LEGAL NEWS
Supreme Court’s Advisory on Timelines for Assent to Bills
• On 20 November, the Supreme Court issued its advisory opinion on whether fixed timelines can be imposed on the President or State Governors for granting assent to Bills.
• The Court ruled that no constitutional timeline can be prescribed for these authorities to act on legislation passed by State Assemblies.
• This opinion was delivered by a Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai.
• The reference came from President Droupadi Murmu under Article 143, seeking clarification on constitutional powers.
• The Bench made it clear that the judiciary cannot mandate deadlines for decisions relating to assent, withholding assent, or returning Bills.
• A total of thirteen constitutional questions were considered to define the extent of judicial interference in such matters.
• The Court dismissed objections raised by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala, which challenged the maintainability of the Presidential Reference.
• The Bench held that the issues relate to the functioning of core constitutional institutions, justifying a full judicial examination.
APPOINTMENTS
Nitish Kumar Takes Oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the 10th Time
• Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar CM for the tenth time at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administering the oath on 20 November.
• He was unanimously elected as the NDA Legislature Party leader a day earlier, after being chosen as JD(U) Legislature Party leader by newly elected MLAs.
• Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were retained as BJP Legislature Party leaders, reaffirmed in a meeting overseen by UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya.
• NDA secured a massive mandate in the Assembly polls, winning 202 out of 243 seats, paving the way for Nitish Kumar’s return as CM.
• Nitish first became CM in 2000, though his initial term lasted only a week, marking the beginning of his long political journey.
• Across his nine previous terms, his tenure lengths varied—from a short 7-day stint in 2000 to long stretches exceeding 1,000 days.
• His leadership spans two decades, with multiple returns to office in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2024.
• The current term (10th) began in November 2025, marking another milestone in his record-breaking political career.
NATIONAL NEWS
India’s Semiconductor Vision for 2032
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted India’s fast-growing semiconductor mission at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in Singapore.
• He noted that India’s strong chip-design ecosystem and abundant engineering talent are naturally drawing significant private investment.
• The growing confidence of global semiconductor firms shows that the effort is expanding beyond government-driven initiatives.
• India aims to reach the level of leading chip-producing nations by 2032, with major milestones expected around 2031–32.
• The government has sharply increased spending to attract chip designers, manufacturers, and advanced tech players.
• The USD 10-billion incentive fund has already supported multiple assembly, packaging, and testing projects, strengthening India’s chip pipeline.
• Companies like Micron (with a plant in Gujarat) and the Tata Group (preparing silicon production) are part of this momentum, with three semiconductor units set for commercial production next year.
AWARDS
Thota Tharani Receives France’s Chevalier Honour
• The French government has awarded Thota Tharani the prestigious Chevalier title of the Order of Arts and Letters for 2025.
• With this recognition, he becomes the sixth Indian film artist to receive the Chevalier honour.
• Earlier recipients from India include Sivaji Ganesan, Balamuralikrishna, Kamal Haasan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Kalki Koechlin.
• The Chevalier is the third rank in the order, placed after Commandeur and Officier.
• Only three Indian cinema legends—Mrinal Sen, Sharmila Tagore, and Soumitra Chatterjee—hold the Commandeur rank, while Shah Rukh Khan is the sole Indian with the Officier title.
• Thota Tharani is celebrated for his art direction across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi films, and is also a Padma Shri awardee (2001).
• The honour is presented to individuals who make exceptional contributions to arts, literature, cinema, and cultural enrichment.
Sagar Defence Wins Autonomous Robotics Challenge
• Sagar Defence secured the “Accelerating the Autonomous Robotics Revolution” award under the VISTA Track at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
• The startup earned a USD 5,000 prize for its innovative autonomous systems solution.
• It presented “Genesis,” a compact boat-in-a-box system that uses AI and can be fitted to any vessel.
• The module enables ships to become semi-autonomous, fully autonomous, or remotely operated, enhancing operational flexibility.
• As an iDEX-supported startup, Sagar Defence is part of a larger ecosystem of 650+ startups and MSMEs backed under the initiative launched by PM Modi in 2018.
• Fifteen iDEX startups showcased cutting-edge tech at the airshow, spanning robotics, electronic warfare, space platforms, autonomous aviation, and battlefield intelligence.
• The 19th Dubai Airshow, held from 17–21 November 2025, hosted the Vista Startup Zone, offering mentoring, investor access, and global exposure to emerging innovations.
DEFENCE
Indian Army Secures IPR for Its New Digital-Print Combat Coat
• Indian Army’s newly introduced digital-print combat coat (launched in Jan 2025) reflects its push for modern, indigenous and soldier-friendly gear.
• The design was created by NIFT Delhi, working with the Army Design Bureau as part of a specialised consultancy project.
• The upgraded uniform uses a three-layer system with advanced textiles to suit varied climates and mission needs.
• Its structure includes a tough digital-camouflage outer coat, an insulated middle layer and a warm thermal inner layer.
• The Army officially registered this new design with the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trademarks, Kolkata.
• The design, filed under Application No. 449667-001 (27 Feb 2025), was published in the Patent Office Journal on 7 Oct 2025.
• With this registration, unauthorised copying, manufacturing or commercial use of the design can face legal action under relevant design and patent laws.
• The uniform supports the Army’s Decade of Transformation (2023–2032), enhancing comfort, mobility and operational readiness while boosting self-reliance.
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES
Swavlamban 2025
• The 4th edition of the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation’s Swavlamban 2025 seminar will be held at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, on 25–26 November 2025.
• A curtain-raiser press briefing, chaired by Vice Chief of Naval Staff VAdm Sanjay Vatsayan, was conducted on 20 November 2025.
• This year’s theme, “Strength and Power through Innovation and Indigenisation,” highlights the Navy’s push for tech-driven self-reliance.
• The event will emphasise emerging and disruptive technologies to match India’s evolving security environment.
• The Defence Ministry said the seminar will host specialised zones displaying advanced and niche naval equipment.
• Swavlamban 2025 aims to bring together innovators, start-ups, MSMEs, academia, and industry to boost the Navy’s capability development.
• Key releases include the launch of Innovathon, the Technology Challenges Compendium, the Swavlamban 4.0 document, and the Armament Indigenisation Compendium.
Colombo Security Conclave – 7th NSA Meeting
• The 7th National Security Advisers’ meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave was held in New Delhi on 20 November 2025, hosted by India’s NSA Ajit Doval.
• NSAs from Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Bangladesh attended, while Seychelles joined as an observer and Malaysia participated as a special invitee.
• Members reviewed the progress made in joint priority areas such as maritime safety, counter-terrorism, anti-radicalisation, cyber protection, and tackling transnational crime.
• Discussions also covered cooperation on critical infrastructure security and disaster-relief mechanisms.
• Delegates outlined the roadmap for 2026, aiming to strengthen coordinated regional responses.
• The Conclave, originally a Trilateral Maritime Security framework, now includes India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Mauritius, with its permanent secretariat in Colombo.
• Formed to enhance Indian Ocean regional stability, the group last met for its 6th NSA session in Mauritius in December 2023.
