Admin e-Learn Legacy IAS Digital

A Supreme Court bench led by CJI Surya Kant invoked Article 142 to quash FIRs linked to nationwide exam protests, after the Centre said it would not pursue the cases — reviving a decades-old debate on the scope of the court's "complete justice" power.

◈ Background & Context

Article 142 lets the Supreme Court pass any order "necessary for doing complete justice" in a pending matter — without defining what complete justice means or when the power may be used.

Traced to Section 210 of the Government of India Act, 1935, and earlier colonial-era "justice, equity and good conscience" practice; adopted without debate as Article 118 of the Draft Constitution on 27 May 1949.
All FIRs from the July protests were quashed except those against roughly 2,873 people with "serious and grave criminal antecedents"; compensation was ordered for families of students who died by suicide over the NEET-UG 2026 leak.

▤ The numbers

An IIM Ahmedabad study of 1950–2023 case law found 1,579 references to "Article 142"/"complete justice" and 791 direct invocations, mostly in civil matters.

Landmark invocations

1989: Bhopal gas tragedy — secured a $470 million Union Carbide settlement and quashed related criminal cases.
2019: Ayodhya title dispute — settled on "preponderance of probability", awarding five acres to the Muslim side.
2022: Ordered release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict A. G. Perarivalan.

Figure 1 — Article 142: self-imposed limits vs. major invocations

1949Adopted1962Prem ChandGarg fence1989Bhopalsettlement1998SCBA fence2019/22Ayodhya /Perarivalan2026CJP FIRsquashed

Blue dots mark the Court's own fencing judgments (1962, 1998); maroon and green dots mark major invocations, including the 2026 CJP order.

How the court has fenced its own discretion

Prem Chand Garg v. State of UP (1962): orders under Article 142 must still be consistent with fundamental rights and the law.
Supreme Court Bar Association v. Union of India (1998): Article 142 can supplement a statute's gap but cannot supplant or override an existing statutory scheme.

The critical view

In the CJP order, thousands of FIRs across States were clubbed and quashed as part of a negotiated settlement, without the case-by-case scrutiny Section 528 BNSS ordinarily requires — which critics argue circumvents, rather than supplements, the statutory scheme.
Article 142 has previously drawn sharp criticism: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar called its use to deem Tamil Nadu Bills assented to a "nuclear missile" against democratic institutions; former Attorney General K. K. Venugopal described it as a "Kamdhenu from which unlimited powers flowed" and suggested only five-judge Constitution Benches invoke it.

✎ Mains Practice Question

Article 142 has been called both an instrument of "complete justice" and a threat to the rule of law. Discuss, with examples, how the Supreme Court has used and fenced this power, and examine the concerns raised by its recent invocation to quash a large batch of FIRs. 15 marks · 250 words

International RelationsGeneral Studies Paper II

U.K. Asserts "Unshakeable" Falklands Stance After Argentina Revives Sovereignty Claim

GS-II · IR — Territorial DisputesPrelims + MainsThe Hindu (AFP)

Argentine President Javier Milei revived Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas), citing a perceived shift in U.S. neutrality, while Britain reaffirmed sovereignty is not up for discussion.

◈ Background & Context

Britain and Argentina fought a ten-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, a British Overseas Territory. Islanders voted overwhelmingly in a 2013 referendum to remain British.

The dispute resurfaced after U.S. President Donald Trump signalled willingness to review U.S. neutrality on the issue, and after anger in Argentina over a British-Israeli oil project (led by Rockhopper and Navitas) near the islands.
Mr. Milei announced sanctions on firms linked to the oil extraction and said the project violates a UN resolution calling on both sides to avoid unilateral action in the islands; Argentine war veterans and environmental lawyers have filed a lawsuit to halt it.

The critical view

Britain's position rests on the islanders' 2013 self-determination vote; Argentina's claim rests on geographic proximity and historical sovereignty predating the 1833 British occupation.
A shift in U.S. neutrality — if it materialises — would be significant since Washington has historically avoided taking sides despite its "special relationship" with London.

✎ Mains Practice Question

Examine the competing legal and political bases of the British and Argentine claims over the Falkland Islands/Malvinas, and discuss the significance of a potential shift in U.S. neutrality on the dispute. 10 marks · 150 words

EconomyGeneral Studies Paper III

What Could Have Prompted the Latest Hike in Commercial LPG Prices?

GS-III · Economy — Energy Pricing & SubsidyPrelims + MainsThe Hindu

Oil-marketing companies raised commercial LPG cylinder prices by about ₹10 from September 1, after two months of decline, largely to offset persistent under-recoveries on the domestic cylinder segment.

◈ Background & Context

Under-recoveries are the gap between what OMCs receive from consumers and the actual cost of production and distribution. The 19-kg commercial cylinder in Delhi now costs ₹2,747.5; the 14.2-kg domestic cylinder price is unchanged.

Domestic-cylinder under-recoveries fell from over ₹700/cylinder in June to ₹500 in July to ₹188 in early August, per government data; analysts estimate current under-recovery at about ₹200/cylinder.
The packaged domestic segment is 90.4% of total LPG consumption (April–June); about 10.6 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries (≈33% of domestic users) get an additional ₹300/cylinder subsidy.

Supply-side picture

POL product imports fell 45.1% between April and July, partly due to lower LPG, pet coke and fuel oil imports; OMCs raised daily LPG production from 34,000 to 55,000 tonnes to compensate.
Following an August 13 directive, upstream and OMC companies have been set a daily production target of 63,810 tonnes.
Industrial demand (e.g. glass-making) is expected to rise with the festive season, though industry is increasingly shifting to piped natural gas — PNGRB data shows industrial piped-gas sales up 30% year-on-year (April–June).

The critical view

Analysts describe the immediate impact as "negligible" given the small share of commercial LPG in overall consumption, but flag it as a signal that under-recovery pressure on the much larger subsidised domestic segment persists.

✎ Mains Practice Question

Discuss the concept of "under-recovery" in India's LPG pricing mechanism and examine the trade-offs the government faces between consumer subsidy, fiscal cost and energy security. 10 marks · 150 words

Environment & EcologyGeneral Studies Paper III

India Can Cut Steel Emissions Before Coal Plants Lock Them In

GS-III · Environment — Industrial Decarbonisation, Climate ChangePrelims + MainsThe Hindu

India's steel sector — among the most emissions-intensive in the world and 12% of national greenhouse gas emissions — faces a narrowing window to shift new capacity toward electric-arc and hydrogen-based routes before coal-based blast furnaces lock in decades of emissions.

◈ Background & Context

India's steel emissions intensity is about 32% above the global average. FY2025-26 production, at roughly 160 million tonnes, was the world's second-highest after China, driven by infrastructure, construction and auto demand.

The government's National Mission on Green Steel targets cutting emissions intensity from 2.55–2.65 to 2.2 tCO2e per tonne of crude steel by 2029-30; a 2024 certification scheme labels sub-2.2 tCO2e steel "green" — still well above the global average of 1.85 tCO2e.
A ₹5,000-crore decarbonisation scheme is set to launch in the coming months.

Figure 2 — India's steelmaking route mix, current vs. 2030 projection

43%BF-BOF(now)56%BF-BOF(2030 proj.)22%EAF35%Induction

Coal-based BF-BOF capacity share is projected to rise from 43% to 56% by 2030 unless new investment is redirected toward EAF/DRI routes.

The decarbonisation pathway

BF-BOF (blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace): the dominant, highly carbon-intensive route worldwide (70.4% of global output) and in India (43%).
EAF (electric arc furnace) and DRI (direct reduced iron): use electricity/scrap or natural gas, with a pathway to near-zero emissions once green hydrogen replaces natural gas.
Blast-furnace "relining" — a capital-intensive maintenance task every two decades — locks in coal-based production for another 15–20 years; over 43 million tonnes/year of Indian BF capacity is due for relining before 2030.

The critical view

Researchers argue steel is less a "hard-to-abate" sector than one facing a "hard-to-abate barrier" that early investment redirection — not necessarily new capital — could overcome, since most of India's planned BF-BOF plants have not yet broken ground.
Natural-gas-based EAFs (a near-term bridge before green hydrogen becomes cost-competitive, expected around 2040-45) carry their own risks: import dependence, geopolitical exposure and potential stranded-asset costs.
India's "green steel" certification threshold (up to 2.2 tCO2e) is well above the global average, and no significant domestic demand market for green steel yet exists even though supply-side certification has begun (89 units certified, covering 12.34 million tonnes, as of March).

Institutions & terms to know

EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): in effect since January, taxes carbon-intensive imports including Indian steel — a key driver of India's decarbonisation push.
National Mission on Green Steel: the government's umbrella emissions-intensity reduction and certification framework.

✎ Mains Practice Question

"Steel is less a hard-to-abate sector than one facing a hard-to-abate investment barrier." Critically examine this view in the context of India's steel decarbonisation pathway and the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. 15 marks · 250 words

Internal Security & SocietyGeneral Studies Paper II & III

Are Nicotine Pouches Beyond the Law?

GS-II · Governance — Public Health RegulationPrelims + MainsThe Hindu

An ICMR study has found nicotine pouches spreading through online platforms and gig delivery in Indian cities, exposing a gap in India's tobacco and drug laws that neither clearly bans nor clearly permits them.

◈ Background & Context

A nicotine pouch is a tobacco-free, tea-bag-like sachet of nicotine and flavourings, placed between lip and gum for direct bloodstream absorption without smoke or vapour. The WHO flagged the products' health risks in May 2026.

The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA) does not extend to all nicotine-containing products, so pouches fall outside it since restrictions on trade must be strictly construed.
Nicotine is not scheduled as a drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, though nicotine gums/patches are approved for therapeutic use, and Schedule K exempts low-dose (under 2 mg) nicotine gums/lozenges from licensing — implying other nicotine products may fall within the Drugs Act's ambit.

The duty-free question

Pouches are sold at a few Indian airport duty-free stores, licensed under Section 58 of the Customs Act; in Flemingo Duty Free Shop v. Kaushik Bhattacharya (2024), the Calcutta High Court held such stores are deemed outside India for Customs Act purposes — but this does not place them beyond all Indian law.
Permitted duty-free goods include cigarettes, alcohol, jewellery, watches and food; nicotine pouches are not on this list unless classified as food, and given their restricted customs classification, an import licence is unlikely to exist.

The critical view

The piece argues the legal position is unsettled but the remedy is simple — a Customs Act/Foreign Trade Act notification banning import and sale could be issued quickly. Delay, as with e-cigarettes, risks the products becoming entrenched before a ban can take effect, pushing the trade underground.

✎ Mains Practice Question

Examine the regulatory gaps in Indian law governing novel nicotine products such as pouches, and discuss the risks of delayed regulatory action, drawing lessons from India's experience with e-cigarettes. 10 marks · 150 words

Verify it's really you

Supreme Court Uses Article 142 to Quash CJP-Linked FIRs: What Powers Does It Give, and Why Is It Controversial?

U.K. Asserts "Unshakeable" Falklands Stance After Argentina Revives Sovereignty Claim

What Could Have Prompted the Latest Hike in Commercial LPG Prices?

India Can Cut Steel Emissions Before Coal Plants Lock Them In

Are Nicotine Pouches Beyond the Law?