LEGAL NEWS
Supreme Court Reduces Bar Practice Requirement for Judicial Service
• The Supreme Court of India reduced the mandatory active bar practice requirement from three years to one year for candidates seeking entry-level Civil Judge, Junior Division posts.
• The decision was delivered by a 2:1 majority of a three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice August George Masih and Justice K. Vinod Chandran.
• The judgment modified the Supreme Court’s earlier decision of 20 May 2025, which had restored the requirement of three years of legal practice for entry-level judicial service.
• Candidates selected for judicial service must undergo one year of intensive training at their respective State Judicial Academies after selection.
• The Court also prescribed six months of clerkship under a District and Sessions Judge and six months under a sitting High Court judge, providing practical courtroom exposure.
• Justice K. Vinod Chandran dissented, observing that classroom training cannot substitute for the practical experience gained through active practice at the Bar.
• A transitional waiver was provided for candidates appearing in examinations notified between 20 May 2025 and 31 March 2027; such candidates need not produce a practice certificate for that period.
• For recruitment notifications issued on or after 1 April 2027, candidates will be required to demonstrate at least one year of verified active legal practice before entering the subordinate judiciary.
Permanent High Court Bench in Ladakh
• The Union Cabinet approved a permanent bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh on 20 August 2026.
• The High Court is the common High Court for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with its existing seats at Srinagar and Jammu.
• The new Ladakh bench will become the third judicial location of the High Court, improving access to justice for people living in the geographically remote Union Territory.
• The bench is particularly significant for residents of Leh and Kargil, as litigants will have reduced need to travel to Jammu or Srinagar for High Court proceedings.
• As of 30 July 2026, Parliament data recorded 44,557 pending cases before the High Court, including more than 6,100 cases pending for over 10 years.
• A late-2025 Lok Sabha reply stated that only five of Ladakh’s ten subdivisions had court infrastructure: Zanskar, Sankoo, Khaltsi, Nubra and Drass.
• Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019 following the reorganisation of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The establishment of a permanent bench is aimed at strengthening judicial infrastructure, reducing geographical barriers and improving access to justice in Ladakh.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Sophie Adenot Becomes First French Woman to Perform a Spacewalk
• ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot became the first French woman and second European woman to perform a spacewalk on 18 August 2026.
• She conducted U.S. Spacewalk 97 (EVA-97) outside the International Space Station (ISS) alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon.
• The extravehicular activity lasted 6 hours and 23 minutes, beginning at 8:29 a.m. EDT and ending at 2:52 p.m. EDT.
• The primary objective was to replace a failed Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT) located on the Z1 truss of the ISS.
• The SGANT is used to provide a high-speed communication link for data transmission between the ISS and Mission Control in Houston.
• Installation was delayed because of stuck bolts and electrical cables, preventing completion of the antenna replacement during the EVA.
• Mission Control instructed the astronauts to secure the failed antenna using a long-duration tie-down before concluding the spacewalk; astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway supported operations from inside the ISS.
• The mission became the 282nd spacewalk associated with ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades. Adenot and Menon were scheduled to conduct EVA-98 on 25 August 2026 to complete installation of the spare SGANT antenna.
NATIONAL NEWS
Citizenship Applications Under CAA: New District-Level Processing
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has transferred the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 to District Collectors in eight specified States and Union Territories.
• The change applies to applications under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which provides a legal route to citizenship for eligible persons covered by the CAA, subject to prescribed conditions.
• The transfer of authority has been made through the Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, shifting the first level of processing from the earlier committee-based system to the district administration.
• The new mechanism covers Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and the non-tribal areas of Assam and Tripura.
• District Collectors can verify documents, conduct inquiries, administer the oath of allegiance and grant citizenship to applicants found eligible under the prescribed framework.
• The Citizenship Act, 1955 is the principal legislation governing Indian citizenship and covers citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and incorporation of territory.
• The earlier system, introduced on 11 March 2024, operated through Empowered Committees and District Level Committees, involving officials from departments including the Census, Intelligence Bureau and postal services.
• The 2026 notification also rescinded two administrative orders dated 20 February 2026 and 2 March 2026, while actions already completed under those orders remain valid.
APPOINTMENT
S. Somanath Appointed to RBI Central Board
• Former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath was appointed as a part-time, non-official director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 20 August 2026.
• His appointment is for a four-year term, while Anand Gopal Mahindra was reappointed to the RBI Central Board for another four-year term on the same date.
• The Central Board of Directors is the apex governing body of the RBI and functions under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The RBI Central Board consists of official directors, non-official directors and government nominees and is responsible for the general supervision of the central bank.
• S. Somanath served as the 10th Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space from 15 January 2022 to 14 January 2025.
• His tenure as ISRO Chairman included the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which achieved a historic soft landing near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023.
• On 20 August 2026, the total strength of the RBI Central Board was reduced from 15 members to 11 members, with S. Somanath among the external directors listed after the restructuring.
• The Reserve Bank of India was established on 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934, and serves as India’s central bank responsible for functions including monetary policy, currency management and banking regulation.
AWARDS
National Teachers Awards 2026
• The National Teachers Awards 2026 will be conferred on 48 school teachers by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 5 September 2026.
• 5 September is observed as National Teachers’ Day in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on 5 September 1888 and served as the second President of India.
• The 48 awardees comprise 26 male and 22 female teachers, representing 27 States, 7 Union Territories and 6 Central Government organisations.
• The selection process was conducted at three levels—district, state and national.
• Online self-nominations were invited from 15 June to 20 July 2026 through the Ministry of Education portal.
• The awardees include teachers from government schools, PM SHRI schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, Sainik Schools and Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
• The ceremony will feature short documentaries on the work of all 48 teachers and will be broadcast live on Doordarshan and SWAYAM PRABHA channels.
• The National Teachers Awards, presented by the President of India, recognise outstanding contributions to school education and teaching.
47th Sarala Puraskar 2026
• Dr. Ashutosh Parida, an Odia poet, essayist and former CSIR-IMMT scientist, has been selected for the 47th Sarala Puraskar for his poetry collection Bishwas De Pruthwi.
• The award ceremony will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 25 October 2026.
• The Sarala Puraskar is a prominent literary award associated with Odia literature and is presented by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the charitable arm of IMFA.
• The award carries a citation, copper plaque and cash prize of ₹7 lakh.
• Bishwas De Pruthwi, published by Prabha Publication in 2024, was selected from a final shortlist of seven books considered by the 2026 jury.
• The final literary jury included Dr. Sucheta Mishra, Dr. Hrushikesh Mallick, Sangram Jena, Swapna Mishra, Prof. Dr. Natabar Satapathy, Dr. Sarojini Sahoo and Ajay Kumar Mohapatra.
• IMPaCT also announced the 2026 Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman for lifetime excellence in the arts, awarded to Odissi maestro Guru Durga Charan Ranbir and sculptor Damodar Behera.
• Each recipient of the Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman will receive a citation, copper plaque and ₹2.5 lakh, with both honours to be presented on 25 October 2026 in Bhubaneswar.
SPORTS
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Reach BWF World Championships Semifinals
• Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reached the women’s doubles semifinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on 21 August 2026.
• The unseeded Indian pair defeated China’s fourth-seeded Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in a 69-minute quarterfinal match.
• Their victory secured a World Championships medal for India, making them only the second Indian women’s doubles pair to win a medal at the tournament.
• The previous Indian women’s doubles pair to win a World Championships medal was Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won bronze in 2011.
• India has now won at least one medal at every edition of the BWF World Championships since 2011, extending the streak to 12 consecutive editions.
• Treesa Jolly, from Kannur, Kerala, became the first Malayali badminton player to win a World Championships medal since H.S. Prannoy won bronze in 2023.
• India’s fifth-seeded men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eliminated in the quarterfinals by China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, losing 18–21, 9–21.
• Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are scheduled to face China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in the semifinals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.
DEFENCE
Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0)
• The Territorial Army of India launched Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0) on 21 August 2026 in partnership with CyberPeace.
• TCQ 3.0 is the third edition of the Territorial Army’s national cyber hackathon series, focusing on indigenous defence technologies and digital security solutions.
• Registrations opened on 30 July 2026, with the final registration deadline extended to 31 August 2026.
• The Bug Hunting track features an online Capture-the-Flag (CTF) qualifier followed by a 36-hour live sandbox finale to identify vulnerabilities in simulated critical infrastructure.
• The AI Kavach track invites artificial intelligence and machine-learning solutions for automated cyber defence, predictive threat intelligence and anomaly detection.
• The National Creators Challenge encourages digital content creators to develop awareness campaigns addressing deepfakes, phishing and misinformation.
• Online screening and shortlisting will take place from 1 to 10 September 2026, followed by the Grand Finale in New Delhi from 6 to 8 October 2026.
• The concluding award ceremony is scheduled for 9 October 2026 in New Delhi, with the initiative aimed at engaging students, startups, security researchers and digital content creators in cyber-defence innovation.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE
National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II 2026
• The Ministry of Rural Development launched the second phase of the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II on 21 August 2026 under the DAY-NRLM.
• The three-month campaign will run from 21 August to 21 November 2026 and focuses on promoting rural women entrepreneurship in farm and non-farm sectors.
• The campaign supports the government’s target of creating 6 crore Lakhpati Didis, referring to women achieving annual household income of at least ₹1 lakh through livelihood activities.
• It aims to train 5 lakh Self-Help Group (SHG) women in entrepreneurship and livelihood skills and formalise 50,000 rural enterprises.
• The campaign will orient 50,000 community cadres for enterprise promotion and add 2 lakh members to producer groups and enterprises.
• It also targets the promotion of sustainable agro-ecological practices among 20 lakh women under rural livelihood initiatives.
• The campaign aims to onboard 25,000 SHG members on digital platforms such as ONDC and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to expand market access.
• Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Department of Rural Development, launched the campaign and released Sankalp Shakti, a monthly technical bulletin; grassroots enterprise-support cadres will be recognised as “Udyam Sakhis.”
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE
57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2026
• The first Steering Committee meeting for the 57th IFFI was held on 21 August 2026 at Kartavya Bhawan-2, New Delhi.
• The 57th edition of IFFI is scheduled to be held from 20 to 28 November 2026 in Goa.
• The meeting was chaired by Dr. L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.
• Chanchal Kumar, Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, also participated in the meeting.
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the nodal ministry for IFFI, which is organised by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC).
• The meeting reviewed preparations for film screenings, masterclasses, mentorship programmes, and opportunities for young students and emerging filmmakers.
• IFFI was first organised in 1952 and is regarded as one of Asia’s oldest film festivals; Goa has been its regular venue since 2004.
• The festival is also linked with India’s “Orange Economy”, focusing on the cultural and creative industries and providing a platform for Indian and international cinema, professional exchanges and global promotion of Indian films.
