Article 25
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Study materialSyncretic Traditions — India's Composite CultureSyncretic traditions in India represent the historical blending of diverse religious and cultural practices, particularly through the Bhakti and Sufi movements, leading to a composite culture evident in arts, architecture, and social practices. Current affairsThamirabarani River Declared a Legal Person: Madras High Court's Earth Jurisprudence RulingThe Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court (Justices G.R. Swaminathan and B. Pugalendhi) declared the Thamirabarani River a legal person on July 23, 2026, grounding the ruling in its status as a Hindu deity and banning all immersions and dumping in the river — the first such declaration in Tamil Nadu and a landmark development in India's Earth Jurisprudence. Current affairsFCRA Amendment Bill 2026 Referred to JPC: What Changes, Why It's Contested, and Civil Society ImplicationsLok Sabha referred the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 12, 2026. The bill — introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs on March 25, 2026 — proposes creating a Designated Authority to vest and manage foreign contributions of organisations whose FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered, or not renewed. Tamil Nadu's legislature and churches in Mizoram have formally opposed the bill over concerns about asset seizure and minority institutional autonomy. Current affairsPartition Horrors Remembrance Day 2026: Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas on August 14India observes Partition Horrors Remembrance Day — Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas — on August 14 each year, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 August 2021. The day commemorates the 10–20 million displaced and up to 2 million killed during the 1947 Partition of British India, while promoting social harmony and unity.
In previous-year questions
- The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the Council of Churches in Mizoram (CCM) both opposed the FCRA Amendment Bill 2026. Which constitutional provisions are most directly implicated in their concerns about the bill's impact on minority institutions?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The UN Security Council Resolution that endorsed the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA — Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) in 2015 and continues to form part of the international legal framework on Iran is UNSCR 2231. What is the significance of this resolution for India's position on US secondary sanctions on Iran?UPSC · Current Affairs