LEGAL NEWS

Supreme Court Ruling on Aadhaar & Electoral Roll Revision

• The Supreme Court of India ruled that Aadhaar cannot be used as proof of citizenship, reiterating that it is only a proof of identity.

• The observation was made during hearings on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, where verification of nearly 50 lakh voters is underway.

• A bench led by the Chief Justice directed deployment of experienced judicial officers for verification of voter claims.

• As informed by the Calcutta High Court, 294 serving and retired district and additional district judges have already been assigned for scrutiny.

• The Court permitted inclusion of judicial officers with minimum three years of experience, and allowed additional officers from neighbouring states like Jharkhand and Odisha if needed.

• The Election Commission of India has been directed to bear expenses for officers deputed from other states.

• The final voter list will be published on February 28, while supplementary lists will follow after complete scrutiny.

• Using powers under Article 142, the Court clarified that supplementary lists will be treated as part of the final electoral roll.

• Only voters who submitted documents by February 14 will be verified by judicial officers; the Court approved 11 ECI-notified documents along with Class X admit cards and mark sheets for voter inclusion.

• The Court stressed that Aadhaar, governed by the Aadhaar Act, 2016, is strictly an identity document and cannot establish citizenship, reinforcing the legal distinction between identity and nationality.

NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi Conferred with Speaker of the Knesset Medal

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the ‘Speaker of the Knesset Medal’, the highest honour of Israel’s Parliament.

• The award was presented at the Knesset in recognition of his role in strengthening India–Israel strategic relations.

• The honour was bestowed by Amir Ohana after PM Modi addressed the Israeli Parliament.

• He became the first global leader to receive this prestigious medal from the Knesset.

• The recognition reflects the elevation of India–Israel ties to a Strategic Partnership during his 2017 visit to Israel.

• This marked his second visit to Israel in nine years, highlighting sustained bilateral engagement.

• PM Modi is among the few world leaders to have received top honours from both Israel and Palestine — including the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine in 2018.

• The medal underscores expanding cooperation between India and Israel in defence, technology, agriculture and innovation sectors.

GOVERNMENT SCHEME

Jal Mahotsav to be Organised Nationwide (8–22 March)

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti will organise Jal Mahotsav across the country from March 8 to 22.

• The announcement was made by Ashok K.K. Meena, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, during the 4th multilingual Sujal Gram Samvad in New Delhi.

• The festival will focus on handing over water supply assets to Gram Panchayats through Jal Arpan Diwas.

• It will also strengthen water quality testing and monitoring systems at the grassroots level.

• Ensuring safe drinking water through community participation remains a key objective.

• The initiative aims to promote sustainable, community-led water management in every village.

• The Sujal Gram Samvad supports community-driven implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission.

• The virtual programme saw participation from Gram Panchayat representatives, Village Water & Sanitation Committees, women self-help groups, students, frontline workers, and state officials.

• Discussions were held across six Gram Panchayat headquarters, enabling exchange of local best practices.

• The platform encouraged peer learning among villages through discussions in local languages.

DEFENCE

MILAN 2026 Concludes

• The Indian Navy formally concluded MILAN 2026 with a closing ceremony onboard INS Vikrant off the coast of Visakhapatnam.

• The ceremony was led by Alok Anand in the Bay of Bengal.

• The exercise was conducted under the theme “Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration.”

• Its primary objective was to strengthen maritime partnerships among participating navies.

• A total of 42 ships and submarines along with 29 aircraft took part in the exercise.

• Eighteen ships were contributed by friendly foreign nations.

• This edition became one of the largest MILAN exercises conducted so far.

• The exercise supported India’s MAHASAGAR vision while enhancing teamwork, mutual understanding and operational readiness among participating navies.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

National Roundtable Conference on Elections Concludes in New Delhi

• The National Roundtable Conference of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and State Election Commissioners concluded in New Delhi.

• The conference unanimously adopted the National Declaration 2026, highlighting the importance of accurate electoral rolls for a healthy democracy.

• It emphasized that transparent and fair elections strengthen democratic institutions.

• The ECI proposed developing legally sound, mutually agreed frameworks with State Election Commissions for enhanced cooperation.

• Cooperation will include sharing ECINET, EVMs, electoral rolls, and infrastructure through IIIDEM.

• Efforts will be made to align Panchayat and Municipal election laws with Parliamentary and State Assembly election frameworks.

• The Commission invited State Election Commissions to participate in international engagements and recommended holding this Roundtable annually.

• A joint legal and technical team will review SEC recommendations, while state and UT-specific action plans will be submitted within three months.

• Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stressed the need for a pure electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

• The conference was held after 27 years, with the previous edition conducted in 1999.