Article 21
Guarantees the right to life and personal liberty, judicially expanded to cover dignity, privacy and a clean environment.
On UPSC.wiki
Current affairsTRAI A2P Regulations 2026: India's First Statutory Definition of Autodialler and Robo-calls, AI-Based Spam EnforcementOn 18 September 2026, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) notified the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026, introducing India's first statutory definitions of Application-to-Person (A2P) calls, autodialler technology, and robo-calls. The regulations also incorporate AI/ML-based spam detection and impose a 5 paise/minute termination charge on A2P calls, strengthening India's Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC) enforcement framework. Current affairs9th India International Water Week 2026: VP Radhakrishnan Inaugurates at New Delhi, Theme 'Climate Resilient Water Management'Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan on 22 September 2026 inaugurated the 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, themed 'Climate Resilient Water Management'. This is the first edition under the 'International' rebranding — elevating India's flagship water policy platform to global stature, with partner countries Netherlands and Germany and over 5,000 delegates from 100+ nations expected over the five-day event (September 22–26). Current affairsIIT Bombay, Sahil Wakode, and the SC/ST Act: Caste Discrimination in Higher Education, Dean Suspended, Crime Branch ProbeSahil Ravindra Wakode, a 22-year-old second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay from Yavatmal, Maharashtra, was found dead in his hostel room on 18 September 2026 following allegations of caste-based harassment. IIT Bombay on 21 September suspended the deanship of Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla (Dean of Administrative Affairs). Mumbai Crime Branch registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (abetment of suicide) and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989. The case raises urgent questions about caste discrimination in premier educational institutions. Current affairsWestern Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area: 6th Draft Notification 2026, Kerala's Push to Exclude 131 Villages, and the Conservation-Livelihood DebateThe Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued its 6th draft notification on July 25, 2026, proposing to declare over 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The public objection window closes September 24, 2026. Kerala has moved to exclude 131 villages and approximately 9,993 sq km, while the Centre insists no part — except the Palakkad Gap — should be excluded to maintain ecological continuity. Current affairsIndia's First Soil Carbon Payments: Aadi Programme Disburses ₹2.9 Crore to 2,550 Farmers in Punjab and HaryanaIndia launched its first direct-benefit-transfer soil carbon payments on September 17, 2026 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Under the Aadi farmer carbon programme, 2,550 smallholder farmers in Punjab and Haryana received more than ₹2.9 crore for adopting regenerative agriculture practices — direct seeded rice, reduced tillage, and crop residue management — between 2019 and 2022, marking a landmark convergence of climate finance and agricultural welfare. Current affairsPMAY-U 2.0: Original Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban Concludes September 2026, Successor Targets 1 Crore More FamiliesAs the original Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) concludes in September 2026 after completing approximately 1 crore houses in over 11 years, its successor — PMAY-U 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet on August 9, 2024 — is now in full implementation. The new phase targets 1 crore additional urban families with a total investment of ₹10 lakh crore over five years, prioritising women's homeownership and affordable rental housing. Current affairsIndia Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025: Delhi Tops Rankings, National EV Share Reaches 8.25%NITI Aayog and WRI India released the second edition of the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, ranking Delhi first with a score of 84/100. India's national EV market penetration reached 8.25% in 2025–26, with 2.5 million new registrations — a 25% year-on-year rise — placing the country on a trajectory toward its EV30@30 target. Current affairsJhiram Valley Massacre 2013: NIA Court Awards Death Penalty to 10 Convicts for Deadliest Maoist AttackA Special NIA court sentenced 10 convicts to death for the Jhiram Valley massacre of May 25, 2013 — the deadliest Maoist (Naxalite) attack in India's history — which killed 27 Congress leaders and security personnel in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh. The verdict comes 13 years after the ambush, marking a landmark in India's counter-Naxal judicial proceedings. Current affairsKishau Multipurpose Dam Project: Six-State MoU Signed — Water Security on the Tons RiverA long-pending Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project was signed on September 15, 2026, between the Central Government and six states — Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. The 236-metre concrete gravity dam on the Tons River (a Yamuna tributary) will generate hydropower, irrigate approximately 97,000 hectares, and supply 517 MCM of drinking water annually. Current affairsEl Niño 2026 OND Forecast: India's Rabi Crops, Wheat, and Winter Agriculture at RiskThe World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) have confirmed that El Niño conditions are intensifying and forecast to peak during the October–December (OND) 2026 quarter, with sea surface temperature anomalies in the Niño 3.4 region reaching approximately +3.6°C. This raises significant risks for India's Rabi crop season — particularly wheat, chickpea, mustard, and lentils — through reduced winter rainfall in northwest India and above-normal temperatures. Current affairsEngineers' Day 2026: Honouring Sir M. Visvesvaraya — India's Greatest Civil EngineerIndia observes National Engineers' Day on September 15 each year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861–1962), Bharat Ratna awardee and one of the greatest civil engineers of modern India. The 2026 theme is "Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future through Innovation and Digitalization." Current affairsGlobal Dryland Congress 2026 and Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D): Transforming Dryland AgricultureThe Global Dryland Congress 2026 concluded on September 12, 2026, at the NASC Complex, New Delhi, with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Drylands (3D). Co-organised by ICRISAT and ICAR on the UN Day for South-South Cooperation, the Congress brought together 800+ experts from global institutions and adopted a shared agenda to transform dryland agriculture through South-South collaboration.
In previous-year questions
- In K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), how many judges constituted the Supreme Court bench that unanimously held the right to privacy to be a fundamental right, and under which article was this right located?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Directive Principle of State Policy (DPSP) in the Constitution of India directs the State to endeavour to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife?UPSC · Current Affairs
- In Vanashakti v. Union of India (2026 INSC 761), the Supreme Court quashed the Central Government's 2021 Office Memorandum on post-facto environmental clearances on the ground that it violated which two constitutional provisions?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Supreme Court bench that directed 19 states and UTs to declare cancer a notifiable disease (August 2026) invoked which constitutional provisions as the legal basis? The PIL argued that non-notification amounts to a violation of these rights.UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Supreme Court's direction on cancer notification (August 2026) is rooted in the right to health under Article 21. Which landmark Supreme Court judgment first explicitly held that denial of emergency medical treatment violates Article 21's right to life?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Article 48A of the Constitution of India, added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976), directs the State to:UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution provides the primary constitutional mandate for the State to bring about prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health — the provision that underpins India's drug abuse control policy including the NMBA?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Constitutional Article, inserted by the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002, guarantees the Right to Free and Compulsory Education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court declared the Thamirabarani River a legal person in 2026 (WP(MD) 18560/2026). What legal basis did the court primarily rely on for granting this personhood?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Article 48A of the Indian Constitution, which directs the State to protect and improve the environment, was inserted by which Constitutional Amendment?UPSC · Current Affairs
- In the ongoing suo motu case on digital arrest scams, the Supreme Court's power to issue directions to executive bodies like the RBI and state governments — even beyond the scope of a specific statutory challenge — derives primarily from which constitutional provision?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) proposed red hexagonal front-of-pack warning labels in August 2026. Which Article of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) most directly mandates the State to raise the level of nutrition and improve public health — forming the constitutional foundation for food safety regulation?UPSC · Current Affairs