June 2026
In short: India's governance, law & order and appointments this month — distilled for SI/Constable Prelims.
Current Affairs — India › Polity & Governance · 22 min read · Free to read · English & Telugu
Bilingual study notes for the Andhra Pradesh Police SI & Constable exams (SLPRB AP) by AP Police Hub, a product of Anvil Academy.
A packed governance month — draft AI-in-courts rules, tighter FCRA norms, the Adivasi delisting debate, six landmark Supreme Court/High Court rulings, a new Army Chief, five head-of-government visits (Seychelles, Slovakia, France/G7, Myanmar, Venezuela), the PoK protests, the US-Iran ceasefire, and a dozen governance/federalism updates.
Indira Point, Great Nicobar Island (Andaman & Nicobar) — the island at the centre of this month's Nicobar tribal-council elections debate and the ₹91,000-crore Great Nicobar project · T. Harshavardan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
June 2026 — At a Glance
June 2026 was dense with governance stories — the Supreme Court drafted rules to keep AI out of judicial decisions, the Home Ministry tightened NGO funding norms, and a fresh Adivasi delisting debate reopened Article 341 vs 342. On rights, the Supreme Court delivered a run of landmark rulings — the Right to be Forgotten, the Right to Walk, DNA testing in paternity disputes, and recognising homemakers as "nation builders". Diplomatically, India hosted or visited five countries in quick succession (Seychelles, Slovakia, France, Myanmar, plus Venezuela's Acting President visiting Delhi) while a new Army Chief was named and the PoK protests and US-Iran ceasefire dominated the neighbourhood.
1. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights
Right to be Forgotten is part of Article 21 privacy
- Ruling — Delhi High Court held the Right to be Forgotten (RTBF) is integral to the Right to Privacy under Article 21; directed de-indexing/disabling name-based search for certain judicial records and news reports where continued visibility causes disproportionate harm.
- Clarification — Not a right to erase history — judicial records continue to exist; only their name-based discoverability may be restricted.
Right to Walk on safe footpaths is a fundamental right
- Ruling — Supreme Court: the right to walk on safe, unobstructed footpaths flows from Article 19(1)(d) (freedom of movement) and Article 21 (right to safe mobility); arose from a motor-accident claim over a child killed after being forced onto the road.
- Effect — Pedestrian rights take priority over vehicle movement; ULBs/municipal bodies must maintain obstruction-free footpaths; citizens can seek compensation independent of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
DNA test upheld in a paternity/inheritance dispute
- What — Supreme Court upheld a DNA test order in a paternity dispute over inheritance, balancing the alleged father's privacy against the claimant's right to establish identity.
- Legal basis — Section 116, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (= old Section 112, Evidence Act 1872): a child born in a valid marriage or within 280 days of dissolution is presumed legitimate; DNA tests should be ordered only in exceptional cases, not routinely.
Homemakers recognised as "nation builders"
- Case — Shish Ram and ors vs. Surjeet — Supreme Court held a homemaker's contribution must be formally monetised in motor-accident compensation; fixed a minimum notional value of ₹30,000/month for lost domestic care services.
Psychological evaluation of children — "minimum intrusion" rule
- Ruling — Supreme Court: psychological assessments of children in custody disputes — especially alleged POCSO Act, 2012 victims — must follow "minimum intrusion"; a single court-appointed psychologist, limited sessions, absolute confidentiality of records.
- Basis — Article 21 (child's emotional security) and Article 39(f) DPSP; child treated as a person, not forensic evidence, in adversarial custody battles.
Gender quota debate in the higher judiciary
- Trigger — Justice V. Mohana's elevation — only the 2nd woman directly elevated from the Bar to the Supreme Court after Indu Malhotra (2018) — revived the gender-quota debate.
- Numbers — Since 1950, only 12 women appointed to the SC; only 2 of 37 SC judges are women (~5.4%); ~15% of HC judges are women.
- Global comparison — Canada, Germany, Belgium have ~50% women judges in constitutional courts; Belgium mandates at least one-third of each gender.
PCPNDT Act — patriarchal preference for male child persists
- What — Supreme Court, upholding criminal proceedings against a Maharashtra doctor under the PCPNDT Act, 1994, held that patriarchal preference for male children and covert sex-selection persist despite an improved child sex ratio.
- Numbers — Child sex ratio: 945 (1991) → 927 (2001) → 919 (2011); birth sex ratio now ~929 (NFHS-5). Constitutional basis: Articles 14, 15(1), 21.
Other rights/welfare developments — quick facts| Item | Key fact |
|---|
| Equality for Persons with Disabilities | India spends only 0.02% of GDP on disability welfare (vs Brazil 0.5%, OECD 2.2%); a proposed Minimum Universal Disability Pension Floor Rate (MUDPFR) cites Section 24, RPwD Act 2016 and Article 41. |
| Human Trafficking — SC Victim Protection Plan | SC framed a comprehensive plan for trafficking/CSE survivors (no arrest/detention of victims, mandatory legal aid, AHTUs headed by DSP-rank officers); asked Parliament to amend ITPA Sections 7/8/20 and enact a standalone anti-trafficking law. |
Draft Regulations for Use of AI in Courts, 2026
- Permits — Case management, cause-list prep, hearing scheduling, transcription/translation, legal research, litigant-facing chatbots — with mandatory human review of every AI-assisted output.
- Prohibits — AI cannot decide bail eligibility, recommend sentencing, assess witness credibility, or influence adjudication; final decisions remain the exclusive responsibility of judges.
- Regulatory body — Proposed permanent apex body at the Supreme Court, chaired by a nominated SC judge, with high court judges, a MeitY officer, cybersecurity/finance experts, and the National Judicial Academy AI head.
FCRA (Amendment) Rules, 2026 — tighter NGO oversight
- Purpose-specific & geo-specific — NGOs must register for specific approved purposes (1-year window for existing registrants) and only in specified States/UTs — prior approval needed to expand.
- Proselytisation — Religious construction/education/langars remain permitted, but excluding proselytisation — consistent with *Rev. Stainislaus v. State of MP* (1977): right to propagate religion excludes a right to convert.
- Utilisation norm — An NGO counted as "reasonably active" only if it used at least ₹10 lakh foreign contribution in the preceding 2 years; revised penalty: ₹1 lakh or 30% of misused amount, whichever is higher.
- Companion Bill — FCR (Amendment) Bill, 2026 (Lok Sabha) creates a Designated Authority to provisionally manage a cancelled/lapsed NGO's foreign contributions and assets.
Other regulatory-reform updates — quick facts| Item | Key fact |
|---|
| Draft Telecom (TV/Radio) Rules, 2026 | MIB draft under the Telecommunications Act, 2023; consolidates broadcasting guidelines, drops the GOPA agreement requirement, mandates 30 min/day (TV) and 1 hr/day (private radio) of public-interest content. |
| Legal status of the RSS | RSS (founded 1925 by K.B. Hedgewar) is not registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, Trusts Act 1882, or Companies Act 2013; courts/tax authorities treat it as a "Body of Individuals" (Sec 2(31), Income Tax Act 1961) — absence of registration ≠ illegality. |
| Passport ≠ conclusive citizenship proof | MEA clarified a passport is a travel document, not conclusive citizenship proof (governed by the Citizenship Act 1955, not the Passports Act 1967); Razia Begum case (2008) is the leading precedent. |
3. Adivasi Delisting Debate
Should ST status continue after conversion?
- What — A renewed debate on whether Scheduled Tribe (ST) status should end after conversion to Christianity or Islam — the "delisting" demand — alongside a separate demand by Jharkhand Adivasi groups for "Sarna" as a distinct Census religious code.
- Key constitutional distinction — SC status (Article 341) IS religion-linked (limited to Hindu/Sikh/Buddhist converts) — conversion CAN cost SC status. ST status (Article 342) has NO religious criterion at all — defined by ethnicity, culture, geographic isolation — so conversion alone does not legally end it.
- Precedent — Kartik Oraon v. David Munzni (1963, Patna HC), upheld by the SC — tribal identity is primarily ethnic/communal, not religious; any delisting would need legislative/constitutional change.
4. Elections, Legislature & Federalism
Nicobar Elections Controversy — tribal self-governance
- What — The A&N Administration published Draft Andaman and Nicobar Islands Tribal Councils (Preparation of Electoral Rolls and Conduct of Elections) Rules, 2026 — a formal electoral framework for Nicobarese Village/Tribal Councils (population ~30,000), framed under the 2009 Presidential Regulation.
- Traditional system — Currently governed by community consensus — Island Tribal Councils and village-level "captaincy" (First/Second/Third Captain), a centuries-old British-formalised institution, not periodic elections.
- Concern — Sparked worries over cultural autonomy against the backdrop of the ₹91,000-crore Great Nicobar development project; the 2009 Regulation already gives the district administration veto power over council decisions.
Elections, legislature & federalism — quick facts| Item | Key fact |
|---|
| Cockroach Election Symbol | The viral "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP) raised whether ECI can allot a cockroach symbol; symbols are governed by the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 — must be distinct, not offend religious sentiment/morality, and not confuse voters. |
| PRS Annual Review of State Laws 2025 | 27 State + 3 UT legislatures met an average of 24 days (up from 21 in 2024); Odisha highest (43 days), Nagaland lowest (7 days); 645 Bills passed (up from ~500 in 2024) — despite low sitting days, indicating weak scrutiny. |
| Telegram restricted during NEET-UG re-exam | Centre temporarily blocked Telegram under Section 69A, IT Act 2000, after channels circulated fake "leaked" NEET-UG 2026 papers and demanded fees; Telegram also told to disable message-editing till 30 June 2026. |
5. Digital Governance, Panchayats & Federal Cooperation
12 Years of Panchayat Reforms & Innovation
- Capacity building — Under RGSA, over 4.10 crore elected representatives/functionaries from 2.70 lakh+ PRIs trained; 33.55 lakh women representatives trained (FY23–FY26).
- Digital & fiscal — SVAMITVA distributed ~3.18 crore property cards; 2.59 lakh+ Panchayats on e-Panchayat; ₹3.16 lakh crore processed through the digital platform; Meri Panchayat App crossed 1 crore downloads.
Haryana–Rajasthan MoA on the 1994 Upper Yamuna Agreement
- What — Haryana & Rajasthan signed an MoA to operationalise the 1994 Upper Yamuna Water Sharing Agreement after nearly 32 years — a dedicated underground pipeline (₹34,102-crore Yamuna Water Project) instead of a new canal.
- Water share (1994 pact) — Haryana 47.82%, UP 33.65%, Rajasthan 9.84%, Delhi 6.24%, Himachal Pradesh 3.15% — Delhi's drinking-water need gets priority; overseen by the Upper Yamuna River Board (1995).
- Constitutional basis — Article 262 (inter-state river dispute adjudication), Entry 17 State List & Entry 56 Union List; Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
11th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting
- What — PM Modi chaired the meeting — theme "Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047" — the first time CMs of all 28 States attended; 4 pillars: Human Capital & Skills, Employment & Decentralised Growth, Health & Nutrition, Equity & Dignity.
Digital governance & pay-reform updates — quick facts| Item | Key fact |
|---|
| NEC 73rd Plenary Meeting | Union Home Minister chaired the North Eastern Council plenary in New Delhi; reviewed connectivity, tourism, agriculture, skilling towards a "Developed North-East by 2047". |
| National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026 | 29th NAeG: 17 projects across 7 categories — 10 Gold (₹10 lakh), 6 Silver (₹5 lakh), 1 Jury award; instituted by DARPG; first-time emphasis on Gram Panchayat-level digital governance. |
| National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) | West Bengal Assembly signed an MoU for NeVA — a Digital India Mission Mode Project built on "One Nation, One Application" for all legislatures. |
| Delhi Govt e-Office completes one year | Mandatory for all Delhi Govt departments from 1 July 2025; ~23,800 additional e-files and 1.53 lakh e-receipts processed after an April 2026 upgrade. |
| 8th Central Pay Commission | Debate over reform focus areas: a permanent National Compensation Authority (replacing decadal Pay Commissions), civil-military parity (OROP), Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU), and rationalising OPS/NPS/UPS pension systems. |
6. India's Diplomatic Outreach — June 2026
PM Modi's state visit to Seychelles
- Outcome — Ties elevated to a strategic partnership, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations; a USD 175-million package (USD 125 mn Line of Credit + USD 50 mn Grant Assistance) announced.
- Highlights — PM Modi became the first Indian PM to address Seychelles' National Assembly; conferred "Guardian of the Blue Horizon" (Seychelles' top environmental honour); gifted the Fast Attack Vessel PS Lespwar.
PM Modi's visit to Slovakia
- Significance — First Indian PM visit to Bratislava since Slovakia's 1993 independence; ties elevated to a Comprehensive Partnership; defence Letter of Intent + an India Chair on AI at a Slovak university announced.
- Trade — Bilateral trade crossed €1.28 billion (2024); focus sectors — automobiles, railways, green tech, electronics; MoU on Labour Migration signed.
India-France relations & 52nd G7 Summit
- France (Nice) — PM Modi's 7th official France visit since 2014; first formal summit since the "Special Global Strategic Partnership" (Feb 2026); agreed to double bilateral trade 16bn → 32bn in 5 years; a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics in Kanpur.
- 52nd G7 Summit — Held in Évian-les-Bains under France's presidency, theme "Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity"; India attended as a special invitee, advocated for the Global South.
Myanmar President's first India visit
- What — President U Min Aung Hlaing's first official India visit (30 May–3 June), starting at Bodh Gaya (Mahabodhi Temple); reaffirmed the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
- Numbers — India is Myanmar's 4th-largest trading partner (USD 1.95 billion, 2025-26); Mekong-Ganga ICCR scholarships raised from 36 to 100 from 2026.
Venezuela's Acting President visits India
- What — Acting President Delcy Rodríguez visited, met PM Modi — no formal agreements, but groundwork laid for energy (crude, exploration), mining, pharma, transport cooperation.
- Caution flagged — US Secretary of State Rubio publicly disclosed the visit beforehand; Venezuela's political stability under Rodríguez (vs Nobel laureate María Corina Machado) is uncertain — India must balance energy diversification against US-dependency risk.
7. Neighbourhood, Security & Global Affairs
PoK protests over reserved Assembly seats
- Toll — At least 15 killed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK — comprises Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan) a month before scheduled local elections; protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
- Trigger — Pakistan Supreme Court upheld 12 of 53 PoK Assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri migrants settled in Pakistan — polled outside PoK, with no local voter say.
- India's distinction — India also reserves 24 J&K Assembly seats for symbolic PoK representation but keeps them vacant — unlike Pakistan, which actively fills its 12+8 centrally-controlled seats.
US-Iran agreement ends 40 days of war
- What — A 14-clause US-Iran MoU (US signed at Versailles, Iran in Tehran) ended 40 days of war and a 60-day naval blockade; opens a 60-day window for a final deal.
- Key terms — Iran guarantees unconditional transit through Strait of Hormuz (20–25% of global oil, 20% of global gas transits it); $300-billion reconstruction fund; Iran keeps its 60%-enriched uranium stockpile but agrees to a 60-day no-further-enrichment status quo.
- Hormuz legal question — Iran continues levying a navigation/environmental fee even after dropping its war-toll — raising a UNCLOS Articles 37-44 "right of transit passage" question (echoing the 1949 *Corfu Channel* ICJ case, UK v. Albania).
Indian seafarers exposed by the Hormuz conflict
- What — US Navy missile strikes on tankers in the Gulf killed 3 Indian seafarers aboard *Settebello*; India protested (EAM Jaishankar called it "not justified").
- Structural risk — India is a top-3 seafarer supplier globally (~3.5 lakh at any time), but ~90% work on foreign-flagged ships — weakening India's legal standing to protect them militarily, unlike the US re-flagging Kuwaiti ships in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.
Keir Starmer resigns as UK Prime Minister
- What — Starmer resigned as PM and Labour leader — the UK's 7th PM in a decade (Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss [45 days, shortest ever], Sunak, Starmer — none completed a full term).
- How it works — UK's 5-year term limit applies to Parliament, not the PM — a leadership contest triggers when 20% of Labour MPs back a challenger; the new leader must be invited by the Monarch (King Charles III) to form government.
Other neighbourhood & global-affairs developments — quick facts| Item | Key fact |
|---|
| H-1B visa fee struck down | A US federal judge struck down Trump's $100,000 H-1B fee as unlawful (imposed without Congressional approval); Indians receive >70% of all H-1B visas annually. |
| US Indo-Pacific Command renamed | Pentagon reversed the 2018 renaming — USINDOPACOM is again US Pacific Command (USPACOM); area of responsibility unchanged, but seen as de-emphasising the Indian Ocean/Quad framing. |
| Immigration & Foreigners Rules amended | From 1 June 2026, foreigners on ≤180-day visas must register BEFORE the 180-day expiry (not within 14 days after, as earlier); children born in India to a foreign parent, where the other parent is Indian, no longer need the 30-day registration. |
| China-Bangladesh Teesta talks | Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman got Chinese assurance on the Teesta River Comprehensive Management Project; raises concern as the project area lies near India's strategic Siliguri Corridor ("Chicken's Neck"). |
| India resumes Bangladeshi tourist visas | India resumed tourist visas for Bangladeshi nationals from 28 June, ~2 years after suspension following the August 2024 attacks on Indian diplomatic centres in Dhaka. |
| EU offshore deportation law | European Parliament passed the Return Regulation, allowing offshore "return hubs" in non-EU countries; raises max detention from 6 months to 2 years (unlimited for security risks). |
| UNHRC report on Gaza | A UN Commission of Inquiry (chaired by India's Justice S. Muralidhar) found Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza, establishing genocidal intent under the 1948 Genocide Convention. |
| Shangri-La Dialogue | 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue (Asia's premier defence/security forum, est. 2002, Singapore) — India represented by the Defence Secretary. |
| India's first FATF Vice President | IAS officer Vivek Aggarwal elected Vice President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the first Indian ever, term July 2026–June 2027. |
| EU–Western Balkans Summit / Canada's IORA bid | 8th EU–W.Balkans Summit held in Tivat, Montenegro (6 candidate nations); separately, Canada's bid to become an IORA Dialogue Partner is under review at the 28th Committee of Senior Officials meeting, New Delhi. |
| Taiwan fires HIMARS into the Strait | Taiwan's military fired US-supplied HIMARS rockets into the Taiwan Strait for the first time — a significant escalation in its public defence posturing against China. |
8. Law-and-Order Technology & Defence Leadership
New Chief of Army Staff & other senior appointments
- COAS — Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth (present Vice Chief) named the next Chief of the Army Staff, succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi; commissioned into the Armoured Corps (1986), has led two operational Army Commands — South Western and Southern.
- Military Adviser to NSCS — Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Deputy Chief of Army, appointed Military Adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat — the first serving officer (not retired) to hold this post, under NSA Ajit Doval.
26th All India Fingerprint Conference — four new NCRB platforms
New NCRB digital-policing platforms — June 2026| Platform | Core function |
|---|
| NCRB-Abhigyan | Mobile field access to the National Fingerprint Database via certified scanners |
| CrPI | Multimodal biometric ID — face, iris, DNA matching to identify repeat offenders |
| e-Forensics 2.0 | Digital forensic-lab case tracking & chain-of-custody management |
| e-Prosecution 2.0 | Integrates police, prosecution & judicial workflow — target: FIR-to-conviction in 3 years |
- CrPI Act, 2022 — DNA records — Replaced the colonial Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920; now collects fingerprints, iris/retina scans, and biological samples for DNA; over 1 lakh DNA profiles stored centrally by NCRB; records kept up to 75 years, deleted on acquittal.
- Drug Control Vision Document 2026-2029 — NCB Annual Report 2025 recorded an all-time-high 1.48 lakh+ cases, 1,200+ tonnes seized; Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as India's leading illicit-opium source; drone-smuggling from Pakistan up 5-fold in 5 years, hitting Punjab hardest.