Current Affairs – February 27, 2026

{GS2 – Polity} Supreme Court Flags Limited Impact of NOTA on Elections **

Context (IT | HT): Supreme Court noted that the None of the Above (NOTA) option had a very limited impact on improving the quality of candidates in elections.
It also observed that, despite the availability of NOTA, educated and affluent citizens have lower voter turnout than economically weaker sections.

About NOTA

The NOTA option allows voters to reject all candidates while preserving ballot secrecy. It was introduced in 2013 following the Supreme Court’s judgment in PUCL vs. Union of India.

Rationale: To pressure political parties to select candidates of integrity and to encourage electoral participation from people dissatisfied with the candidate pool.
Pre-NOTA Rule: Voters could refuse to vote under Rule 49-O (Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961), which required informing the Presiding Officer, thereby violating ballot secrecy.
Vote Valuation: NOTA votes are counted but deemed ‘invalid’ under the First-Past-The-Post system; even if it receives the most votes, the next-highest candidate wins.
Electoral Scope: It applies to Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, but the Supreme Court barred NOTA in Rajya Sabha elections (2018) to uphold party discipline.
Significance: It provides a formal channel for dissent, preventing election boycotts while safeguarding ballot confidentiality.
Current Limitations: NOTA has no legal consequence, allowing parties to prioritise electability over ethics when selecting candidates; it is not applicable in uncontested elections.

Read More > NOTA

{GS2 – Polity} Debate Over Judicial Accountability **

Context (IE): NCERT’s revised Class VIII Social Science textbook included references to judicial corruption and backlog, triggering controversy and subsequent withdrawal.

The episode has reopened a broader debate on transparency, accountability, and institutional self-correction within the higher judiciary.

Concerns Regarding Judicial Corruption

Perception of Corruption: Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report (2007) recorded that 77% of surveyed Indians perceived the judiciary as corrupt.
Volume of Complaints: As per the Ministry of Law and Justice reply, 8,630 complaints were received against higher judiciary judges over the past decade.
Limited Inquiry Outcomes: Despite thousands of complaints, only a small fraction resulted in the constitution of formal in-house inquiry committees.
Forms of Misconduct: Judicial corruption extends beyond financial impropriety to include abuse of discretion, conflict of interest, nepotism, and misuse of authority.

Structural Accountability Gaps

Impeachment Process: Under Articles 124(4) & 217, removal of Supreme Court and High Court judges requires a special majority in Parliament, making it politically difficult.
Initiation Threshold: Impeachment requires signatures of 100 Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha members, limiting accessibility of the mechanism.
In-House Mechanism Limitations: The judiciary’s internal disciplinary framework operates without statutory backing and provides limited public visibility into complaint examination processes.
Contempt-Related Constraints: The broad scope of contempt powers, combined with the absence of independent investigative bodies, may discourage whistleblowing.

{GS2 – Governance} Judicial Check on ‘Bulldozer Justice’ **

Context (TH): Allahabad High Court ruled that punitive demolitions, also called “bulldozer justice”, cannot bypass due process and must adhere to constitutional safeguards under Articles 14 and 21.

About Bulldozer Justice

Bulldozer justice refers to the extra-legal demolition of an accused person’s property immediately after criminal allegations are made.
Legal Standard: Municipal laws permit demolition only of illegal constructions, after prior notice, a fair hearing, and a reasoned order.
State Defence: Authorities classify such demolitions as routine anti-encroachment action, not punitive retaliation.

Issues with Bulldozer Justice

Process Bypass: State retaliation is disguised as a routine municipal exercise to bypass the criminal justice system.
Fair Trial: It violates Article 21 by denying the accused their fundamental right to a fair trial.
Separation of Powers: The executive’s assumption of the adjudicatory role violates the doctrine of separation of powers.
Collective Punishment: Co-owners of the demolished property face irreversible harm solely on the basis of suspicion.

Factors Behind Rising Cases of Bulldozer Justice

Judicial Delay: Public impatience with slow judicial processes fuels acceptance of visible, summary punitive measures.
Governance Signal: Authorities use ‘instant justice’ demolitions to project strong governance and deter alleged criminals.
Legal Loopholes: Vast discretionary powers and historical loopholes in municipal building codes allow authorities to selectively target individuals.
Limited Deterrence: Despite repeated court warnings, the absence of contempt proceedings against authorities allows illegal demolitions to continue.

Supreme Court Rulings on Bulldozer Justice

Judicial Exclusivity: Supreme Court banned punitive demolitions, ruling that only the judiciary can determine criminal guilt and impose punishment.
Right to Shelter: In Olga Tellis (1985), the court held that demolitions without notice violate the fundamental right to life and shelter under Article 21.
Procedural Mandate: The court mandated a 15-day show-cause notice, personal hearings, digital portals, and videography for all municipal demolitions.
Personal Accountability: Officials carrying out illegal demolitions face contempt proceedings and must personally compensate victims for property restitution.

Read More > Curbing ‘Bulldozer Justice’

Context (IE): CBSE is set to implement the revised three-language formula from Class 6, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

English Status: Under the new framework, English will be categorised as a “foreign” language.
Composition: Students will study three languages in total; at least two of which must be native to India (e.g., Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu).
Continuity: National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023 recommends continuing all three languages until Class 10.

About Three-Language Formula

Three-Language Formula aims to promote multilingualism and national unity while preserving regional linguistic identities.
Origin: First formally proposed by the Kothari Commission (1964-66) and adopted in the 1968 National Policy on Education, it has since been updated under NEP 2020.
Medium: The policy advocates using the mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction at least until Grade 5, and preferably until Grade 8.
Flexibility: States, regions, and students may choose their own languages. One or more languages may be changed in Grade 6 or 7.
No Imposition: NEP 2020 explicitly states that no language, particularly Hindi, will be imposed on any state by the Centre.

Read More > Three Language Formula

{GS2 – IR} India-Israel Elevated Bilateral Ties to Special Strategic Partnership **

Context (TH): PM Narendra Modi concluded his second state visit to Israel, following his inaugural landmark visit in 2017.

Key Outcomes of PM Modi’s Visit to Israel

Bilateral Ties: India-Israel ties were formally elevated to a “Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity“.
Knesset: PM Modi received the Speaker of the Knesset Medal, the highest honour of the Israeli parliament. He became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset.
Digital Payments: UPI will be operationalised in Israel for Indian tourists, professionals, and cross-border remittances.
Workforce: Israel will hire 50,000 Indian workers over five years across commerce, services, hospitality, and manufacturing.
Finance: The ‘India-Israel Financial Dialogue’ was launched to align banking regulations and boost fintech growth.
Cybersecurity: An ‘Indo-Israel Cyber Centre of Excellence’ is to be set up in India to combat digital threats and protect critical infrastructure.
Agriculture: The India-Israel Innovation Centre for Agriculture (IINCA) will advance precision farming and satellite-based irrigation.
- The bilateral ‘Villages of Excellence’ programme will scale Israel’s agricultural best practices across Indian villages.
Emerging Tech: An NSA-led Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) initiative will track breakthroughs in AI, quantum computing, and critical minerals.
Multilateral: Both nations committed to fast-tracking the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and deepening the I2U2 quadrilateral.
Academia: The India-Israel Academic Cooperation Forum (I2I Forum) will conduct annual university-led research dialogues.

Overview of India-Israel Trade Relations

Trade Volume: India-Israel bilateral merchandise trade stood at $3.62 billion in FY 2024-25.
- Decline: This marks a sharp decline from the record high of $10.77 billion in FY 2022-23, driven by regional instability and Red Sea disruptions.
Trade Rank: India is Israel’s 2^nd largest trading partner in Asia and among top ten partners globally.
Trade Balance: The balance of trade currently favours India.
- Key Exports: Pearls, precious stones, petroleum products, and organic chemicals.
- Key Imports: Rough diamonds, electrical machinery, fertilisers, and defence equipment.
FTA: Both nations have initiated formal negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Read More > India-Israel Relations

{GS2 – IR} Diplomatic Reset in India-Canada Relations **

Context (IE): Canadian PM Mark Carney’s visit to India signalled a formal reset of bilateral ties following the 2023 diplomatic crisis over the Nijjar assassination allegations.

Factors Behind the India-Canada Diplomatic Crisis

Vote-Bank Politics: Canada’s accommodation of Khalistani sympathisers undermined India’s sovereignty and security interests.
Divergent Worldview: Conflicting stances on cross-border terrorism, human rights, and free speech absolutism widened the foreign policy gap.
Intelligence Standoff: The Five Eyes Alliance’s mobilisation over Nijjar assassination allegations escalated the bilateral dispute into a multilateral crisis.
Migration Friction: Canada imposed strict new visa caps, while India suspended e-visa services, disrupting mobility of the Indian diaspora.
Extradition Failure: Canada’s refusal to act on Interpol Red Corner Notices remains an unresolved bilateral friction point.

Key Developments Reshaping India-Canada Relations

Political Reset: The newly elected Canadian administration reinstated High Commissioners and retracted public allegations.
Trade Revival: India and Canada resumed CEPA negotiations and revived the bilateral CEO Forum.
Security Frameworks: NSA-level dialogues were renewed for intelligence-sharing, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism cooperation.
Tech Cooperation: Joint commitments on AI, critical minerals, and digital public infrastructure (DPI) unlocked new frontiers for bilateral cooperation in emerging technologies.
Energy Security: The re-established Ministerial Energy Dialogue (CIMED) and new long-term uranium agreements integrated strategic energy supply chains.

Read More > India-Canada Relations

{GS3– Infra} RailTech Policy & Portal and e-Railway Claims Tribunal (e-RCT) Launched

Context (PIB | IE): Ministry of Railways launched the RailTech Policy & Portal and the e-Railway Claims Tribunal (e-RCT) under the “52 Reforms in 52 Weeks” initiative.

About RailTech Policy & Portal

RailTech Policy framework aims to engage industry innovators to promote indigenous innovation within Indian Railways.
It introduces a dedicated RailTech Portal to foster structured collaboration between the railways and the startup ecosystem.
Funding Mechanism: The portal facilitates a grant-based funding model in which the government provides up to 50% of development costs for viable projects.
Administrative Efficiency: The platform lowers entry barriers for small innovators by replacing complex legacy tenders with a unified submission process.
Focus Areas: Priority is given to high-impact technologies like AI-based Elephant Intrusion Detection Systems (EIDS) and drone-based rail fracture detection.

e-Railway Claims Tribunal (e-RCT)

e-RCT is an AI-enabled platform that automates the litigation process for railway-related claims.
The system integrates all 23 benches of the Railway Claims Tribunal into a unified national network.
The platform enables transparent case processing, ensuring the timely delivery of justice to claimants.
Accessibility: It enables beneficiaries to file petitions and submit documents electronically from anywhere, removing the need for physical travel.

{GS3 – S&T} Discovery of the Origin of the Coronal Mass Ejection Shock Waves

Context (IT): Astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) discovered the origin of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) shock for the first time.

About the Discovery

Researchers recorded the formation of a CME-driven shock at a record-closest distance of about 1,30,000 km above the solar surface.
This is the first confirmed detection of the “birth stage” of such shocks, resolving a long-standing debate about their exact origin.
Instruments Used: The discovery was made using the Gauribidanur Radio Telescope and the Aditya-L1’s Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) payload.
Significance: Detecting shock waves at the onset enables scientists to predict solar storms more accurately and protect satellite communications, global GPS and power grids from damage.

Gauribidanur Telescope: It is India’s only dedicated low-frequency solar radio observatory, detecting radio bursts from solar shocks.
VELC: It is a solar coronagraph developed by IIA and ISRO that uses visible wavelengths to identify the specific CME responsible for shock events.
Aditya-L1 Mission: It is India’s first dedicated solar mission to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and emissions; it operates in a halo orbit around the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1).

About Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)

A coronal mass ejection is a massive release of hot, magnetised plasma and charged particles from the Sun’s outer layer, the corona.
It occurs when the solar magnetic field lines suddenly break and reconnect, releasing energy that ejects material into space.
Impact: Earth-directed CMEs trigger geomagnetic storms that disrupt satellites, communication networks, and power grids, and produce auroras.

{Prelims – IR} Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT)

Context (ANI): India affirmed its support for commencing negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

The FMCT is a proposed multilateral treaty to prohibit the future production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices.
Targeted Materials: It primarily targets Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and separated plutonium, the essential fissile materials used in nuclear warheads.
Exemption: It allows the production of fissile material for non-weapons uses, such as civilian nuclear energy or naval propulsion reactors.
Scope: It applies equally to all states, including ‘Nuclear Weapon States’ and countries outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) framework.
Negotiation Body: Conference on Disarmament in Geneva is the primary forum mandated to negotiate the FMCT on a consensus basis.

NPT is a landmark international arms control agreement adopted in 1968 to prevent nuclear weapon proliferation and promote peaceful nuclear cooperation among states.

{Prelims – Envi} Asymmetry in National Green Tribunal Adjudication *

Context (IE): Analysis of over one lakh National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders since 2020 shows a strong bias in favour of project developers in environmental clearance appeals.

The tribunal ruled in favour of developers in 80% of environmental and forest clearance appeals.
The pro-project trend grew between 2024 and 2025, with 88% of industry appeals succeeding.

About National Green Tribunal (NGT)

NGT is a statutory judicial body established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, to adjudicate environmental disputes in India.
- India became the third country (after Australia and New Zealand) and the first developing nation to create a specialised environmental tribunal.
Objective: Efficient and expeditious disposal of environmental cases within six months and enforcement of environmental legal rights.
Composition: It is headed by a Chairperson appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India; other members include Judicial and Expert Members.
Judicial Powers: It exercises civil court powers based on the principles of natural justice; it can act suo motu and is not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
Legal Jurisdiction: The NGT handles civil cases under seven environmental laws, including the Water Act 1974, the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, and the Environment Protection Act 1986.
- Exclusions: It lacks legal jurisdiction under the WPA, 1972; the Indian Forest Act, 1927; and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

{Prelims – Species} Smew (Mergellus albellus)

Context (TH): A rare Eurasian diving duck, Smew (Mergellus albellus), was recorded during the 7^th waterbird census at Kaziranga National Park.
The Smew is a Palearctic migratory diving duck and the sole living member of the genus Mergellus.
Appearance: Males have a black-masked white body; females are grey with a rusty-red head.
Habitat Preference: It breeds in the taiga zone of Eurasia, near freshwater lakes or slow-moving rivers surrounded by old-growth forest.
Distribution: Breeding range spans the northern Palearctic, from Scandinavia through Russia to Siberia.
- In winter, it migrates south to Western Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia, China, Japan, and occasionally to Northern India.
Seasonal Diet: The Smew is piscivorous in winter but shifts to aquatic insects, larvae, and amphibians during the breeding season.
Nesting: It is an obligatory cavity nester, relying on tree holes high in old-growth trees, often abandoned by other birds.
Sawbill: The species has a specialised serrated “sawbill” with a hooked tip for gripping slippery prey.
Ecological Role: It is an indicator species of old-growth riparian forests and clear, fish-rich wetlands.
Key Threats: Logging of hollow-bearing trees, wetland drainage, and climate change.
Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; WPA: Schedule II.

{Prelims – Species} Impatiens nagorum

Context (EM): Scientists discovered a flowering plant species, Impatiens nagorum, in Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagaland.
Family: It belongs to the family Balsaminaceae, commonly known as “balsams” or “touch-me-nots“.
Etymology: The epithet nagorum honours the indigenous Naga tribes of the region.
Morphology: The species has distinctive purple flowers, serrated leaves, and hairy lateral sepals.
Habitat: It thrives in moist temperate broadleaf forests at an elevation of 2,336 m.
Seed Dispersal: Like other Impatiens species, it exhibits ballistic seed dispersal; mature capsules burst open explosively upon touch to scatter seeds.
Ecological Role: It serves as a specialised nectar source for high-altitude pollinators.

{Prelims – Festivals} Tulip Festival 2026

Context (IE): New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) organised the 4^th edition of the annual floral event, the Tulip Festival 2026, at Shanti Path, New Delhi.

The festival showcases nearly 5.5 lakh tulips. It is organised in collaboration with the Netherlands to celebrate and strengthen bilateral ties.
The event features indigenous tulips developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to bloom during Delhi’s brief winter and spring window.
Significance: This initiative aligns with the “Viksit Bharat @2047” vision by promoting local bulb cultivation and serves as a soft-power diplomatic tool.

About Tulips

Tulips are spring-blooming temperate plants native to the mountainous regions of Central Asia.
They require a period of vernalisation (cold exposure at 5–10°C) for flowering.
National Landmark: Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar is Asia’s largest tulip garden. The region imports 15 lakh bulbs annually from the Netherlands to maintain its floral display.

{Prelims – In News} Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) *

Context (PIB): Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) commenced its 75^th Foundation Year celebrations in New Delhi.

ESIC is a statutory social security body under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948, functioning within the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The ESI Act is based on the B.P. Adarkar committee report on health insurance for industrial workers.
ESIC manages the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme, offering medical and financial coverage to employees earning up to ₹21,000 monthly.
The scheme operates a self-financing health insurance model funded through proportional payroll contributions from employers and employees.
Key Benefits: It provides comprehensive social security benefits, including medical, sickness, maternity, and disablement, to insured persons and their dependents.
Key Initiatives: ESIC launched SPREE and the Amnesty Scheme in 2025 to expand ESI coverage.