Article 19
Protects six freedoms including speech and expression, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession.
On UPSC.wiki
Current affairsBharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026: India Replaces 89-Year-Old Aircraft Rules with Modern Aviation RegulationsThe Ministry of Civil Aviation notified the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026 (published in the Gazette of India on 31 October 2026), replacing the Aircraft Rules, 1937 — a framework over 89 years old. The new rules come into force on 1 January 2027 and are framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, which had already replaced the Aircraft Act, 1934. Current affairsSEBI Introduces Framework for REITs and InvITs to Issue Depository Receipts at GIFT City IFSCSEBI issued Circular No. HO/17/11/19(7)2026-DDHS-RAC/I/24930/2026 on 2 November 2026, introducing a framework that allows Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) to issue foreign currency-denominated Depository Receipts (DRs) listed on exchanges at GIFT City's International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). This enables Indian infrastructure and real estate assets to access global capital pools directly. Current affairsHigh-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat: Government Constitutes Reform Panel Under Former CVC Suresh N. PatelThe Union Government constituted the "High-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat" on October 30, 2026, chaired by former Central Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N. Patel, to recommend structural, regulatory, and legislative reforms to make Indian banks globally competitive, financially inclusive, and resilient by 2047. The committee has a six-month tenure and includes the RBI Deputy Governor and two former senior banking officials as members. Current affairsSiang Upper Multipurpose Project: Violent Protests and CRPF Deployment in Arunachal PradeshProtests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) turned violent in Pasighat, East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh on 23 October 2026. Demonstrators torched a police station, an NHPC office, and nine police vehicles, injuring 40 security personnel. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs deployed two Rapid Action Force (RAF) companies of the CRPF. The project — conceived as India's counter to China's mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo — faces deep opposition from Adi tribal communities fearing displacement and ecological destruction. Current affairsSEBI MF Lite Framework: 1 Finance Gets First In-Principle Approval for Passive-Only AMC; Closing Auction Rules Revised1 Finance received SEBI's first in-principle approval for an Asset Management Company (AMC) licence under the new MF Lite framework on October 19, 2026 — a lighter regulatory regime designed exclusively for passively managed mutual fund schemes (index funds and ETFs). Separately, SEBI revised the equity market Closing Auction Session (CAS) framework effective December 7, 2026, restructuring the 10-minute closing window while retaining the 30-minute VWAP method for derivatives settlement. Current affairsSEBI Notifies Common Advertisement Code 2026: Celebrity Endorsements Restricted to Brand-Level, Unified Rules for All IntermediariesSEBI on 8 October 2026 notified the SEBI (Intermediaries) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026 — a Common Advertisement Code for all regulated entities including mutual funds, brokers, investment advisers, and research analysts. Celebrity endorsements are now restricted to brand-level only; costs of celebrity ads cannot be charged to mutual fund schemes. The Code also mandates standardised risk disclosures and governs social media financial promotion. Current affairsWorld Development Report 2026: 'The Promise of Artificial Intelligence' — Key Findings for India and Developing EconomiesUnion Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the World Bank's flagship World Development Report 2026 — titled 'The Promise of Artificial Intelligence' — in New Delhi on 9 October 2026. The report finds that only ~4% of Indian jobs face immediate automation risk (vs one-third in advanced economies), recommends developing nations adopt open-source AI models for local needs, and positions AI as a productivity lever for healthcare, agriculture, and education in low- and middle-income countries. Current affairsAnup Bagchi Appointed MD & CEO of HDFC Bank: RBI Approval, Leadership Transition and Banking Governance ImplicationsThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) formally approved Anup Bagchi as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Bank for a three-year term effective 27 October 2026, succeeding Sashidhar Jagdishan. Bagchi, a 56-year-old IIM Bangalore and IIT Kanpur alumnus, moves from ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co and becomes the first external candidate to head India's largest private-sector bank by assets. Current affairsIndia's First Free-Space Quantum Key Distribution Link: QNu Labs, BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar Demonstrate 5.56 km QKDQNu Labs, in collaboration with BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics) and IIT Gandhinagar, has demonstrated India's first free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link over 5.56 km, achieving a quantum bit error rate (QBER) below 5% and a secure key rate of 230–260 bits per second — a foundational step toward India's quantum-secure communication network. Current affairsMorocco Appoints Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as First Woman Prime MinisterKing Mohammed VI of Morocco appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country's first female Prime Minister on September 29, 2026, following the Authenticity and Modernity Party's (PAM) plurality victory in the September 23 parliamentary elections. She becomes only the third woman to serve as Prime Minister in the Arab world. Current affairsGandhi Jayanti 2026: 157th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and International Day of Non-ViolenceOctober 2, 2026 marks the 157th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi — Mahatma Gandhi — the father of the Indian nation. It is also the birth anniversary of India's second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. The United Nations observes October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence, established by UNGA Resolution A/RES/61/271 in 2007, to disseminate the message of non-violence and promote peace, tolerance, and understanding. Current affairsAFSPA Extended for Six Months in Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh from October 1, 2026The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) for six months across disturbed areas of Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh with effect from October 1, 2026, continuing through March 31, 2027. The extension maintains India's security posture in the Northeast amid ongoing insurgency challenges, though with partial exclusions in Manipur's Imphal Valley.
In previous-year questions
- The FCRA 2020 Amendment was challenged and upheld by the Supreme Court in which landmark case, and what was the main ground for upholding it?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Supreme Court's February 2024 landmark judgment unanimously struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme as unconstitutional, primarily on the ground that it violated which Fundamental Right?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Supreme Court of India upheld the FCRA Amendment Act, 2020 as constitutionally valid in which landmark judgment?UPSC · Current Affairs
- In which case did the Supreme Court of India hold that live-streaming of court proceedings of constitutional and national importance is part of the right of access to justice?UPSC · 2026 · Polity