The Hindu Gist - 22nd September, 2026
1 . Presumed Ineligible: SIR and the Principle of Electoral Inclusion
Deletion First, Verification Later
- Massive appeal burden — By early September 2026, more than 38 lakh appeals had been submitted to SIR appellate tribunals in West Bengal, but only 22 lakh (3.2%) had been disposed of.
- High restoration rate — Of the cases decided, 1,13,943 electors were added back, giving an inclusion rate of nearly 93%. This raises concern that many electors may have been treated as ineligible before adequate verification.
- Presumed ineligibility — Around 27 lakh of the 60 lakh electors flagged for “logical discrepancies” were deemed ineligible. More than 22 lakh of those declared ineligible have appealed, suggesting that the deletion process has generated a very large verification burden for citizens.
- Disenfranchisement risk — If the high inclusion and disposal rates continue, the large number of electors ultimately restored would indicate that many should not have been excluded in the first place. With municipal elections approaching, the ECI needs to accelerate appeals and restore eligible electo
Enumeration and “Mapping” Problem
- Enumeration failure — In Phase 3 of SIR, 24 of Delhi’s 70 constituencies had draft rolls containing fewer electors than those who voted in the February 2025 Assembly election. Large-scale migration does not adequately explain such reductions, raising the possibility that the enumeration process itself has struck off actual voters.
- Proof burden on electors — The process requires electors to prove eligibility, while the ECI’s dropping of enumeration forms at homes has not necessarily translated into complete enumeration.
- Historical-roll linkage — Requiring electors to link themselves to electoral rolls prepared in the early 2000s can create “discrepancies” even where present documents are valid.
- Large-scale flagging — In Delhi, this “mapping” exercise has placed 79 lakh electors under notice, with another 19.33 lakh flagged for “logical discrepancies” and unexplained grounds, highlighting the scale of the verification problem.
Universal Adult Franchise and the Way Forward
- Electoral accuracy vs inclusion — The objective of maintaining accurate electoral rolls cannot come at the cost of excluding eligible citizens. Universal adult franchise requires inclusion to be protected alongside electoral-roll verification.
- Judicial safeguard — During the Bihar SIR proceedings, the Court intervened to prevent eligible voters from being struck off, underlining the importance of safeguards against wrongful exclusion.
- Reverse the sequencing — The central requirement is to move away from a system of deletion first and verification later towards one where eligibility is properly established before exclusion, wherever possible.
- Restore eligible electors — The ECI must expedite the appellate process in West Bengal and Delhi and ensure that those who are eligible are restored to the rolls before the electoral process moves ahead.
2. Unsafe Space: Need for Multilateral Governance
Militarisation and Ambiguity in Space
- Offensive–defensive ambiguity — The U.S. has acknowledged deploying “on-orbit space control weapons” to defend against hostile action, but its military doctrine defines space control as encompassing both offensive and defensive operations.
- Growing counter-space capabilities — The U.S., Russia, China and India, among others, are developing counter-space capabilities, contributing to a technological and strategic environment in which orbit could become the next major battlefield.
- Commercial–military overlap — Commercial satellites increasingly serve both civilian and military users. Their growing military use could endanger the protections they receive under international humanitarian law.
- Risk of miscalculation — When steerable satellites approach each other without understanding the other’s intentions, particularly with future autonomous satellites using AI models, the absence of clarity over what constitutes “hostile action” can create instability.
Gaps in Existing Space Rules
- Outer Space Treaty limitations — Article IV prohibits nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but does not prohibit weapons in orbit per se. Article III requires space activities to comply with international law.
- Accountability challenge — Existing rules, including the Liability Convention, cannot be straightforwardly applied when an autonomous, dual-use orbital asset operated by a commercial entity unintentionally initiates an unwanted defensive strike.
- Rules–technology mismatch — Existing rules have become too coarse for contemporary technologies, while declining adherence to a rules-based world order adds to the difficulty.
Need for Multilateral Governance
- Greater disclosure — The U.N. Open-Ended Working Group on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space provides an opportunity to address the disclosure issue.
- Clear thresholds — The U.S. should disclose the particulars of the weapons it has deployed, while states should work towards defining clearer thresholds of action and escalation.
- Multilateral framework — With increasingly interconnected and dual-use space systems, a multilateral governance arrangement is needed to clarify hostile action, responsibility and escalation in outer space.
3 . Tamil Nadu’s $1.5 Trillion Growth Ambition
Tamil Nadu’s ambition of becoming a $1.5 trillion economy by 2035-36 highlights the scale of growth required to transition towards a high-income economy. The key issue is not the target itself, but whether the State can sustain the growth, investment and macroeconomic stability needed to achieve it.
Growth Ambition vs Feasibility
- Sustained high growth — The target requires around 2% real growth annually for a decade, whereas Tamil Nadu’s recent real growth has been around 9.1%. The challenge is therefore sustaining high growth rather than merely achieving short periods of rapid expansion.
- Growth trajectory matters — Past experience shows both possibilities and limits: Tamil Nadu recorded 3% real growth during 2005-06 to 2011-12, but growth subsequently moderated. At lower growth rates, the $1.5 trillion milestone shifts further into the future.
- Conditional projections — Long-term economic targets are sensitive to assumptions such as inflation, exchange-rate depreciation and per-capita income benchmarks. Hence, the target should be treated as a growth trajectory rather than a fixed outcome.
Challenges to the Growth Ambition
- Investment intensity — Sustaining even 10% real growth would require investment of around 40% of GSDP under the assumed ICOR of 4. Mobilising and efficiently deploying such large volumes of capital is a major challenge.
- Capital efficiency — Higher investment alone does not guarantee higher growth; improving the efficiency of investment and productivity becomes crucial.
- Financing constraints — The required investment must come from domestic savings, supplemented by capital from other parts of India and abroad, making the investment climate important.
- Fiscal sustainability — Growth ambitions have to coexist with price and fiscal stability. Maintaining the fiscal deficit below 3% of GSDP and stabilising the debt-GSDP ratio are necessary to prevent growth from creating macroeconomic vulnerabilities.
Lessons for India
- Growth needs a long horizon — India’s development ambitions similarly require sustained high real growth, not episodic acceleration. The Tamil Nadu case illustrates the importance of converting high-growth phases into a durable trajectory.
- Investment + efficiency — Development requires not merely increasing investment but improving capital productivity, so that every unit of investment generates greater output.
- States as growth engines — National growth targets ultimately depend on States sustaining high productivity, investment and income growth. State-level economic strategies therefore become central to India’s broader development trajectory.
- Macro stability as an enabler — Ambitious growth must be supported by fiscal discipline, price stability and a conducive investment environment; otherwise, higher nominal growth may not translate into sustainable development.
4 . A Malacca–Singapore Model for Resolving Hormuz
From Territorial Dispute to Cooperative Navigation
- Balancing sovereignty and navigation — Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore initially differed over whether the Straits should be treated as “international”. Indonesia’s concern was sovereignty over waters between its islands, while Malaysia and Singapore had their own security and navigation interests.
- Cooperation over internationalisation — Instead of accepting an internationalised regime, the three states moved towards bilateral treaties, joint naval patrols and coordinated administration, while retaining their territorial claims.
- UNCLOS compromise — During the formulation of UNCLOS, the concept of “transit passage” emerged for straits connecting high seas/EEZs, allowing continuous and expeditious passage, including for warships. Indonesia accepted it with reservations, while Malaysia secured provisions addressing environmental safety, insurance and vessel draught.
- Institutionalised cooperation — The 2007 Cooperative Mechanism created a framework involving the three littoral states and the international community, including a Navigation Fund for navigation aids, hydrographic surveys and safety projects, supported by voluntary contributions from stakeholders and industry.
What the Malacca Model Offers for Hormuz?
- Geographic parallel — Like the Malacca–Singapore Straits, the Strait of Hormuz lies between the territorial waters of two littoral states — Iran and Oman. Both cases therefore involve the interaction of territorial sovereignty with international navigation.
- Existing regional experience — Iran and Oman have a history of both conflict and cooperation, while some Gulf states have supported Iran–Oman talks and the Malacca–Singapore experience has already been mooted as a possible model.
- Different security priorities — The comparison has limits: in Malacca, the central concerns were navigation and environmental safety, whereas in Hormuz the overriding concern for Iran is its security.
- International law vs political acceptance — The Malacca experience was shaped through negotiations during the development of UNCLOS, with compromises built into the regime. In Hormuz, Iran has not ratified UNCLOS and has previously required foreign warships to seek authorisation, making the legal and political context different.
- Need for a negotiated framework — The Malacca experience suggests that cooperation among littoral states, supported by interested external stakeholders, can provide a basis for safe navigation without necessarily converting the strait into an internationally administered waterway.
The Indian Express Gist - 22nd September, 2026
1 . Article 371A to J and the Proposed Article 371K for Ladakh
Article 371 and its succeeding provisions illustrate how the Constitution uses asymmetric federalism to accommodate regions with distinct historical, social, cultural and political circumstances. These provisions do not follow a single model: some protect customary law and land, some provide institutional representation, while others address regional development and administrative needs. The proposed Article 371K for Ladakh seeks to extend this principle to a Union Territory seeking stronger democratic and constitutional safeguards.
Different Forms of Special Constitutional Protection
| Provision | State/Region | Core protection |
| Article 371 | Maharashtra & Gujarat | Special responsibility for equitable development of specified regions such as Vidarbha, Marathwada, Saurashtra, Kutch; development boards and equitable allocation of funds/opportunities. |
| 371A | Nagaland | Parliamentary laws on Naga religious/social practices, customary law, administration of civil/criminal justice according to customary law, and ownership/transfer of land and resources do not apply unless the State Assembly decides otherwise. |
| 371B | Assam | Committee of Assam Legislative Assembly consisting of members from tribal areas covered by the Sixth Schedule, providing institutional representation. |
| 371C | Manipur | Hill Areas Committee in the Legislative Assembly; Governor has special responsibility to report on administration of hill areas. |
| 371D | Andhra Pradesh & Telangana | Special arrangements for equitable opportunities in public employment and education and regional balance. |
| 371F | Sikkim | Special constitutional arrangements following Sikkim’s integration into India in 1975, including protection of existing laws and representation. |
| 371G | Mizoram | Protection of Mizo religious/social practices, customary law, customary justice, and ownership/transfer of land; Parliament’s laws on these matters require Assembly approval. |
| 371H | Arunachal Pradesh | Governor has special responsibility for law and order, exercising individual judgment after consulting the Council of Ministers. |
| 371I | Goa | Special provision concerning the minimum strength of the Legislative Assembly. |
| 371J | Karnataka | Special arrangements for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, including equitable development, allocation of funds and opportunities in education/public employment. |
Why Article 371K is Being Proposed for Ladakh?
- Different constitutional position: Ladakh became a Union Territory in 2019 and currently does not have a Legislative Assembly. The proposal discussed in the text seeks to create a directly elected UT legislature with legislative, executive, budgetary, planning and financial powers.
- Land and natural resources: The proposed framework would give the elected body powers concerning land, culture, forests, environment and natural resources, alongside other subjects reserved for the UT under Article 240.
- Local democratic control: Ladakh’s demand is distinctive because it seeks not merely protection of customary practices but a substantial democratic governing institution. This marks a contrast with arrangements such as Article 371H, where special powers are concentrated in the Governor.
- Cultural and customary protection: The proposal seeks constitutional safeguards over land, culture, language, forests and customary practices, reflecting concerns about preserving Ladakh’s distinctive social and ecological character. The Union Government has also stated that constitutional safeguards for Ladakh should address culture and language, land and employment, inclusive development and empowerment of the LAHDCs.
- Local governance vs administrative control: The key question is whether Ladakh’s aspirations are better addressed through greater democratic decentralisation or primarily through existing UT administrative mechanisms. This is important because constitutional protection is meaningful only when accompanied by effective representative institutions.
2. Conservation Compensation: Tackling Himachal’s Monkey Menace
The death of a 63-year-old woman in Shimla following a rhesus macaque attack has again highlighted the growing human–wildlife conflict in urban Himachal. Shimla records around 50–55 monkey attacks every month, raising questions over both population management and the legal framework for compensation.
Changing Legal Status & Population Control
- Growing conflict — Shimla records 50–55 monkey attacks every month; the recent death of a 63-year-old woman after a macaque attack highlights the human cost of urban wildlife conflict.
- Legal shift — The rhesus macaque was listed as a protected species under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, but was removed from Schedule II through the 2022 amendment, changing the administrative framework for dealing with the menace.
- Administrative capacity gap — Despite the changed legal position, ULBs such as Shimla Municipal Corporation reportedly lack funds, trained manpower and expertise for capturing and sterilising monkeys, leaving forest authorities to provide assistance.
- Urban wildlife interface — Feeding by people and easy availability of food in urban areas encourage monkeys to move out of forests, making the problem one of human behaviour + habitat interface, rather than simply an animal-population issue.
- Himachal has relied heavily on sustained sterilisation: the estimated rhesus macaque population fell from 3,17,512 in 2004 to 1,36,443 in 2019–20, with the Forest Department attributing much of the decline to sterilisation. Since 2006, around 86 lakh monkeys have been sterilised.
Compensation and Humane Conflict Management
- Compensation gap — Under Himachal Pradesh’s wildlife compensation policy, monkey-attack injuries can attract ₹75,000 for officials, ₹1 lakh for permanent disability and ₹4 lakh in case of death; however, because the rhesus macaque was removed from the protected list, the deceased woman’s family may not qualify under this framework.
- Conservation + compensation — The episode shows that changing the legal status of a conflict species must be accompanied by a corresponding compensation mechanism and institutional responsibility.
- Need for coordinated management — Sustainable management requires ULBs + Forest Department + trained capture/sterilisation teams, alongside regulation of wildlife feeding and better management of food availability in urban spaces.
