LEGAL NEWS
Supreme Court Signals Reform in Gender Sensitisation Approach
• The Supreme Court of India has indicated a shift from relying on the 2023 Gender Stereotypes Handbook toward more practical judicial training mechanisms.
• Chief Justice Surya Kant described the earlier handbook, issued under former CJI D. Y. Chandrachud, as overly academic and insufficient for ground-level impact.
• The remarks came during a suo motu hearing of an Allahabad High Court judgment that had controversially treated certain sexual assault acts as mere “preparation” rather than “attempt to rape,” which the Supreme Court later set aside.
• The apex court directed that attempt-to-rape charges proceed, reaffirming a survivor-sensitive and legally sound interpretation of sexual offences.
• Questioning the handbook’s reliance on technical or “forensic” language, the bench observed that theoretical guidance alone cannot reform judicial attitudes.
• The Court tasked the National Judicial Academy with forming an expert committee to design practical, experience-based training modules for High Court judges.
• These structured guidelines will be incorporated into judicial training programmes, with batch-wise sessions focused on sensitivity and clarity in sexual assault cases.
• The 35-page 2023 handbook had aimed to eliminate patriarchal terminology, suggesting neutral alternatives to words such as “adulteress,” “eve teasing,” and “housewife.”
• It also challenged stereotypes in judicial reasoning, rejecting assumptions about women’s emotional capacity, autonomy, motherhood, and social roles.
• Drawing from landmark rulings like State of Punjab v. Gurmit Singh 1996 and State of Jharkhand v. Shailendra Kumar Rai 2022, the handbook emphasised that clothing, resistance, or lack of injuries cannot be used to question consent or credibility.
STATE NEWS
Delhi Approves Chief Minister Skill Development Scheme for Artisans
• Rekha Gupta has approved the Chief Minister Skill Development Scheme in a Cabinet meeting to strengthen artisan livelihoods in Delhi.
• The initiative targets workers associated with khadi, handloom, cottage industries, and the unorganised sector.
• The scheme will be implemented by the Delhi Khadi and Village Industries Board (DKVIB).
• In 2025–26, around 3,728 beneficiaries will receive training, with ₹8.95 crore allocated for the first phase, focusing mainly on nearly 18,000 tailors registered on the e-Shram portal.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old, limited to one member per family, while government employees and their families are excluded; Aadhaar verification is compulsory.
• Selected participants will complete 12 days (96 hours) of structured skill training, including a two-day Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP).
• Each trainee will receive a stipend of ₹4,800 (₹400 per day) along with ₹100 per day for meals during the training period.
• Under digital onboarding, artisans will get personalised e-catalogues, and their products will be listed on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform for wider national and global market access.
SPORTS
Indian Athletes Shine at Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi 2026
• Indian athletes secured gold and bronze medals in the hammer throw event at the Abu Dhabi Masters.
• Kishorakumar Chandira Mogan won the gold medal in the 30+ age category.
• He clinched the top position with a winning throw of 37.92 metres.
• He showed consistency with earlier valid throws of 35.94 metres and 36.97 metres, though two of his attempts were recorded as no-marks.
• Mohammad Ansar earned the bronze medal at the international veterans athletics meet.
• The competition was held as part of the Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi 2026, recognised as the first major masters multi-sport event hosted in West Asia.
• Unlike the traditional World Masters Games format, the Abu Dhabi edition follows a fully inclusive open format.
• The eight-day sporting event welcomed participants aged 30 years and above and concluded on 14 February 2026.
India Finishes Strong at Asian Shooting Championships 2026
• India concluded its campaign on a high note, winning seven medals on the final day and finishing with a total of 33 medals in senior rifle and pistol events (13 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze).
• Amanpreet Singh clinched gold in the 25m centre fire pistol event with an impressive aggregate score of 589 points across precision and rapid rounds.
• Gurpreet Singh secured silver in the same event with 584 points, while Ankur Goyal earned bronze with 570 points.
• In the women’s 50m rifle prone event, Sift Kaur Samra claimed silver after scoring 623.2 points.
• Gold in the event went to Yelizaveta Bezrukova of Kazakhstan with 623.4 points, narrowly edging ahead.
• Veteran shooter Tejaswini Sawant added to India’s tally with a bronze medal, scoring 621.0 points.
• India also captured gold in the women’s team competition, with Sift Kaur Samra, Tejaswini Sawant, and Manini Kaushik combining for a total of 1862.9 points.
• The strong overall performance highlighted India’s dominance on home soil in New Delhi.
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES
National Conference on Safety of Women at Workplace (SHe-Box)
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development organised a National Conference on Safety of Women at Workplace (SHe-Box) on 14 February 2026.
• The conference was held at Vigyan Bhawan, in the presence of Union Minister Annpurna Devi and Minister of State Savitri Thakur.
• The event reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ensuring safe, dignified, and harassment-free workplaces for women across all sectors.
• It aimed to strengthen the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act, 2013).
• The SHe-Box portal was launched by the Ministry on 29 August 2024 as a secure, user-friendly, multilingual single-window platform.
• The portal enables online complaint filing and automatic forwarding to the concerned Internal Committee (IC) or Local Committee (LC) for redressal.
• During the conference, Union Minister Annpurna Devi administered a National Workplace Safety Pledge and delivered the keynote address.
• Around 1,500 participants from over 100 organisations, including government and private sectors, attended the conference.
International Conference on Dam Safety 2026 Held in Bengaluru
• The International Conference on Dam Safety 2026 was organised on 13–14 February at the J.N. Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
• The event was conducted under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase II & III framework.
• It was jointly organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of Karnataka’s Water Resources Department, Central Water Commission, IISc Bengaluru, and the World Bank.
• The conference was inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while Union Minister of State Raj Bhushan Choudhary attended as the Chief Guest.
• An AI-enabled platform named DAMCHAT, developed by Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee’s International Centre of Excellence for Dams, was launched during the inaugural session.
• A new Jal Shakti data management platform created by the National Water Informatics Centre was also unveiled.
• The conference served as a global forum for knowledge sharing and policy dialogue on dam safety and water infrastructure.
• More than 750 delegates participated on the first day, with representatives from 12 countries attending the event.
MISCELLANEOUS
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secures Two-Thirds Majority in 13th Jatiya Sangsad Elections
• The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has secured a two-thirds majority in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections, positioning itself to form the next government.
• In the 300-member Parliament, official results for 297 seats released by the Election Commission of Bangladesh confirmed BNP’s decisive victory.
• The party won 209 seats, comfortably surpassing the required majority mark of 151.
• BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman met supporters and senior leaders to discuss the transition of power.
• Preparations are underway for the swearing-in of newly elected Members of Parliament in accordance with constitutional procedures.
• Officials indicated that the MPs are likely to take oath on 16 February.
• The party leadership outlined economic revival, strengthening law and order, anti-corruption measures, and improved justice delivery as key priorities.
• Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies alleged vote-counting irregularities, though the Election Commission stated that the polls and referendum were largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence.
