LEGAL NEWS

Supreme Court Judgment on Meaning of “Industry” under Labour Law

• The Supreme Court’s nine-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, delivered its judgment on 20 August 2026 concerning the meaning of “industry” under Section 2(j) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

• The Court reconsidered the scope of the landmark Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa (1978) judgment, which had established the “triple test” for determining whether an activity constitutes an industry.

• By a 5:4 majority, the Court held that the 1978 triple test requires further refinement, rather than continuing in its original form without modification.

• By a 6:3 majority, the Constitution Bench held that the reference seeking reconsideration of the Bangalore Water Supply judgment was validly made and maintainable.

• The reformulated triple test will operate prospectively, while pending disputes under the Industrial Disputes Act will continue to be decided according to the original 1978 interpretation.

• The Court clarified that the 1978 interpretation will not govern the meaning of “industry” under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, which forms part of India’s labour-law consolidation framework.

• The reference arose from State of Uttar Pradesh v. Jai Bir Singh. Four judges—B.V. Nagarathna, Dipankar Datta, Ujjal Bhuyan and Joymalya Bagchi—dissented and held that the 1978 precedent remained correct.

• The judgment is significant for labour dispute adjudication, as the interpretation of Section 2(j) determines the scope of industrial establishments, labour protections and the jurisdiction of labour courts and industrial tribunals.

Supreme Court Constitutes High-Powered Enquiry Committee on Student Protests

• The Supreme Court of India constituted a five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to independently investigate allegations of police excesses during student protests.

• The order was formally passed on 18 August 2026 by a three-judge bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, and uploaded on 20 August 2026.

• The HPEC is headed by retired Supreme Court Justice R. Subhash Reddy as Chairperson.

• Other members include former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court Judge Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP Dr. L.R. Bishnoi.

• The inquiry covers the 20 July 2026 student demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, and in Bihar, linked to protests concerning alleged examination paper leaks, including NEET.

• The committee must examine allegations of targeted violence, harassment and online or physical molestation of female protesters, treating these issues as a priority.

• The HPEC will examine the legality and proportionality of police crowd-control measures, including the use of pellet guns, electric batons, tear gas and lathi charges, and preserve CCTV, drone, body-camera and PCR records.

• The Supreme Court also directed measures concerning detained minors, requiring their release unless they face grave or heinous charges, and directed the committee to submit periodic interim findings rather than only one final report.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Pakistan Proposes Nishan-e-Imtiaz for Two Parsi Doctors from Mumbai

• Pakistan has proposed two Mumbai-based Parsi doctors, Dr. Jal Ratanji Patel and Dr. Jal Dhaybho-Koo, for the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian honour.

• Dr. Jal Ratanji Patel was a physician, while Dr. Jal Dhaybho-Koo was a radiologist; both were associated with Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in 1946.

• The doctors are historically associated with the medical examination of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Bombay in 1946.

• Their examination reportedly involved studying Jinnah’s X-rays, after which they concluded that he was suffering from terminal tuberculosis.

• Historical accounts stated that Jinnah had an estimated life expectancy of one to two years at that time.

• The doctors maintained medical confidentiality regarding Jinnah’s condition, which later became an important part of the historical account of his illness.

• Their story is referenced in Freedom at Midnight, written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, which deals with the final period of British rule and the Partition of India.

• The proposed awards are expected to be formally presented during a Pakistan Day investiture ceremony in March 2027. Pakistan Day is observed on 23 March and commemorates the Lahore Resolution of 1940.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Elected President of Bangladesh

• Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader, was elected the 23rd President of Bangladesh on 20 August 2026.

• The presidential election was held in the Jatiya Sangsad in Dhaka between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. local time.

• Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir secured 255 votes, defeating Colonel (Retd.) Oli Ahmed of the Liberal Democratic Party, who received 88 votes.

• Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced that 343 valid votes were cast out of 349 eligible MPs, while six members did not vote.

• The President is the constitutional head of state of Bangladesh, while executive authority is primarily exercised by the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.

• Bangabhaban in Dhaka is the official residence and principal workplace of the President, and the presidential oath is administered at its Darbar Hall.

• The election was notable as the first contested presidential election in Bangladesh in 35 years; since 1991, presidents had generally been elected through consensus.

• Former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on 24 July 2026 due to health reasons, after which Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed served as interim president. Mirza Fakhrul was scheduled to take oath on 21 August 2026.

NATIONAL NEWS

Parliamentary Panel Recommends 20% Cap on Healthcare Price Gap

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare presented its 176th Report in the Rajya Sabha on 7 August 2026, titled Affordability and Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities in Public and Private Sector.

• The Committee recommended that the difference between the landing price and Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of medicines and medical devices should not exceed 20%.

• Landing price refers to the cost at which a medicine or medical device enters the market, while MRP is the maximum price printed on its packaging for sale to consumers.

• The Committee highlighted Tenecteplase, a clot-busting medicine, as an example of a substantial price gap, with a reported landing cost of about ₹18,000 against an MRP of ₹50,000.

• It also recommended standardisation of clear aligner prices, which were reported to range between approximately ₹1.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh.

• The Committee emphasised that cost reduction must not compromise medical-device quality and referred to standards such as ISO 13485 and US FDA 21 CFR Part 820.

• It recommended centralised, transparent and tender-based procurement in private empanelled hospitals to reduce internal mark-ups on high-end medical devices and consumables.

• The report cited coronary stent price regulation as an earlier example of medical price control, stating that prices fell from around ₹1.9 lakh to ₹25,000–₹30,000, resulting in estimated annual consumer savings of ₹13,353 crore.

NMC Proposes “One Nation, One Licence” for Doctors

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued the draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 11 August 2026.

• The draft proposes a centrally generated Unique Identification (UID) number for every registered medical practitioner through the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB).

• The proposed “One Nation, One Licence” system would allow a doctor holding a UID to practise anywhere in India without obtaining separate state-level registrations or licences.

• The National Medical Register (NMR) would function as the central repository of medical practitioners and would include records of disciplinary action, professional misconduct and suspensions.

• State Medical Registers and the NMR would be automatically synchronised electronically through a unified registration portal, while State Medical Councils would continue to scrutinise and grant registrations.

• Under the draft framework, a medical practitioner’s licence would remain valid for five years.

• If renewal is not sought within three months after expiry, the doctor’s registration status would be marked “inactive”. Existing doctors without a UID would have to update their details on the EMRB portal.

• The one-time generation of UID would be free of charge, and the NMC invited objections and suggestions within 30 days of the draft notification dated 11 August 2026.

STATE NEWS

Chhattisgarh Begins Tilapia Exports as First Inland State

• Chhattisgarh became the first inland state in India to begin exports of value-added Tilapia products on 20 August 2026.

• The state exported 382 tonnes of Tilapia products to the United States and conducted a review meeting on the notified Tilapia cluster in Raipur.

• Tilapia is a freshwater fish widely cultivated through ponds, tanks, cages and recirculatory aquaculture systems.

• Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) is a selectively bred Tilapia strain developed for improved aquaculture production.

• Chhattisgarh has received nearly ₹900 crore investment under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for fisheries development.

• The state’s fisheries sector uses inland water resources such as ponds, reservoirs and tanks, as Chhattisgarh is a landlocked state.

• The Raipur review meeting was chaired by Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, with participation from NFDB, MPEDA and NABARD, along with over 1,300 fish farmers, exporters and entrepreneurs.

• India’s fisheries production has reached about 198 lakh tonnes, while seafood exports have reached ₹73,890.46 crore, with Tilapia products adding a new value-added export segment.

Tamil Nadu Announces 365-Day Maternity Leave for Third Child

• Tamil Nadu announced 365 days of maternity leave with full pay for women state government employees having a third child.

• The revised benefit gives the same maternity leave period as for the first two children, replacing the earlier shorter entitlement.

• The third-child maternity leave has been increased from 12 weeks (84 days) to 365 days.

• The announcement was made in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in Chennai during the demand for grants discussion for the Human Resources Management Department.

• The decision reverses a March 2026 amendment to Fundamental Rule 101(A), which had restricted third-child maternity leave to 12 weeks.

• The March restriction followed a Supreme Court directive, and the Madras High Court upheld the restriction in June 2026.

• The policy comes amid Tamil Nadu’s demographic concerns, with the state’s Total Fertility Rate below 1.4, compared with the replacement-level benchmark of 2.1.

• A detailed Government Order (GO) is expected for formal implementation, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) raised objections to the policy change in the Assembly.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

31st Southern Zonal Council Meeting

• The 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting commenced on 20 August 2026 at Kovalam near Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

• The Southern Zonal Council is a statutory body established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, and is one of India’s five Zonal Councils.

• It comprises Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry.

• The meeting discussed major inter-state issues, including river-water sharing, regional security and administrative coordination.

• Key water-related issues included the Cauvery dispute, Krishna water dispute, proposed Mekedatu Dam and safety concerns concerning the Mullaperiyar Dam.

• Karnataka Deputy/Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar sought a resolution urging the Union Government to retain the Lok Sabha strength at 543 seats for the next 25 years, based on the 1971 Census, in the context of delimitation.

• Tamil Nadu raised the issue of the border shooting of three Tamil men near Karnataka, while the meeting also discussed Fast Track Special Courts for speedy trials of rape and other serious offences.

• Zonal Councils promote cooperative federalism by providing a platform for resolving and discussing Centre-State and inter-State matters involving areas such as law and order, transport, water disputes and social welfare.