You are heading a leading technical institute of the country. The institute is planning to convene an interview panel shortly under your chairmanship for selection of the post of professors. A few days before the interview, you get a call from the Personal Secretary (PS) of a senior government functionary seeking your intervention in favour of the selection of a close relative of the functionary for this post. The PS also informs you that he is aware of the long pending and urgent proposals of your institute for grant of funds for modernization, which are awaiting the functionary’s approval. He assures you that he would get these proposals cleared. 1. What are the options available to you? 2. Evaluate each of these options and choose the option which you would adopt, giving reasons.”
This question is available to read here. The practice button generates a fresh question from the same paper. Here, practise an answer plan in keywords. Choose your timer on the next screen. Feedback uses our common 15-point practice rubric, rather than the paper’s original mark allocation.
On September 29, 2026, the Calcutta High Court granted interim bail until October 20 to Milan Pradhan, the Congress party candidate for the Nandigram assembly bypoll scheduled for October 5, 2026. Pradhan had been arrested on September 18, 2026, in connection with a criminal case dating back nineteen years. His detention, occurring just days before the commencement of voting, prompted significant allegations of political victimisation and the deliberate misuse of state machinery to impede his electoral campaign. The High Court's intervention, which allows Pradhan to resume his campaign activities, underscores the critical role of the judiciary in ensuring a level playing field during elections and protecting the democratic right of candidates to participate in the electoral process, especially when the timing of law enforcement actions raises concerns about the integrity of the polling environment.
The Madras High Court recently granted the Tamil Nadu government an additional four weeks to reach a final decision regarding the long-pending revision of state bus fares. With fares last fixed in 2018 at ₹0.58 per km when diesel prices stood at ₹67.50 per litre, state transport corporations face acute financial strain amid escalating operational costs. This judicial intervention highlights the delicate institutional balance between ensuring affordable public transport for vulnerable segments and maintaining the fiscal sustainability of state-run transit undertakings.
On September 23, 2026, the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict regarding the composition of the selection panel for the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. Justice Datta, in a separate opinion, raised significant concerns about the inclusion of a Cabinet Minister in the high-level selection committee. He argued that such a composition fails the perception test of neutrality, as the Minister—bound by the principle of collective responsibility—cannot be expected to operate independently of the Prime Minister. This judicial observation highlights the ongoing tension between executive participation in key appointments and the constitutional imperative to maintain the Election Commission as a neutral, independent arbiter of Indian democracy, ensuring the integrity of the electoral process remains beyond reproach.