daily news capsule
1. ‘Religious arrogance not above discipline’: SC upholds dismissal of Army officer
Underscoring that soldiers cannot give priority to personal religious interpretation over the collective ethos of the armed forces, the Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on a Christian Indian Army officer who refused to enter the sanctum sanctorum of his regiment’s “Sarva Dharma Sthal” (place of worship for all religions), and dismissed his plea challenging his dismissal. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi called the dismissed officer “unfit for the Indian Army” and a soldier who allowed his “religious ego” to overshadow discipline, solidarity and respect for his own men. Noting that his behavior displayed “the greatest form of contempt and indiscipline”, the bench said this type of “obstinate attitude is not acceptable in an armed force”. Samuel Kamlesan joined the Indian Army in 2017 as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. In 2021, he was dismissed from the Army for refusing to enter the sanctum sanctorum despite repeated instructions from his commanding officer and advice from a chaplain that entering the structure would not affect his faith, which houses a gurudwara and a temple.
Possible question
Critically examine how the armed forces balance individual religious rights with the imperatives of cohesion, command responsibility, and operational effectiveness, in the context of military discipline and constitutional freedoms.
2. Israel plans to resettle 5,800 Jews left in India’s north-east
The Israeli government has approved a proposal to bring all 5,800 remaining Jews from the northeastern region of Israel, commonly known as Bnei Menashe, to India over the next five years. The Jewish Agency for Israel said, “This historic decision will bring approximately 5,800 members of the community to Israel by 2030, including the already approved 1,200 members in 2026.” This will be the first time that the Jewish Agency will lead the entire pre-immigration process, organizing flights for qualified candidates and managing their absorption in Israel. The plan is estimated to require a special budget of 90 million shekels ($27 million) to cover the cost of these immigrants’ flights, their conversion classes, housing, Hebrew lessons, and other special benefits. A professional and extended delegation of rabbis is likely to leave for India in the coming days. The announcement said, “This will be the largest delegation ever sent and the first in more than a decade. The delegation will interview the first half of the community, the approximately 3,000 Bnei Menashe, who have first-degree relatives in Israel.”
Possible question
Assess the strategic, demographic and diplomatic implications of large-scale cross-border transfer programs such as Bnei Menashe migration for both sending and receiving states, with special reference to India-Israel relations.
3. ‘Public interest’: SC seeks details about private universities
The Supreme Court has placed the entire ecosystem of private and deemed universities across India under judicial scrutiny, seeking detailed disclosures from the Central and State Governments about the circumstances of their creation, the benefits given to them and the regulatory framework to ensure that they adhere to the ‘no profit-no loss’ mandate if they hold themselves as such institutions. A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and NV Anjaria said that “in the larger public interest” it was found appropriate to examine the aspects relating to the creation/establishment/establishment of all private universities under the State Governments/Union Territories or the Central Government and related concerns. The court directed the Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories to collect information relating to the establishment, functioning and regulation of such universities and place the same on record through affidavits “personally confirmed by them”. The court directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to file an affidavit disclosing “its role in relation to such institutions” and stating “what the statute/policy mandates and also the actual mechanism to monitor/monitor compliance by the institutions”. The court’s decision came on a writ petition filed by a student of a private university in Noida, who was aggrieved that the university had not changed her name in its records despite submitting all the required documents.
Possible question
Evaluate the effectiveness of India’s current regulatory framework for private universities in protecting student rights, ensuring academic quality and maintaining the ‘no profit-no harm’ mandate.
4. Canada may sign uranium deal worth $2.8 billion with India: Report
New Delhi and Ottawa are close to a $2.8 billion deal to supply uranium to India’s nuclear plants, Canadian media reported as the two countries signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement to double bilateral trade to $50 billion (70 billion CAD) by 2030. According to Canadian outlet ‘Globe and Mail’, the terms of the deal could last for a decade and be “part of a broader nuclear cooperation effort” between the two countries. A senior Indian official confirmed on Tuesday that such a deal was “ready”, but cautioned that it would “take some time.” According to the report, uranium will be supplied by Cameco Inc., a company based in Saskatchewan province of Canada. Cameco previously had a supply agreement with India’s Department of Atomic Energy, which expired in 2020. The agreement came into effect after PM Modi visited Canada in the spring of 2015 and held a bilateral meeting with then Canadian PM Stephen Harper. Exports of Canadian uranium to India for power generation are authorized under the Canada–India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which came into force in September 2013.
Possible question
Discuss how a long-term nuclear-fuel supply partnership, such as the proposed Canada-India uranium agreement, could strengthen India’s energy security while focusing on non-proliferation and geopolitical trust issues.
5. Center tells top court that online games involving real money are linked to terror financing
The Central government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that unregulated real-money online gaming has clear links to terror financing and money laundering, offering to share classified material showing the specific nature of these connections as it strongly defended Parliament’s decision to ban such games altogether. In a detailed affidavit in response to transfer petitions filed by gaming companies including Head Digital Works Pvt Ltd, the Center described the online real-money gaming ecosystem as a “menace” that has enabled systematic criminal activities involving tax evasion, mule accounts, crypto-rooted fund diversion, hawala operations and offshore shell entities. The government cited inputs verified by multiple ministries and enforcement agencies, including analysis of suspicious transaction reports (STRs) and cross border wire transfer reports. The Center highlighted a “dramatic and rapid increase” in suspicious gaming-related transactions, from one STR inquiry in 2019-20 to 239 in 2023-24, which involved 7,056 accounts and saw a 20-fold increase in both credit and debits. Outbound remittances through real money gaming channels exceeded Rs 5,700 crore in FY 2023-24, with many Indian entities sending huge sums of money to foreign jurisdictions known for weak financial monitoring.
Possible question
Analyze how India’s regulatory approach to real money online gaming adequately addresses economic risks, consumer protection and national security threats without stifling innovation and digital entrepreneurship.
Editorial Snapshot
A. Regulation of social media for children
Many studies and surveys document the harm social media can cause to users, especially youth. Yet, social media companies have minimized or outright denied it in their narratives. Recent court filings in the US case indicate that the companies may have been aware of such results and, in some cases, deliberately ignored adverse findings from their own research. according to a reuters According to the report, the documents point to the end of 2020 internal research by Meta – the social media bellwether – that pointed to mental health benefits after the platform was deactivated following backlash. Court filings appear to suggest that Meta tried to explain away the findings internally as being contaminated by an “existing media narrative.” Meta and other social media companies just need to focus on research. A 2019 study among teen users in the US reported that the risk of poor mental health outcomes among those using social media for more than three hours a day was twice the normal for the overall age group. Many countries have taken measures to prevent losses. A 2023 advisory from the US Surgeon General urged lawmakers to pursue policies that limit access to social media for all children, including “strengthening and enforcing minimum age limits”. In Australia, a ban on the use of social media for children under 16 years of age will be implemented from December 10. The UK is considering an “app cap” that would limit the time spent on social media. India has a large number of young users, and excessive use is also already taking root – a 2023 survey found that nearly two out of three Indian children aged 9-17, from urban areas, spend three or more hours on social media. In such a backdrop, perhaps a regulatory architecture is needed. Business-as-usual can also no longer continue, especially when technology giants privilege profit over the mental well-being of users.
Possible question
Should India impose age-based restrictions and design-in rules for social media platforms used by children? Critically evaluate the merits, risks, and institutional challenges of such regulation.
B. Judicial language free from bias
It is language that gives life to law. Language is the mirror of society; It is both a repository of social biases and a tool that can help reshape perceptions. This is why the efforts of the Supreme Court to improve its administrative language deserve appreciation. A recent report, Reforms in administrative nomenclature in the Indian JudiciaryThe Center for Research and Planning (CRP), the court’s in-house think tank, has cited several examples saying that “although the Constitution guarantees equality, dignity and fraternity, the institutions meant to uphold these values continue to operate with an administrative vocabulary that perpetuates inequality and reinforces slavery and exclusion”. Report calls for court to remove job titles Halakhor, Washerman, Coolie, masalachietc., and replace them with neutral words. So, Sanitation Assistant could be its new title Halakhor, masalachi May be re-designated as Kitchen Assistant, and Coolie Among others, freight transportation can also be helpful. Such acts of renaming are not mere exercises in translation – from A Native Language to English – but required reforms that would align the administrative language of the judiciary with the egalitarian values of the Constitution. Job titles often suggest caste functions and carry biases rooted in perceptions of ritual pollution. Thus, changing their name is a step towards making the judiciary bias-free. Another recent report of CRP, Judicial concepts of casteIt also underlines the centrality of language in the dissemination of justice. It has been argued that judicial language not only influenced legal theory, but also strengthened or undermined the notion of ideas such as equality, dignity and competency. Language, like law, has to respond to social change and evolve accordingly in the spirit of building a society that is consistent with values such as equality and equity. This is the message of the court.
Possible question
To what extent can reforms in administrative and judicial language help eliminate entrenched caste hierarchies in India’s public institutions?
