Daily Current Affairs- 7th April 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 7th April 2026

Parliament Rejects Impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

In the News: Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla rejected the impeachment motions filed by the Opposition against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, without assigning any reason — marking the first-ever attempt in India's history to remove a sitting Chief Election Commissioner.

Key Points:

• Background: The Opposition, led by the Trinamool Congress, submitted impeachment motions in both Houses on March 12, 2026, alleging "partisan and discriminatory conduct" by the CEC and obstruction of investigation into electoral fraud related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The motions were backed by 130 Lok Sabha MPs and 63 Rajya Sabha MPs — clearing the minimum threshold of 100 and 50 respectively.
• Rejection of Motions: Both presiding officers declined to admit the motions "after due consideration and a careful and objective assessment of all relevant aspects," invoking their powers under Section 3 of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. No specific reason was provided for the rejection, drawing sharp criticism from the Opposition.
• Constitutional Provision — Article 324(5): The removal of the CEC is governed by Article 324(5), which mandates that the CEC can only be removed in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge — that is, on proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
• Legal Framework: The process is further governed by the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, whose Section 11 reiterates the constitutional standard for removal, aligning it with the procedure under Article 124(4) for Supreme Court judges.
• Parliamentary Procedure for Removal: The removal process involves five key stages — initiation of a motion with requisite signatures; admission by the Speaker/Chairman; formation of a three-member inquiry committee (comprising a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice, and a distinguished jurist); investigation and submission of a report; and finally, a parliamentary vote requiring majority of total membership and two-thirds of members present and voting in both Houses, followed by a Presidential order.

Menaka Guruswamy Takes Oath, Becomes India’s First Openly Queer MP

In the News: Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy took oath as a Member of the Rajya Sabha, elected on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket from West Bengal, becoming India's first openly queer Member of Parliament — marking a historic milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in Indian politics.

Key Points:

• Historic Oath: Guruswamy was sworn in alongside eighteen other new and re-elected Rajya Sabha members in the presence of Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan. Her unopposed election from West Bengal under the TMC banner made her India's first openly queer MP.
• Significance for LGBTQ+ Representation: Her entry into Parliament breaks a major barrier in India's traditionally conservative political space, increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ voices in policymaking and placing India among nations where openly queer leaders have entered mainstream politics.
• Role in Section 377 Judgment: Guruswamy was one of the lead lawyers representing petitioners in the landmark Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India case, in which the Supreme Court in 2018 struck down parts of Section 377 of the IPC, decriminalizing consensual same-sex relationships and marking a turning point in LGBTQ+ rights in India.
• Academic and Legal Background: Guruswamy joined the Bar in 1997 and began her career under then Attorney General Ashok Desai. She is a Rhodes Scholar from Oxford University (D.Phil) and a Gammon Fellow from Harvard Law School (LL.M), and has served as visiting faculty at Yale, Columbia, and NYU Law Schools.
• Global Recognition: In 2019, Guruswamy was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World, alongside her partner and fellow lawyer Arundhati Katju, in recognition of their role in the Section 377 verdict. She was also featured among the 100 most influential Global Thinkers for 2019 by Foreign Policy Magazine.
• Political Connect: Guruswamy has served as TMC's counsel in several cases, including those related to Enforcement Directorate raids, reflecting her close association with Mamata Banerjee's party prior to her nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

Article 324 and ECI’s Transfer of Officials

In the News: Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry, the Election Commission of India transferred several senior state officials — including West Bengal's Chief Secretary and Director General of Police — without prior consultation with the State government, sparking a major constitutional debate over the scope and limits of ECI's powers under Article 324.

Key Points:

• What Happened: The ECI transferred heads of state administration and police forces in election-bound states overnight, citing the need to ensure free and fair elections. The State governments, particularly West Bengal, were not consulted, leading to what critics described as a near-paralysis of administration.
• Article 324 — ECI's Powers: Article 324 vests the ECI with superintendence, direction, and control of elections, and the ECI frequently invokes it as a blanket provision to justify administrative actions. Article 324(6) mandates the President or Governor to make available to the ECI the staff necessary for election duties when requested.
• Supreme Court's Stance — Mohinder Singh Gill (1978): The Supreme Court held that Article 324 is a plenary provision and a reservoir of powers to ensure free and fair elections. However, these powers are not absolute — they can be exercised only where no existing law occupies the field, and where Parliament or a State Legislature has enacted a valid law, the ECI must act in conformity with it, not in violation.
• Lack of Statutory Backing: Neither the Representation of the People Act, 1950 nor the RPA, 1951 contains any explicit provision empowering the ECI to unilaterally transfer heads of state administration or police forces, making the legal basis for such transfers questionable.
• Conflict with Existing Legal Frameworks: Under the All India Services Act, 1951 and the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the exclusive prerogative to transfer state public service officers lies with the respective State governments. Since Parliament already governs civil service transfers through existing law, the ECI is arguably bound to act in conformity with those laws.

World Health Day 2026

In the News: The World Health Organization observed World Health Day under the theme "Together for Health. Stand with Science," launching a year-long global campaign promoting scientific collaboration, evidence-based healthcare, and the One Health approach to protect human, animal, and environmental health.

Key Points:

• Theme: "Together for Health. Stand with Science" — focuses on evidence-based decision making, rebuilding trust in science, and supporting global scientific cooperation to address future health challenges.
• One Health Approach: The campaign centers on the One Health framework, which recognizes the interconnection between the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment.
• Anchor Events: Two major international events anchored this year's observance — the International One Health Summit (April 7), hosted by France under the G7 Presidency, and the Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres (April 7–9), convening nearly 800 scientific institutions from 80+ countries, forming the largest scientific network ever assembled under a UN agency.
• Campaign Goals: Governments, scientists, health workers, and citizens are called upon to engage with evidence and science-based guidance, rebuild public trust in health systems, and support science-led solutions for a healthier future.
• Logo Significance: The official logo combines the WHO emblem with interconnected nodes, symbolizing the global network of 800+ collaborating centres across 80+ countries and the idea of shared scientific responsibility.
• Historical Context: World Health Day has been observed every April 7 since 1948, marking the founding of the WHO. It serves as an annual reminder of the importance of global health awareness and accessible healthcare.
• 2026 Relevance: Against the backdrop of rising threats — pandemics, climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and health misinformation — this year's campaign stresses that science is the backbone of global health security and that misinformation poses a direct danger to public health.

France Hosts One Health Summit Under G7 to Promote Science-Based Health Policies

In the News: France hosted the International One Health Summit in Lyon, coinciding with World Health Day. WHO and global partners announced four major concrete initiatives to protect humans, animals, and the planet from future health crises, turning the One Health vision into real-world action under the G7 Presidency of France.

Key Points:

• One Health Summit: Held in Lyon, France on World Health Day (April 7, 2026), the Summit brought together Heads of State, ministers, experts, and policymakers to advance the One Health approach — recognizing that human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected.
• Why It Matters: Around 60% of known human infectious diseases originate in animals, and approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. The COVID-19 pandemic alone caused an estimated 15 million deaths and trillions of dollars in economic losses in 2020–21.
• France's Role: President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France's commitment to moving One Health "from ambition to implementation," championing international cooperation and science-led policy under France's G7 Presidency.
• WHO's 4 Major One Health Actions Announced: WHO announced four key initiatives — a Global Network of One Health Institutions (with Quadripartite partners FAO, UNEP, WOAH) for country-focused support; extension of the One Health Expert Panel (OHHLEP) through 2027 with a new phase planned till 2029; a renewed global push to eliminate dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030 (the disease kills nearly 60,000 annually, many of them children); and a new Avian Influenza Strategic Framework to replace fragmented national responses with a unified One Health strategy.
• WHO Assumes Quadripartite Chairmanship: WHO took on enhanced leadership of the Quadripartite (WHO, FAO, WOAH, UNEP), prioritizing measurable country-level impact, streamlined governance, and stronger advocacy and evidence generation.
• Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres: Running alongside the Summit (April 7–9), the inaugural Forum convened 800+ WHO Collaborating Centres from 80+ countries — the largest scientific network ever assembled under a UN agency — to accelerate innovation, data sharing, and capacity-building.

Why Artemis II crew went farther from Earth than anyone before

In the News: The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission travelled 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft — setting a new record for the farthest distance any humans have travelled from Earth — surpassing the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Key Points:

• The Record: Artemis II broke the 54-year-old record of 4,00,171 km set by Apollo 13 (1970). Unlike Apollo 13, where the deviation was caused by a malfunction, Artemis II's record distance was intentional and part of the mission plan.
• Mission Profile: Artemis II is the first crewed lunar mission since December 1972. It is not a landing mission, but a crewed flyby designed to test the Orion spacecraft's capabilities in deep space conditions.
• Free-Return Trajectory: Unlike Apollo 8's circular lunar orbit, Orion follows an elliptical "free-return trajectory," which uses the Moon's gravity to naturally slingshot the spacecraft back to Earth — without requiring engine burns for course correction.
• Phase 1 – High Earth Orbit (HEO): Before heading to the Moon, Orion entered an elliptical orbit stretching ~74,000 km from Earth. This gave the crew a 42-hour window to test the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), with the option of a quick abort and splashdown if needed.
• Phase 2 – Translunar Slingshot: Orion was then propelled by the European Service Module toward a precise point ~10,300 km beyond the lunar far side, where the Moon's gravity captured and whipped the spacecraft back toward Earth.
• Safety Advantage: The figure-eight free-return path is a passive safety mechanism — even in the event of total engine failure, the crew would still be brought back to Earth naturally by gravitational forces.