09 Nov 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

1. How can the Chief Election Commissioner be removed?

WHY IN NEWS  The INDIA bloc organised a “public impeachment” of CEC Gyanesh Kumar after earlier parliamentary removal notices. The public event itself has no legal effect.

First, separate appointment from removal

Feature

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)

Other Election Commissioners (ECs)

Removal

President removes after an address by BOTH Houses passed by special majority, on proved misbehaviour or incapacity — like an SC judge.

President removes on the CEC’s recommendation.

Legal basis

Article 324(5) + Section 11 of the 2023 CEC/EC Act.

Same constitutional/statutory framework.

Service conditions

Cannot be changed to the appointee’s disadvantage after appointment.

Same protection.

Appointment and functioning — remember the sequence

•  Search Committee: Led by the Law Minister; shortlists five names.

•  Selection Committee: Prime Minister + Leader of Opposition (or leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha) + a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM. The President appoints on its recommendation.

•  CJI distinction: Anoop Baranwal (March 2023) placed the CJI on an interim selection committee; the 2023 Act did not retain the CJI.

•  Term and pay: Six years or until age 65; salary equal to a Supreme Court judge. A Cabinet Secretary-level salary proposal was dropped.

•  ECI setup: First briefly multi-member in 1989; continuously so since 1993; decisions are made by majority.

•  Historical recall: No CEC or SC/HC judge has been removed; the V. Ramaswami removal motion failed in 1993.

MEMORY LOCK  CEC removal = SC judge-like parliamentary protection. EC removal = President on CEC recommendation. Special majority = total House majority + 2/3 present and voting.

2. Article 51A(h): Why scientific temper matters

WHY IN NEWS  A Supreme Court judge warned that blind faith and fear can facilitate authoritarianism, highlighting the duty to cultivate scientific temper.

The core idea

•  Exact constitutional duty: Develop “scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform” — Article 51A(h).

•  Origin: Fundamental Duties are in Part IVA, Article 51A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the Swaran Singh Committee’s advice. The idea was drawn from the former USSR.

•  Count: Originally ten duties; the 86th Amendment (2002) added the eleventh — Article 51A(k), concerning education of children aged 6–14 by parents/guardians.

•  Enforcement: Non-justiciable, but courts can use them to interpret laws (AIIMS Students’ Union, 2001).

•  Historical and science link: Nehru popularised “scientific temper” in The Discovery of India (1946). National Science Day: 28 February, marking the 1928 Raman Effect.

Selected clauses — high-yield pairs

Clause

Duty to remember

Clause

Duty to remember

51A(a)

Constitution; National Flag & Anthem

51A(c)

Sovereignty, unity, integrity

51A(e)

Harmony; dignity of women

51A(f)

Preserve composite cultural heritage

51A(g)

Environment; compassion for life

51A(h)

Scientific temper, inquiry, reform

51A(i)

Public property; non-violence

51A(k)

Education for ages 6–14

MEMORY LOCK  42nd Amendment (1976) = original 10 duties. 86th (2002) = Article 51A(k). Article 51A(h) = scientific temper.

3. Quad: from cooperation to maritime monitoring

WHY IN NEWS  The foreign ministers of India, the US, Japan and Australia met in Atlanta on 31 October 2026 alongside the G20 ministerial meeting, discussing critical minerals, energy, supply chains and maritime cooperation.

Know the four ministers and the evolution

•  Ministers at the meeting: S. Jaishankar, Marco Rubio, Toshimitsu Motegi and Penny Wong. The US held the G20 presidency in 2026.

•  Quad timeline: 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami/Tsunami Core Group → first discussions in 2007 (Shinzo Abe) → revival in 2017 → leaders’ summits since 2021.

Initiatives: match name to purpose

•  IPMDA (2022, Tokyo): Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness — satellite-based near-real-time tracking of dark shipping and illegal fishing, shared across Indo-Pacific partners; Indian link: IFC-IOR, Gurugram.

•  Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission: Coast Guard officials sail on each other’s ships; first conducted in 2025 following the 2024 Wilmington Summit decision.

•  IPMSC (2026): Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration — Quad’s first joint surveillance collaboration.

•  Quad Critical Minerals Initiative: Framework announced at the May 2026 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.

•  Other cooperation: Quad Cancer Moonshot (cervical cancer), Ports of the Future, MAITRI (maritime training) and Quad Fellowship.

•  Do not confuse with Malabar: The naval exercise began in 1992 as India–US; Japan became a permanent participant in 2015 and Australia joined in 2020.