platforms on the sea). Space X pulled off a major feat in 2024 when it used giant mechanical arms — termed “chopsticks” — to catch its Starship rocket booster out of the air.

• The Long March, though, uses a different system. Its onboard computer coordinates with a maritime landing vessel, which, in turn, aligns a suspended wire net directly below the descending rocket. The rocket is equipped with “landing hooks” that catch the net as the engines shut down. Auxiliary cables and an automated locking platform immediately clamp around the captured booster to prevent it from swinging violently.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍China launches Falcon 9-like Long March 12B rocket in surprise debut mission

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
5) What is the common characteristic of the chemical substances generally known as CL-20, HMX and LLM-105, which are sometimes talked about in media? (UPSC CSE, 2025)
(a) These are alternatives to hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants
(b) These are explosives in military weapons
(c) These are high-energy fuels for cruise missiles
(d) These are fuels for rocket propulsion

AI use by the judiciary: What SC’s proposed regulations allow, what is barred

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court (SC) last month released the draft of Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026, aimed at developing a governance framework for use of AI in the judiciary, prescribing general principles regarding AI’s use, and establishing an institutional framework for the same. It has sought comments and suggestions from stakeholders and the public by July 15.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What exactly the draft of Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026 says?

• Is this binding?

• What role for AI has the Supreme Court carved out?

• Can AI decide a case?

• What is off-limits?

• Will litigants know if AI was used for their case?

• Who will regulate?

• Will private companies be involved?

• What safety measures are in place?

• What recourse does a litigant have if the AI used in their case causes harm?

Key Takeaways:

• Not automatically, and not uniformly. The Draft Regulations will come into force for the SC on any date notified by the Chief Justice of India. For High Courts and courts and tribunals under their jurisdiction, they will come into force separately on the dates notified by that High Court’s Chief Justice. Different provisions can be brought into force on different dates, meaning that AI adoption can be further phased to suit the courts’ requirements and
circumstances.

• The Draft Regulations propose to require courts to “actively seek opportunities” to deploy AI systems and tools that “demonstrably” improve access to justice, reduce delays, or enhance administrative efficiency.

• AI use is explicitly permitted for a range of administrative and assistive functions, including case management, transcription, translation, legal research, document summarisation, accessibility, and court administration. All of these will require approval in writing by the Apex Body of the SC, or AI Committee of the high court/tribunal, as the case may be, and supervision and verification of officers nominated by the court.

• The Draft Regulations are categorical that no judicial outcome shall be reached through algorithmic decision-making alone, or solely on the basis of AI-generated information. Human judicial authority is determinative in all adjudicative decisions. Therefore, the use of AI in the decision-making process related to a case, if any, will only be advisory, and subject to independent human (judicial) evaluation.

Do You Know:

• The preliminary draft of the ‘Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026’ published by the top court emphasises that the use of AI in court processes will always “remain strictly subservient to human judgment and judicial authority”.

• A complete ban on using artificial intelligence (AI) to decide judicial outcomes; restrictions on AI tools that predict or profile parties and witnesses; and a prohibition on undisclosed or unexplainable AI systems in court processes—these are among the draft regulations proposed by the Supreme Court AI Committee on the use of the technology in courts.

• The committee—chaired by Supreme Court judge Justice P S Narasimha, and including Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva, Raja Vijayraghavan V, Anoop Chitkara, and Suraj Govindaraj as members—has now sought the views and suggestions of all stakeholders and the general public on the draft recommendations before finalising them. The suggestions have to be submitted by June 20.

• As per the draft, AI systems used in court processes “shall be designed, trained and deployed in a manner that promotes fairness and avoids discrimination”. “No AI System shall be deployed that perpetuates, amplifies, or introduces bias on the grounds of race, religion, caste, sex, gender, disability, language, economic status, or any other ground prohibited under the Constitution or any law for the time being in force and special care shall be taken to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable groups including women, children, persons with disabilities, marginalised and minority communities, and persons from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds,” it adds.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Supreme Court panel proposes complete ban on using AI to decide verdicts or judge bail criteria

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
6) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE, 2020)
1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units
2. Create meaningful short stories and songs
3. Disease diagnosis
4. Text-to-Speech Conversion
5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(d)  2.(c)  3.(a) 4.(d) 5.(b) 6.(b)

  

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