03 Oct 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

EAM Jaishankar at the UN General Assembly

Why in News: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar used his UNGA speech to rebut Pakistan on terrorism and warn that wider global instability is being driven by the weaponisation of economic and strategic interdependence.

Pakistan and Terrorism

• The source records Jaishankar describing Pakistan as a “serial practitioner of terrorism”.

• He argued that friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism and stated that India would exercise its right to defend itself against terrorism.

• Useful phrases from the source: “practitioner of terrorism”, “normalising terrorism” and “claiming impunity from consequences”.

Indus Waters Treaty Angle

• India’s position in the speech: understandings linked to the Indus Waters Treaty would be questioned if they are premised on terrorism.

• Background in the source: India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.

• Prelims fact: the Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan and was brokered by the World Bank.

“Weaponisation of Everything”

• The speech warned of the weaponisation of finance, supply chains, technology, shipping routes and market access.

• The source links this trend with greater instability for developing economies and the Global South.

• It also flags the weakening of established norms and the growing use of unilateral sanctions.

Peace = Stability + Security + Predictability

• The speech identifies stability, security and predictability as three pillars that together sustain peace.

• It cautions that absence of war does not automatically mean the presence of peace.

• If any one of the three pillars weakens, peace becomes more fragile.

Global South and the 4F Crisis

• 4F = Food, Fuel, Fertiliser and Finance.

• The source says these stresses disproportionately affect the Global South.

• India’s stated response includes diversification to reduce single-source dependence, reformed multilateralism, a multipolar order and UNSC reform.

Memory Lock

• IWT -> 1960 -> India + Pakistan -> World Bank brokered.

• 4F -> Food + Fuel + Fertiliser + Finance.

• Peace framework -> Stability + Security + Predictability.

• Essay phrase -> “weaponisation of everything”.

POLITY & JUDICIARY

2. Collegium Dissent and Judicial Transparency

Why in News: The Chief Justice of India discussed why dissent within the Collegium is recorded but kept confidential, arguing that transparency must operate within institutional boundaries.

What is the Collegium System?

• It is a judge-driven mechanism for appointment and transfer of judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.

• The Collegium is not expressly mentioned in the text of the Constitution; it evolved through judicial interpretation.

• The Supreme Court Collegium consists of the CJI and the four senior-most Supreme Court judges.

• The system was created and refined through the Three Judges Cases of 1981, 1993 and 1998.

Why is Confidentiality Debated?

• Individual dissenting views within the Collegium may be recorded but are not made public.

• The CJI’s reasoning in the source: complete disclosure could weaken frank internal deliberation.

• The counter-view is that opacity reduces accountability in judicial appointments.

• The source also mentions SCORA, the Supreme Court Officers-on-Record Association, as seeking greater transparency.

Memory Lock

• SC Collegium -> CJI + 4 senior-most SC judges.

• Basis -> judicial interpretation, not explicit constitutional text.

• Three Judges Cases -> 1981, 1993, 1998.

• Core tension -> confidentiality of deliberation vs accountability.

SOCIAL JUSTICE & FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

3. Gender Discrimination in Public Employment

Why in News: The Supreme Court criticised Indian Oil Corporation Limited for denying a selected woman appointment to a physically demanding LPG-plant role on the ground of heavy lifting and odd-hour or night shifts.

What Happened?

• The petitioner had applied for a casual khalasi/peon/refilling-helper post at an IOCL LPG bottling plant.

• A selection panel recommended 49 candidates, including her; 43 received appointment letters, while she was denied appointment.

• IOCL cited heavy cylinder lifting and odd-hour/night shifts and also argued that the panel recommendation was not binding.

Supreme Court Ruling

• The Court sharply criticised the denial as discriminatory and described it as an affront to womanhood.

• It observed that women routinely undertake comparable physical work in domestic settings.

• Because the petitioner had crossed the retirement age, appointment was no longer possible; the Court ordered Rs 12 lakh compensation.

• The Court viewed denial of equal opportunity by a government undertaking as especially serious.

Constitutional Link

• Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in public employment.

• Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds including sex.

• UPSC frame: equality of opportunity at the workplace as a Fundamental Rights issue.

Memory Lock

• Article 15 -> prohibition of discrimination, including on grounds of sex.

• Article 16 -> equality of opportunity in public employment.

• Compensation ordered in source -> Rs 12 lakh.

• Institutional angle -> discrimination by a PSU.