Daily Current Affairs- 6th April 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 6th April 2026

Gujarat HC Bans AI in Courtroom Decisions, Human Judgment Must Prevail

In the News: The Gujarat High Court introduced a formal 'Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence', becoming the second High Court in India to formalise an AI policy, after the Kerala High Court issued the first such policy in July 2025. The policy prohibits AI in judicial decision-making while permitting its use as a controlled administrative and research aid, with mandatory human oversight at all times.

Key Points:

• About the Policy: The Gujarat HC's AI policy applies to all judicial officers, registry staff, legal assistants, interns, and administrative personnel across the High Court and District Judiciary. Its overarching philosophy is rooted in preserving the "unique constitutional mandate of dispensing justice through human conscience."
• Core Principle — Human in the Loop: The policy mandates that there shall be "no autonomous or unreviewed AI action" in any judicial or administrative process, and that a "qualified human officer" must always verify AI-generated outputs. This reflects the shared principle across all Indian court AI frameworks.
• Prohibited Uses of AI: AI shall never be used for judicial decision-making, judicial reasoning, substantive order or judgment drafting, bail or sentencing considerations, or any adjudicatory process. It is also barred from evaluating evidence or assessing witness credibility, and from processing confidential case data, personal details of litigants, or privileged communications on public AI platforms. Use of AI-generated citations without independent verification from authoritative primary sources is also banned.
• Permitted Uses of AI: AI is allowed for legal research, including extraction of ratio decidendi and identifying precedents; drafting assistance such as improving language, grammar checking, and machine-assisted translation — provided substantive legal analysis remains entirely that of the judge; administrative tasks such as drafting circulars based on public domain information; and cause list management using anonymised metadata.
• Violations: Any breach of the policy will be treated as professional misconduct attracting departmental or disciplinary proceedings.
• Kerala HC Precedent: The Kerala High Court's policy, issued in July 2025, similarly restricted AI to assistive roles for routine administrative and translation tasks, directed avoidance of cloud-based AI services for case data, and prohibited AI from being used to arrive at any findings, orders, or judgments.

Sadhana Saptah 2026 Launched to Boost Governance and Service Delivery

In the News: India launched Sadhana Saptah 2026, observed from April 2–8, 2026, as one of the largest collaborative capacity building initiatives in the country. Organised by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Capacity Building Commission, and Karmayogi Bharat, the initiative aims to foster citizen-centric governance and strengthen civil services capacity across ministries, states, and training institutions. It also marks the Foundation Day of the Capacity Building Commission and five years of Mission Karmayogi.

Key Points:

• About Sadhana Saptah: Sadhana stands for Strengthening Adaptive Development and Humane Aptitude for National Advancement. Operating under the tagline "Ham Bane Karmayogi", it brings together over 100 Central Ministries and Departments, 36 States and Union Territories, and 250+ Civil Services Training Institutions under a unified national framework.
• Mission Karmayogi: Sadhana Saptah is an initiative under Mission Karmayogi, also known as the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building — a Central Sector Scheme implemented by DoPT. It aims to build a future-ready, transparent, and citizen-centric civil service by shifting from a rule-based to a role-based, competency-driven approach to governance, reflecting PM Modi's vision of transforming public administration.
• Supporting Institutions: The mission is supported by two institutions — the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), set up in 2021, which drives civil service reforms through competency-based learning frameworks, and Karmayogi Bharat Special Purpose Vehicle, set up in 2022, which manages the iGOT Karmayogi digital learning platform.
• iGOT Karmayogi Platform: A key pillar of Mission Karmayogi, the iGOT platform offers online training across behavioural, functional, and domain areas, enabling anytime, anywhere learning. It has so far registered over 1.5 crore learners, recorded more than 8 crore course completions, and provides access to 4,600+ courses in multiple languages.
• Three Themes (Three Sutras) of Sadhana Saptah: The initiative is structured around three core themes — Technology (April 3–4): focusing on AI in governance, Digital Public Infrastructure, data-informed decision making, and automation; Tradition (April 5–6): emphasising Indian Knowledge Systems, ethical frameworks from Indian philosophy, and community-based governance models; and Tangible Outcomes (April 7–8): focusing on measuring public value, citizen impact tracking, and dashboard-based monitoring.

BRO’s Project Chetak Turns 47: How It Strengthened India’s Border Infrastructure Explained

In the News: The Border Roads Organisation's (BRO) Project Chetak celebrated its 47th Raising Day at Bikaner, Rajasthan, marking over four decades of dedicated service in strengthening infrastructure across India's strategically vital western border regions.

Key Points:

• About Project Chetak: Project Chetak is one of the largest projects of the BRO in terms of geographical coverage, established on April 4, 1980, in the strategically important western sector of India. It operates across Rajasthan, Punjab, and northern parts of Gujarat.
• Motto: The project operates under the guiding motto "Chetak ka Prayas, Desh ka Vikas" (Chetak's Effort, Nation's Development), reflecting its commitment to nation-building through infrastructure development.
• Infrastructure Coverage: Project Chetak maintains more than 4,000 kilometres of road network and 214 kilometres of Ditch-cum-Bund infrastructure, essential for troop movement, logistics, and surveillance along the International Border.
• Strategic Importance: By connecting remote and sensitive border regions, the project contributes significantly to both national security and socio-economic development in border districts, supporting defence forces through key feeder roads leading to the International Border.
• Upgradation Efforts: Continuous efforts are underway to upgrade key feeder roads to National Highway Double Lane specifications, ensuring faster and more efficient mobility for defence and civilian purposes.
• About BRO: The Border Roads Organisation is a premier road construction force established on 7 May 1960, functioning under the Ministry of Defence since 2015. It is responsible for developing and maintaining infrastructure in remote border areas and neighbouring friendly countries, including roads, bridges, tunnels, and airfields in some of the world's most challenging terrains. Its motto is "Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam" (Everything is Achievable through Hard Work).

Election Petition

In the News: The Supreme Court of India ruled that appellate courts cannot remand election petitions for fresh evidence or expert examination — such as fingerprint analysis — if such issues were not raised before the Election Tribunal. The Court held that election disputes must be decided solely on the existing record, reinforcing procedural discipline and the integrity of original proceedings.

Key Points:

• About Election Petitions: An election petition is the exclusive judicial remedy in India to challenge the validity of an election result, safeguarding the integrity and purity of the democratic process.
• Constitutional Basis: Under Article 329(b) of the Constitution, no election to Parliament or State Legislatures can be questioned except through an election petition.
• Statutory Framework: Election petitions for Parliamentary and State Legislative Assembly elections are governed by the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951, while disputes relating to local bodies are governed by respective State laws enacted under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments.
• Jurisdiction: Petitions for Parliamentary or Assembly elections are filed in the High Court of the respective state, whereas challenges to Presidential or Vice-Presidential elections are filed directly in the Supreme Court under Article 71.
• Eligibility & Timeline: Any candidate or elector of the concerned constituency can file a petition within a strict window of 45 days from the date of result declaration.
• Grounds for Voiding an Election (Section 100, RPA 1951): An election can be declared void if the candidate was disqualified, committed corrupt practices such as bribery, undue influence, or appeals to religion/caste, or if there was improper acceptance or rejection of nomination papers.
• SC Ruling — No Remand for Fresh Evidence: The Supreme Court held that election petitions are special statutory proceedings requiring strict adherence to timelines and procedures, and that allowing parties to fill evidentiary gaps through remand would defeat the purpose of expeditious resolution of election disputes.

FAO Food Price Index Rises Amid Global Energy Pressures

In the News: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its latest Food Price Index, revealing that world food commodity prices rose for the second consecutive month in March 2026, averaging 128.5 points — up 2.4% from February and 1.0% above year-ago levels. The rise was driven largely by higher energy prices stemming from the escalating conflict in the Near East.

Key Points:

• FAO Food Price Index (FFPI): The index averaged 128.5 points in March 2026, marking a 2.4% month-on-month increase and a 1.0% year-on-year rise, reflecting the second consecutive monthly increase.
• Cereal Prices: The FAO Cereal Price Index rose by 1.5% from the previous month. Wheat prices surged 4.3% due to drought-related crop deterioration in the USA and reduced planting expectations in Australia owing to higher fertilizer costs. Maize prices edged up slightly, supported by rising ethanol demand linked to energy price increases, while ample global availability limited larger gains.
• Rice Prices: The FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0% in March, reflecting harvest timing, weaker import demand, and currency depreciations against the US dollar.
• Vegetable Oil Prices: The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index surged 5.1% from February and stood 13.2% higher than a year earlier. Palm, soy, sunflower, and rapeseed oil prices all rose due to spillover from crude oil price increases and stronger biofuel demand expectations.
• Meat Prices: The FAO Meat Price Index rose 1.0%, driven by higher pig meat prices in the EU ahead of seasonal demand, and rising bovine meat prices in Brazil due to tightening cattle availability. Ovine and poultry prices declined amid logistical constraints in the Near East.
• Dairy Prices: The FAO Dairy Price Index increased by 1.2%, supported by higher milk powder prices due to seasonal supply decline in Oceania. Cheese prices fell in the EU but rose in Oceania.
• Sugar Prices: The FAO Sugar Price Index registered the sharpest rise at 7.2%, driven by expectations that Brazil would divert more sugarcane toward ethanol production in response to rising crude oil prices, outweighing a generally favourable global supply outlook.

Arab League Appoints New Secretary-General

In the News: The Council of the League of Arab States unanimously approved the appointment of Egypt's former Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy as the next Secretary-General of the Arab League for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2026, succeeding current Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. The decision was taken during the 165th meeting of Arab foreign ministers, held via videoconference under Bahrain's presidency, and will be referred to the upcoming Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia for endorsement.

Key Points:

• New Appointment: Nabil Fahmy, former Foreign Minister of Egypt, was unanimously appointed as Secretary-General of the Arab League for a five-year term commencing July 1, 2026.
• Outgoing Secretary-General: Ahmed Aboul Gheit concludes his second term on June 30, 2026, after which Fahmy will assume office.
• Decision Forum: The appointment was approved during the 165th session of the Arab League's Council of Foreign Ministers, held via videoconference on March 29, 2026, presided over by the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• About the Arab League: The League of Arab States, founded in 1945 in Cairo, is a regional organisation of 22 Arab member states spanning West Asia and North Africa.
• Origins: It emerged from the Alexandria Protocol (1944), shaped by post-World War II geopolitical shifts, with goals of promoting Arab unity, resisting colonial divisions, and addressing concerns over Palestine.
• Collective Security: The 1950 Joint Defence and Economic Cooperation Pact provides the framework for collective security and coordinated military measures among members.