Today's UPSC Daily Digest

Today's current affairs in brief

1. 

   1. Polity & Governance · GS 2

   Delhi Mass Detentions: Supreme Court Scrutiny, Protest Rights and Proportionality

   The Supreme Court is scheduled to examine a contempt plea concerning Delhi’s transit shutdowns, while a separate habeas corpus petition seeks scrutiny of detentions linked to the October 10 protest over electoral-roll revision and the Chief Election Commissioner. The controversy raises questions about lawful custody, peaceful assembly and whether restrictions on movement and internet access were necessary and proportionate; the supplied reports do not establish a judicial finding of illegality.

2. 

   2. Economy · GS 3

   RBI’s Oil Dollar Window and Forex Curbs: Rupee Defence, Reserve Costs and Hedging Risks

   The RBI has announced a special dollar-sale window for three public sector oil marketing companies, effective October 12, 2026, alongside tighter rules for rupee-linked foreign exchange derivatives. The measures seek to ease pressure on the rupee by managing large dollar purchases and discouraging speculative or duplicate hedging, but may consume reserves and raise legitimate hedging costs.

3. 

   3. Social Justice · GS 2

   MP High Court Strikes Down 27% OBC Quota: Reservation Ceiling and Evidence

   The Madhya Pradesh High Court has struck down the law increasing OBC reservation from 14% to 27%, holding that the state failed to establish exceptional circumstances for breaching the 50% reservation ceiling. The ruling concerns the extent of reservation, not the entitlement of OBCs to reservation, and highlights the importance of reliable evidence. Congress leaders have announced a Supreme Court challenge, but the supplied reports do not establish that an appeal has been filed or a stay granted.

4. 

   4. Economy · GS 2 & 3

   GST Process Reforms: Lower Compliance Costs, Revenue Safeguards and Federal Coordination

   At its meeting on October 8, 2026, the GST Council proposed administrative reforms covering registration, returns, refunds, input tax credit and enforcement, with implementation envisaged from April 1, 2027 onwards. The package seeks to replace discretion-heavy compliance with taxpayer facilitation and risk-based scrutiny, but some measures remain under examination or have only in-principle approval.

5. 

   5. Polity & Governance · GS 2

   ECI Caps Bulk Form 7 Filings: Voter Deletion, Due Process and Electoral Rights

   The Election Commission of India has capped individual Form 7 filings at 10 during the entire claims-and-objections period of electoral-roll revision and five per month during continuous updation, covering online and offline submissions. The measure seeks to curb unsubstantiated bulk objections while preserving lawful roll correction through individual scrutiny, notice, hearing and accountability for knowingly false declarations.

6. 

   6. International Relations · GS 2 & 3

   Riyadh Airport Attack: Yemen War, Gulf Security and India’s Strategic Stakes

   According to the supplied reports, an attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10, 2026, killed 12 people and injured over 300, amid escalating fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen. Saudi authorities did not attribute the latest attack, although the Houthis claimed earlier strikes on the airport. The escalation links Yemen’s conflict with the wider Iran war, threatening civilian aviation, Gulf security, maritime trade and India’s energy and diaspora interests.

7. 

   7. International Relations · GS 2

   US Sanctions on ICC: UN Condemnation, Jurisdiction Limits and India’s Position

   UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned new US sanctions against the International Criminal Court, which the supplied report describes as targeting the institution itself. The confrontation highlights the vulnerability of international criminal justice to political pressure and the ICC’s dependence on state cooperation despite its judicial independence.

8. 

   8. Reports & Indices · GS 2 & 3

   UNCTAD: Record $35 Trillion Trade and Barriers to Developing-Country Participation

   World trade reached a record $35 trillion in 2025, according to UNCTAD, but new technological and policy barriers constrained greater developing-country participation. For India, the central policy challenge is to diversify exports while strengthening firms’ technological capabilities and ability to meet overseas market requirements.

9. 

   9. Environment & Ecology · GS 3

   Kulsi Hydropower Project: Ecology, Displacement and Assam–Meghalaya Cooperation

   Communities along the Kulsi River are opposing a proposed joint Assam–Meghalaya hydropower-cum-irrigation project, citing ecological damage, displacement and inadequate consultation. The dispute requires balancing the project's stated power, irrigation and flood-mitigation benefits against impacts on Gangetic dolphin habitat, indigenous livelihoods and downstream river flows.

10. 

    10. Science & Technology · GS 3

    First Working Nuclear Clocks: Thorium-229, Precision Timekeeping and Dark Matter

    Scientists from Europe and China have reported the first working nuclear clocks, using a nuclear transition in thorium-229 to stabilise a laser’s frequency. These prototypes establish a new timekeeping architecture with potential applications in precision measurement and fundamental physics, but they do not yet outperform the best atomic clocks.