LEGAL NEWS
Arrest under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
• Arrest is the legal deprivation of a person’s liberty by an authorised authority, subject to safeguards under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution. The BNSS, 2023 replaced the CrPC from 1 July 2024.
• Arrest powers depend on whether an offence is cognisable/non-cognisable and bailable/non-bailable. Police may arrest without warrant in specified cognisable cases, while bail is a matter of right in bailable offences.
• Under Sections 35, 40 and 41 BNSS, arrest may be made by police officers, private persons and Magistrates, respectively, subject to prescribed statutory conditions.
• Section 35 BNSS permits arrest without warrant in specified circumstances, including commission of a cognisable offence in the officer’s presence, credible information or reasonable suspicion, proclaimed offenders, suspected stolen property, obstruction of police duty and escape from lawful custody.
• For offences punishable with up to seven years’ imprisonment, police must generally issue a notice to appear before arrest. Where the offence is punishable with less than three years and the person is above 60 years or infirm, prior permission of an officer not below the rank of DSP is required.
• The arresting officer must display identification, prepare an arrest memorandum, obtain witness attestation and inform the arrested person of the right to have a friend or relative informed. A woman ordinarily cannot be arrested between sunset and sunrise, except in exceptional circumstances with written justification and prior permission of the Judicial Magistrate First Class.
• An arrested person has the right to know the grounds of arrest under Section 47, consult an advocate under Section 38, and undergo medical examination. Under Section 58, the person cannot ordinarily be detained for more than 24 hours without a Magistrate’s order, excluding journey time.
• Section 187 BNSS governs remand and default bail. Default bail arises when investigation is not completed within 60 or 90 days, as applicable. Handcuffing is permitted only in specified serious offences and remains subject to the constitutional requirements of necessity and reasonableness.
Public Property Protection & Trespass in India
• Public property includes movable and immovable assets owned, possessed or controlled by the Central/State Government, local authorities, government companies and public corporations.
• The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 specifically deals with destruction of public property during riots, protests and agitations.
• Section 3(1) PDPP Act provides imprisonment up to 5 years and fine for causing damage to public property by mischief.
• Section 3(2) PDPP Act deals with damage to essential public utilities such as water supply, electricity, transport and telecommunications, punishable with 6 months to 5 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fine.
• Section 4 PDPP Act prescribes 1 to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fine where damage to public property is caused by fire or explosive substances.
• Section 329 BNS, 2023 deals with criminal trespass and house-trespass; criminal trespass requires entry or unlawful remaining with the prescribed criminal intent.
• Civil trespass is a tort involving unauthorized interference with possession and is generally actionable per se, with remedies including injunction and damages.
• In Re: Destruction of Public and Private Properties v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2009), the Supreme Court considered accountability for damage during protests and relied on the recommendations of the K.T. Thomas and Fali S. Nariman Committees.
NATIONAL NEWS
Suryapath Tiranga Global Relay Marks India’s 80th Independence Day
• Suryapath Tiranga completed its global relay on 15 August 2026, covering 54 Indian diplomatic missions and posts in 54 countries.
• The 19-hour relay was organised under the Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 campaign to commemorate India’s 80th Independence Day.
• The relay followed an east-to-west route, tracing the path of the rising sun across different time zones.
• It began at 1:30 AM IST in Suva, Fiji, where the Indian High Commissioner hoisted the Tricolour at India House.
• The relay covered missions across Asia, West Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Singapore and the Maldives.
• In Europe, the relay reached Pretoria, Riga and Reykjavik at 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM and 3:00 PM IST respectively, before continuing through the UK.
• The relay concluded at around 8:30 PM IST at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, completing the worldwide sequence on 15 August.
• The initiative was associated with the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of External Affairs. The Tricolour consists of saffron, white and green bands with the 24-spoked Ashoka Chakra at the centre.
Central Electricity Authority (Cyber Security in Power Sector) Regulations, 2026
• The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) notified the Central Electricity Authority (Cyber Security in Power Sector) Regulations, 2026 under the Electricity Act, 2003, with 1 April 2027 as the general effective date.
• The regulations apply to generating companies, captive generating plants and energy storage system entities with installed capacity of 50 MW or more, as well as power exchanges and OTC electricity-trading platforms.
• The regulations establish a mandatory statutory cybersecurity framework covering cyber audits, incident reporting, cybersecurity exercises and response mechanisms.
• CSIRT-Power, established in April 2023, has been designated as the nodal agency for cybersecurity coordination, audits, exercises and incident response in the power sector.
• General cybersecurity incidents must be reported to CSIRT-Power and CERT-In within 6 hours of detection, while cyber sabotage of critical systems must be reported within 24 hours.
• The regulations require logical or physical segregation of Operational Technology (OT) systems from Information Technology (IT) systems and the internet to protect critical infrastructure.
• Sensitive operational and historical data must be stored in encrypted and secure environments located entirely within India, including data handled by third-party cloud service providers.
• The regulations strengthen cybersecurity protection for India’s critical power infrastructure, particularly grid-linked entities and electricity-trading platforms, against increasing cyber threats.
Mineral Exchange Rules, 2026 and Major Mineral Trading
• The Government of India will introduce a regulated electronic exchange for major minerals from the next financial year, with the first phase covering iron ore, limestone, manganese and bauxite.
• The Mineral Exchange Rules, 2026 were notified by the Ministry of Mines on 30 June 2026, establishing a regulatory framework for electronic mineral trading.
• The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) will supervise registration of mineral exchange platforms and conduct audits of the trading ecosystem.
• The draft Mineral Exchange (Regulation) Rules, 2026 were released on 19 March 2026 for public consultation and proposed safeguards against insider trading, circular trading and cartelisation.
• On 13 August 2026, Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish a uniform national fiscal framework for mineral rights.
• The reform provides for central regulation of major minerals, while State Governments will continue to administer 49 minor minerals, according to the announced framework.
• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 remains the principal legislation governing mineral development and regulation in India.
• The electronic exchange is intended to improve price discovery, transparency and standardised trading, with third-party quality verification of mineral lots and scope for expanding the exchange to additional major minerals after regulatory testing.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Iran Parliament Approves Framework to Restrict Contacts with “Hostile” Foreign Media
• Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly approved the general framework of a bill on 16 August 2026 to criminalise certain communications with media outlets classified as hostile to the Islamic Republic.
• The draft specifically targets US and Israeli media outlets and entities financed by them, while also proposing restrictions on contact with other foreign organisations.
• Participation in interviews or discussions with hostile media could attract imprisonment of six months to two years under the proposed law.
• Interviews with non-hostile foreign media would require notification to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
• Unauthorised contact with foreign embassies or organisations without written permission from the Foreign Ministry could result in fines and loss of certain social rights.
• The bill also proposes restrictions on scientific cooperation with unapproved foreign institutions and sharing information with foreigners without intelligence-ministry consent.
• Foreign-directed policies or legislative proposals considered harmful to Iran’s security or independence could attract up to 30 years’ imprisonment, with such cases tried by Revolutionary Courts.
• The bill is not yet final and must undergo further parliamentary consideration and review by Iran’s 12-member Guardian Council, which examines legislation for compatibility with the Constitution and Islamic law.
China Launches 24th Batch of LEO Internet Satellites
• China launched the 24th batch of low-Earth orbit (LEO) internet satellites, designated SatNet LEO Group 24, on 16 August 2026.
• The satellites were launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province aboard a Long March-12 rocket during its Y8 mission.
• The launch took place at 12:10 PM Beijing Time (04:10 UTC), and the satellites successfully entered their preset orbits.
• LEO refers to the region approximately 160–2,000 km above Earth. Satellites in this orbit are widely used for communication, Earth observation and remote sensing.
• LEO internet constellations use multiple satellites working together to provide broadband connectivity with lower latency than geostationary satellite systems.
• A geostationary orbit is located approximately 35,786 km above the equator.
• The Long March-12 is part of China’s Long March family of orbital launch vehicles and is used for satellite deployment.
• The launch formed part of China’s expanding national LEO satellite-internet programme, with satellites deployed in successive batches to build a large constellation.
Russia-Ukraine Drone Conflict and NATO Airspace Incident
• On 16 August 2026, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces shot down or neutralised 822 Ukrainian drones overnight.
• On the same day, a Spanish F-18 fighter jet, participating in a NATO air-policing mission, intercepted a drone that entered Romanian airspace.
• The drone debris reportedly fell in Galați County, near Băleni and Cudalbi, in eastern Romania.
• NATO air policing is a peacetime mission in which allied fighter aircraft monitor and protect the airspace of NATO member states.
• Romania, a NATO member since 2004, lies on the alliance’s eastern flank and shares borders with Ukraine and Moldova.
• Galați County is located in eastern Romania, close to the Moldovan border.
• Both Russia and Ukraine have extensively used drones since the beginning of the war in 2022 for surveillance, reconnaissance and attacks on military and civilian infrastructure.
• Russian regional authorities reported that drone strikes also caused at least six civilian deaths, including casualties in the Moscow and Rostov regions.
