The CLAT Post - Late May 2026 Revision Notes

India-Nordic Summit 2026: Held on $19$ May $2026$ in Oslo. India and the five Nordic nations (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) elevated their relationship to a trusted Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership.
Economic Integration: Leaders welcomed the operationalisation of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), which targets $USD 100$ billion in investments into India and the creation of $one$ million direct jobs.
Arctic Presence: India’s formal connection dates to the Svalbard Treaty of 1920. Key infrastructure includes the Himadri research station in Ny-Ålesund and the IndARC underwater observatory. India's Arctic Policy (2022) is structured around six pillars, including scientific research and national capacity building.
Diplomatic Honors: PM Modi was conferred the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit and Sweden's Royal Order of the Polar Star.

Strategic Stability: US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping adopted a framework termed "constructive relationship of strategic stability" during the first US presidential visit to China in nine years.
Trade Agreements: China agreed to purchase US agricultural products worth $USD 17$ billion annually for $2026-2028$ and ordered $200$ Boeing aircraft. The Busan Truce (October $2025$ ) previously lowered US tariffs from $57\%$ to $47\%$ .
Technological Easing: The US permitted ten Chinese firms to resume purchases of Nvidia H200 chips for AI, though broader machinery export controls remain.
Impact on India: The detente risks diluting the Quad's momentum and weakening the "China Plus One" supply chain strategy. However, it may offer India greater room for strategic autonomy.

Sedition Freeze Relaxed: In Kamran v. State of Madhya Pradesh (2026), the Supreme Court clarified that trials involving Section 124A IPC (Sedition) can proceed if the accused explicitly consents, partially relaxing the blanket freeze from S.G. Vombatkere v. Union of India (2022).
Transition to BNS: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 drops the word "sedition" but includes Section 152, criminalising acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
BCCI and RTI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not a "public authority" under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, as it is a private society not substantially financed or controlled by the government.

New Legislation: The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 replaces MGNREGA starting $1$ July $2026$ .
Key Changes:
- Increases guaranteed employment from $100$ to $125$ days annually per household.
- Introduces a $60$ -day agricultural pause during peak seasons.
- Shifts funding to a normative allocation model based on the Sixteenth Finance Commission's formula.
- Implements a $60:40$ Centre-State cost-sharing ratio for wages (historically $100\%$ Central for unskilled wages).

Award Rejection: India rejected a $15$ May $2026$ award from the Court of Arbitration (CoA) at The Hague regarding maximum pondage at Indian hydroelectric projects.
Legal Stand: New Delhi considers the CoA "illegally constituted," asserting that technical differences regarding projects like Kishenganga and Ratle must first be resolved by a Neutral Expert appointed by the World Bank.
Security Link: India has placed the IWT in abeyance since April $2025$ following the Pahalgam terror attack, linking water sharing to the cessation of cross-border terrorism.

Exam Cancellation: The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the $12$ May $2026$ examination after a "guess paper" containing $120$ actual exam questions was found circulating, affecting $22.8$ lakh candidates.
Reforms: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced a transition to a fully computer-based format from $2027$ . The Radhakrishnan Committee recommended the DIGI-EXAM system and high-security testing infrastructure.
Legal Framework: The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 provides prison terms up to $10$ years for organized crime in exams.

3rd Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): Lt Gen N.S. Raja Subramani (Retd.) was appointed to succeed General Anil Chauhan. He also serves as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs (DMA).
Navy Chief: Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan was named the next Chief of the Naval Staff.
Quad Initiatives: The May $2026$ meeting in New Delhi launched the Quad Critical Minerals Framework and the Indo-Pacific Energy Security initiative.

Somnath Amrut Mahotsav: Commemorated $75$ years since the site’s restoration. PM Modi performed Kumbhabhishek rituals and highlighted the "Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi" approach.
International Booker Prize 2026: Won by Yang Shuang-zi for the historical novel "Taiwan Travelogue", translated by Lin King. It is the first work originally in Mandarin Chinese to win the award.
Agricola Medal: Conferred upon PM Modi by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for India's science-driven agricultural transformation.

Capture of Captagon: The NCB made India's first-ever seizure of Captagon ( $227.7\,kg$ ) under Operation Ragepill.
Maternity Benefit: The Supreme Court struck down the three-month age limit for adopted children to qualify mothers for maternity benefits.
Mission Vande Mataram: The BSF's first all-women team successfully summited Mount Everest.
Population Policy: Andhra Pradesh introduced financial incentives ( $30,000$ to $40,000$ INR) for the birth of a third and fourth child to counter declining fertility rates.
Super El Niño: Scientists warned of a potential historic weather event late in $2026$ with water temperatures exceeding $3^{\circ}C$ above average.