LEGAL NEWS

Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Five Names for Elevation

• The Supreme Court Collegium recommended five names for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court of India on 27 May 2026.

• The Collegium is headed by the Chief Justice of India and is responsible for recommending appointments and transfers in the higher judiciary.

• The four High Court Chief Justices recommended are Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, and Justice Arun Palli.

• V. Mohana was also recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.

• The recommendations were made during the tenure of Surya Kant, whose term is scheduled to continue until February 2027.

• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 increased the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.

• The expansion followed an ordinance promulgated on 16 May 2026 to address vacancies and growing judicial workload.

• As of 27 May 2026, the Supreme Court was functioning with 32 judges against its sanctioned strength, making fresh appointments necessary.

Supreme Court Upholds Bihar Electoral Roll Revision

• The Supreme Court of India upheld the legality and constitutional validity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted in Bihar on 27 May 2026.

• The judgment was delivered by a Bench comprising Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi.

• The Court held that the Election Commission of India has the authority to conduct Special Intensive Revision exercises under Article 324 of the Constitution.

• Article 324 empowers the Election Commission with the superintendence, direction, and control of elections in India.

• The Court read Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 together with Article 324 to support the revision process.

• The Bihar exercise covered nearly 7.9 crore registered voters and resulted in a final electoral roll containing about 7.42 crore electors.

• The Court clarified that the Election Commission may examine citizenship issues for electoral purposes but cannot make final determinations on citizenship status.

• Cases involving deletion of names on grounds of non-citizenship must be referred to competent authorities under the Citizenship Act, and names must be restored if citizenship is subsequently confirmed.

Supreme Court Upholds 28% GST on Online Gaming

• The Supreme Court of India upheld the retrospective levy of 28% GST on online gaming platforms on 27 May 2026.

• The judgment was delivered by a Bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan.

• The Court held that online money gaming involving stakes is a taxable actionable claim under GST law.

• The August 2023 amendment imposing 28% GST was treated as clarificatory and applicable retrospectively.

• The distinction between games of skill and games of chance was rejected for GST purposes where monetary stakes are involved.

• The ruling covers online gaming platforms, casinos, and turf clubs accepting bets or stakes.

• The Court set aside the Karnataka High Court decision in favour of Gameskraft Technologies and restored the ₹21,000 crore GST demand notice.

• The verdict could impact the gaming industry with estimated tax exposure of nearly ₹1.5 trillion on past transactions.

STATE NEWS

Assam Passes Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026

• Assam Assembly passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill by voice vote on 27 May 2026.

• The Bill establishes a common civil law framework for marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships irrespective of religion.

• It prohibits polygamy and mandates registration of marriages, divorces, and live-in relationships within the prescribed period.

• A savings clause protects polygamous marriages solemnised before the enforcement of the new law.

• The legislation excludes Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam from its scope.

• The Bill seeks to repeal the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act, 2024.

• Assam became the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to pass a UCC law, and the first in North-East India.

• Article- 44 places the Uniform Civil Code under the Directive Principles of State Policy.

NATIONAL NEWS

India Becomes APAC’s Second-Largest Data Centre Market

• India ranked second in the Asia-Pacific region with an operational data centre capacity of 1.6 GW as of 27 May 2026.

• The country also emerged among the top three global markets with 3.1 GW of capacity under construction and planning stages.

• Mumbai remains India’s leading data centre hub and is expected to cross 1 GW operational capacity by the end of 2026.

• Hyderabad was ranked the top secondary data centre market in APAC and ninth globally.

• Other key data centre destinations include Chennai, Delhi NCR, and Pune.

• The Draft National Data Centre Policy 2025 proposes long-term tax benefits and GST input tax credits to boost investment.

• India had more than 10.5 GW of data centre capacity in the land acquisition stage, indicating strong future growth.

• Rising adoption of AI, expansion of hyperscale cloud services, and growing enterprise demand are driving India’s data centre boom.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

35th India–China WMCC Meeting

• India and China held the 35th WMCC meeting in Beijing on 27 May 2026.

• The Indian delegation was led by Sujit Ghosh, while China was represented by Hou Yanqi.

• WMCC is the bilateral mechanism for consultation and coordination on India–China border affairs.

• Discussions covered border management, boundary delimitation, and cooperation measures.

• Both sides reviewed issues related to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• India sought an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-Border Rivers.

• The two countries agreed to continue regular diplomatic and military exchanges.

• Preparations will be made for the next meeting of the Special Representatives Mechanism in China.