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.

Read More > Supreme Court Bans NCERT Textbook for Contempt of Court

{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.

Read More > Curbing ‘Bulldozer Justice’

{GS2 – Social Sector} CBSE will Introduce a Third Language in Class 6

• 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.

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.

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.

{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.

{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.