Get.Set.Law Weekly Magazine Notes - June 2026

First-Ever World Yogasana Championship 2026

The inaugural World Yogasana Championship (WYC) $2026$ was officially launched in New Delhi, India. This event represents a significant step forward in the international effort to establish Yogasana as a competitive sport. The launch was presided over by the Union Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya. The championship itself was scheduled to take place from $4$ June $2026$ to $8$ June $2026$ at the Eka Arena in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The event's official mascot is "Veer the Lion," which was chosen to symbolize strength, discipline, and India’s cultural heritage. The tournament is organized under the leadership of Yogasana Bharat, working in conjunction with various relevant sports bodies. The primary goal of the championship is to increase international awareness of yoga and wellness through the framework of a competitive discipline, highlighting India's soft power and cultural legacy.

Yogasana Bharat is the national governing authority for the sport in India and is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It holds affiliations with both the Indian Olympic Association and World Yogasana.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2026

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought was observed on $17$ June $2026$. This date commemorates the $1994$ adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The UNCCD is unique as the only legally binding international treaty integrating environmental protection and development specifically through sustainable land management.

The $2026$ theme for the observance is ‐Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.‐ This theme aligns with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) $2026$, a UN-declared initiative spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UNCCD. The focus is on the vital role of pastoral communities, who manage over $25\%$ of the planet's land and contribute significantly to global food security and climate resilience.

Rangelands comprise vast natural landscapes such as grasslands, shrublands, and deserts. Globally, they are the largest land-use category, covering $54\%$ of the Earth's surface and supporting nearly $2$ billion people, many of whom are nomadic or indigenous groups. In India, rangelands span $1.21 \times 10^{6}\,\text{sq. km}$, with $40\%$ of land used for grazing. However, Indian grasslands have seen a decrease from $18 \times 10^{6}$ hectares to $12 \times 10^{6}$ hectares between $2005$ and $2015$, and currently, less than $5\%$ are protected. Nearly $50\%$ of global rangelands are stressed due to overgrazing, climate-driven droughts, and poor land-use management.

Watershed Development Component of PMKSY 2.0 (WDC-PMKSY 2.0)

This program originated in $2009-10$ as the Centrally Sponsored ‐Integrated Watershed Management Programme‐ (IWMP) and was integrated into the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) in $2015-16$. The Indian Government sanctioned the extension of the project as ‐WDC-PMKSY 2.0‐ for the period from $2021$ to $2026$.

The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) under the Ministry of Rural Development serves as the nodal authority. State governments are mandated to utilize Remote Sensing and GIS technologies for project mapping. According to NITI Aayog, a fundamental activity for mountainous regions within this framework is the rejuvenation of springsheds. Key objectives include restoring degraded lands, boosting agricultural productivity, and diversifying farming to increase rural incomes. Targeted outcomes include expanded green cover, reduced soil erosion, improved groundwater tables, and management of asset Operation and Maintenance (O&M) by Gram Panchayats.

52nd G7 Summit 2026

The $52^{\text{nd}}$ G7 Summit was held in vian, France, in $2026$. The Prime Minister of India participated in the Outreach Session, which was themed ‐Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity.‐

In his address, the Prime Minister identified a global trust deficit as the world's most vital challenge, calling mutual trust a ‐strategic asset.‐ He advocated for a transition in development models from a donor-recipient dynamic to a partnership framework based on equality and collective responsibility. Furthermore, he emphasized the need for the Global South—including middle-income and developing nations—to have a fair role in global governance and development decision-making. India's commitment to South-South cooperation was highlighted through its partnership with Africa.

Bilateral highlights from the summit include negotiations with Canada for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) aimed at a $2026$ conclusion to double trade by $2030$. Talks were also launched for a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) between India and Canada. Additionally, a $CAD \, 2.6 \times 10^{9}$ deal was secured for uranium supply from Cameco for the period between $2027$ and $2035$. With the United Kingdom, leaders reviewed the ‐Vision 2035‐ framework and reaffirmed commitment to a trade pact. Discussions with the UAE included maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and an invitation for the UAE President to the $18^{\text{th}}$ BRICS Summit hosted by India in $2026$.

India–Slovakia Comprehensive Partnership

For the first time since Slovakia's independence in $1993$, an Indian Prime Minister conducted a State Visit to the Slovak Republic. During this historic visit, bilateral ties were elevated to a ‐Comprehensive Partnership.‐ The Slovak President conferred the ‐Order of the White Double Cross (1st Class)‐ upon the Indian Prime Minister, marking his $33^{\text{rd}}$ international award.

Strategic outcomes include Slovakia's support for India’s permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council and its inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Agreements were signed regarding defense industrial collaboration (Letter of Intent), the formation of a Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism, and cooperation in cybersecurity and post-quantum cryptography. Efforts to boost academic mobility in STEM fields and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the safe mobility of skilled professionals were also established. Slovakia is known as the ‐Detroit of Europe‐ due to its robust automotive manufacturing and is a landlocked nation in Central Europe with its capital, Bratislava, situated on the Danube River.

Bonn Climate Change Conference 2026 (SB64)

The $64^{\text{th}}$ Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64), known as the Bonn Climate Change Conference, took place from $8$ June to $18$ June $2026$ in Bonn, Germany. This mid-year technical session under the UNFCCC acts as a bridge between annual COPs to move beyond political statements toward concrete implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Key highlights included demands from health groups for prosperous nations to increase public adaptation funding to $\$ 120 \times 10^{9}$ annually by $2035$. Negotiators pushed for developed countries to provide time-bound strategies for phasing out fossil fuels. The conference also focused on the ‐Just Transition Mechanism‐ and the implementation of the $59$ newly established Belm Adaptation Indicators. Priorities for $2026$ included methane mitigation, food systems, urban resilience, and energy security.

Global Peace Index 2026

Released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the $2026$ Global Peace Index (GPI) revealed that India’s rank declined to $127^{\text{th}}$ out of $163$ countries, dropping from $115^{\text{th}}$ in $2025$. Iceland remained the world's most peaceful nation for the $18^{\text{th}}$ consecutive year. Russia was identified as the least peaceful country.

Poland showed the most significant global improvement, jumping $23$ spots to $22^{\text{nd}}$ position with a $9.1\%$ score increase. The index measures peace across three domains: Societal Safety and Security, Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and Militarisation, using $23$ indicators. In South Asia, Bhutan ($16^{\text{th}}$) was the most peaceful, followed by Sri Lanka ($67^{\text{th}}$), while Afghanistan ($157^{\text{th}}$) and Pakistan ($152^{\text{th}}$) remained near the bottom.

11th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting

The Prime Minister chaired the $11^{\text{th}}$ Governing Council meeting, centered on the theme ‐Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047.‐ This was notably the first meeting where Chief Ministers from all $28$ states and representatives from all $5$ Union Territories with legislatures/Lieutenant Governors attended together.

Key directives included a request for states to produce district-level GDP estimates to manage grassroots economic issues. The Prime Minister urged the doubling of ‐Lakhpati Didis‐ to $6 \times 10^{7}$ and emphasized the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative for exports. The council also advocated for water conservation, organic farming, and the designation of $100$ ‐aspirational districts‐ specifically for agriculture. NITI Aayog was established on $1$ January $2015$, replacing the Planning Commission, and promotes cooperative and competitive federalism through a bottom-up approach.

Artemis III Mission

NASA provided a formal introduction to the four-member crew for the Artemis III mission, now scheduled for $2027$. The mission has been redefined as a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) demonstration mission (typically $500$ to $2,000\,\text{km}$ above Earth) rather than a lunar landing, which is now deferred to Artemis IV in $2028$.

The international crew includes Commander Randy Bresnik (NASA), Pilot Luca Parmitano (ESA)—the first ESA astronaut on an Artemis mission—and Mission Specialists Frank Rubio (NASA) and Andre Douglas (NASA). The two-week mission serves as a test for rendezvous and docking of the Orion spacecraft with commercial landers: Blue Moon (Blue Origin) and Starship (SpaceX).

Legal Updates and Judicial Actions

The Supreme Court issued a notice on the Centre’s plea to transfer all challenges to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, $2026$, from various High Courts to a single forum. The challenges focus on provisions that allegedly weaken the right to self-identify gender as established in the $2014$ NALSA judgment.

In the Newsclick case, the Delhi High Court quashed the FIR and the PMLA case against founder Prabir Purkayastha. The court ruled that commercial investment transactions did not constitute cheating or criminal breach of trust, noting there was no FDI cap for digital news media at the time of the transaction.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the misuse of Aadhaar as proof of citizenship or domicile, citing Section $9$ of the Aadhaar Act, $2016$. The petition raises concerns about Aadhaar being used for voter registration in Form-6 and its impact on the integrity of electoral rolls.

The Supreme Court took Suo Motu cognisance of media reports regarding an elderly woman and her visually impaired son living in extreme poverty in Odisha’s Subarnapur district. The Court directed the state to provide all eligible benefits and suggested engaging the son as a para-legal volunteer for livelihood support.

Additional Law Entrance Exam Perspective (ADLAT)

NCERT has restored the original image of the ‐Dancing Girl,‐ a $10.5\,\text{cm}$ bronze figurine discovered in Mohenjo-daro in $1926$, in its textbooks following a retouching controversy. The Indus Valley Civilization flourished between $3300$ BCE and $1300$ BCE, with Mohenjo-daro ( Sindh, Pakistan) being built around $2500$ BCE.

The inaugural BRICS MSME Forum was held in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on $19$ June $2026$. BRICS currently has $11$ members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.

The India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is set to enter into force on $15$ July $2026$. The UK will provide zero-duty access to nearly $99\%$ of Indian tariff lines.

In the QS World University Rankings $2027$, MIT ranked first globally for the $15^{\text{th}}$ consecutive year. IIT Delhi was India's top-ranked institution at $118^{\text{th}}$.

The UAE Cabinet fixed the minimum social media age at $15$ years. Children aged $15$ to $16$ may use platforms only with parental controls.

Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire on paper following SpaceX's June $2026$ IPO, which raised $\$ 75 \times 10^{9}$ at $\$ 135$ per share, valuing the company at $\$ 1.77 \times 10^{12}$.

Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth was appointed as the $31^{\text{st}}$ Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi on $30$ June $2026$.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise Pitch Black $2026$, a biennial air combat exercise held in Australia from $20$ July to $7$ August $2026$.

The $23^{\text{rd}}$ FIFA World Cup $2026$ features $48$ teams (expanded from $32$) and is hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. A total of $104$ matches will be played across $16$ cities.