Recent Current Affairs related to Supreme Court

CJI Surya Kant has inaugurated the newly established Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh.

During the event, 4 major initiatives (including the Green Wall) were launched to promote environmental conservation, enhance digital judicial services, and ensure transparency in recruitment.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, which came into force on October 08, 2026. The validity of the legislation has been challenged in the Supreme Court (SC).

The CAPF Act regulates service conditions such as recruitment, promotion, and deputation. Under the Act, 50% of Inspector General posts and at least 67% of Additional Director General posts are reserved for Indian Police Service (IPS) deputation. It is to be noted that prior recruitment rules stipulated that 20% of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) posts and 50% of IG posts were to be filled through deputation.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has reconstituted the Press Council of India (PCI) by nominating 13 journalists. The PCI is a statutory, autonomous, and quasi-judicial body comprising 1 Chairperson and 28 other members.

The 28 members include 13 working journalists (6 editors and 7 others), 6 newspaper-owner representatives, 5 Members of Parliament, and 3 specialised-field representatives. Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai serves as the Chairperson of the PCI for a 3-year term.

Justice Sunita Agarwal, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh have been elevated as judges of the Supreme Court. With their appointments, the working strength of the top court has increased to 37.

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated an international conference titled “The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics” at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The event, organised by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), witnessed global participation, including judges and judicial representatives from 17 countries.

The Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) has notified the appointment of 8 High Court (HC) judges as Chief Justices (CJ) of various HCs across India.

The appointments include: Justice V Kameswar Rao as CJ of Patna HC, Justice Ravindra V Ghuge as CJ of Calcutta HC, Justice Sanjay Agrawal as CJ of Rajasthan HC, Justice Mahesh Tripathi as CJ of Bombay HC, Justice Ashwani Mishra as CJ of Punjab & Haryana HC, Justice Krushna Mohapatra as CJ of Chhattisgarh HC, Justice Alpesh Kogje as CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC, and Justice Pushpendra Bhati as CJ of J&K and Ladakh HC.

Sajjan Kumar, a former Indian National Congress (INC) Member of Parliament (MP), passed away at the age of 80.

He served as an MP in the Lok Sabha for 3 terms.

The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The initiative aims to enhance access to justice for people residing in the remote regions of the UT.

The Supreme Court of India (SCI) bench, comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, has extended the mandatory third-party insurance period for newly purchased vehicles by one year to strengthen compliance with the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), 1988.

Under the revised mandate, new cars are now required to have 4 years of third-party insurance coverage, while two-wheelers are mandated to have 6 years of coverage.

Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, who headed the one-man inquiry commission into the Babri Masjid demolition at Ayodhya, passed away at the age of 87.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched the electronic - Vidhi Sahitya Prakashan (e-VSP) portal. It is a digital platform designed to provide seamless access to legal books, publications, and educational resources.

Developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Official Languages Wing, the portal facilitates access to legal publications in Hindi.

Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan has released a book titled "The Voice of Justice: Justice Gavai Speaks" at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.

The volume, edited by Prof. S Sivakumar, compiles the speeches, lectures, and reflections of Justice BR Gavai. It is published by Thomson Reuters in association with the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the reappointment of Tushar Mehta as the Solicitor General of India for a period of 3 years, starting from July 2026.

The ACC has also approved the reappointment of 5 Additional Solicitors General (ASGs) for the Supreme Court for a 3-year term. They are Vikramjit Banerjee, KM Nataraj, Suryaprakash V Raju, N Venkataraman, and Aishwarya Bhati.

The Ministry of Defence has commissioned the first batch of 17 women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA) into the Indian Armed Forces, marking a historic milestone in gender inclusion.

The Indian Army commissioned 9 women officers at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The Indian Air Force commissioned 5 women officers at the Air Force Academy (AFA) in Dundigal, Hyderabad, and the Indian Navy commissioned 3 women officers at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala, Kerala.

Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai, previously a Judge of the Sikkim High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.

Five new judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court (SC), taking its current strength to 37, one short of the sanctioned strength of 38.

The newly appointed judges are Senior Advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, and Justice Arun Palli.

CJI Surya Kant has launched the 'One Case One Data' initiative to improve data integration and transparency across all levels of the judiciary. He also introduced 'Su Sahay', an AI powered judicial assistance chatbot designed to enhance efficiency in the management of court cases.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court (SC). The bill proposes to expand the total number of judges to 38 from 34 (including the Chief Justice of India (CJI)), adding 4 more judges to the existing 33.

This marks the first increase in the judicial strength of the SC in 6 years, since the last expansion in 2019. The bill aims to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. It is to be noted that Article 124(1) of the Constitution of India empowers the Parliament to determine the number of judges in the apex court.

Sikkim has become the first fully paperless state judiciary in India, marking a milestone that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the statehood of Sikkim. The declaration was made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a two-day national conclave on technology and judicial education held in Gangtok. The transition to a digital system incorporates AI tools to assist judicial officers. These include the Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency (SUPACE) for legal research and the Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS) for language translation.

The Supreme Court of India (SCI) has officially declared the “Right to Safe Road Travel” as an integral part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The judgment was delivered in the case of “In Re: Phalodi Accident”, where the SCI examined critical issues related to road safety and the accountability of authorities on highways and expressways.