Context: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that informing an accused of the grounds of arrest is not merely a formality but a mandatory constitutional requirement.

• The Supreme Court declared the arrest of Vihaan Kumar, an accused in a financial fraud case, as unconstitutional and ordered his immediate release.

• Failure to inform the accused of the reason for arrest amounts to a violation of fundamental rights under Article 22(1) of the Constitution.

Grounds of Arrest Under Section 47 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023

• Communication of Grounds for Arrest: Any police officer or authorized person making an arrest without a warrant must immediately inform the arrested person of the full particulars of the offence or other grounds for arrest.

• Right to Bail for Non-Bailable Offences: If a police officer arrests a person without a warrant for an offence that is not non-bailable, the arrested person must be informed about:

• Their right to be released on bail.

• The option to arrange for sureties on their behalf.

• Alignment with Previous Law: This provision is similar to Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), ensuring legal protection and transparency in the arrest process.

Key Highlights of Judgement

• Violation of Fundamental Rights: Failure to inform the grounds of arrest violates fundamental rights of accused under Articles 21 and 22(1).  

• Article 21: No person can be deprived of his liberty except in accordance with procedure established by law.

• Article 22(1): A person arrested must be informed of the reasons immediately and has right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.

• Section 50A of CrPC (Section 47 of BNSS): Under this, court emphasized the importance of informing accused person’s friends, relatives, or nominated persons about grounds of arrest.

• Bail Implications: Non-compliance with Article 22(1) can be grounds for granting bail, overriding statutory restrictions.

• Clear Communication of Grounds in a language the arrestee understands.

Supreme Court’s Emphasis

• Burden of Proof on Police: If an arrested person claims non-compliance with Article 22(1), the burden is on the police to prove compliance.

• The police must provide evidence that the requirement was met.

• Magistrate’s Duty: When an arrested person is produced before a judicial magistrate, it is the magistrate’s duty to verify compliance with Article 22(1).

• If a violation is found, the magistrate must order the accused’s release.

• Article 21 – Right to Life & Personal Liberty: The Supreme Court stated that failure to inform the accused of the grounds of arrest also violates Article 21.

• Such failure amounts to deprivation of liberty without due legal process.

• The court reaffirmed that no person can be deprived of personal liberty except through a fair and legal procedure.

Related Judgements of Supreme Court

• Pankaj Bansal Vs Union of India and others (2023): Grounds of arrest must be supplied to accused in writing will also apply in cases registered under UAPA 1967.

• Prabir Purkayastha v. State (NCT of Delhi) case (2024): Communication of grounds of arrest or detention is sacrosanct and cannot be breached under any situation.

The Paris AI Summit 2025, held on February 10-11 at the Grand Palais, convened global leaders, tech industry titans, and policymakers to explore AI’s transformative potential, discuss governance frameworks, and emphasize Europe’s strategic approach to artificial intelligence development.

Highlights of the Summit

• Global Collaboration: 61 countries, including France, India, and China, signed a joint declaration for ethical and inclusive AI. The U.S. and UK declined, favoring innovation over regulation.
• AI Safety & Ethics: Experts like Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio warned of AGI risks, advocating for stricter regulations.
• Environmental Impact: A Coalition for Sustainable AI was launched to address AI’s energy consumption.
• Investments: France secured €109 billion in AI sector investments.

The NITI Aayog's report "Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities (SPUs)," highlights major challenges and proposes reforms to improve India's higher education system.

Key Issues Identified:

• Faculty Shortages: Over 40% of faculty positions in SPUs remain vacant, impacting student-teacher ratios and research quality.
• Outdated Infrastructure: Only 10% of SPUs have adequate research facilities, and 32% possess fully functional digital libraries.
• Financial Constraints: Lower tuition fees in SPUs make education accessible but hinder financial sustainability and infrastructure improvements.

Recommendations:

• Increase Public Investment: Allocate 6% of GDP to higher education as per NEP 2020.
• Performance-Based Funding: Link financial support to academic and research performance.
• Autonomy & Governance: Strengthen decision-making powers for SPUs and improve recruitment processes.
• Enhance Employability: Promote industry collaborations, internships, and entrepreneurship programs.
• Boost Research & Innovation: Establish Centres of Excellence and introduce a National Research Policy.

The report emphasizes the crucial role of SPUs in India's education system and calls for urgent reforms to enhance quality, inclusivity, and global competitiveness.

The India-United Kingdom (UK) strategic partnership took another major step forward with the formal launch of Defence Partnership–India (DP-I) and the signing of multiple defence agreements at Aero India 2025, including a major contract between aerospace and defence major Thales UK and defence public sector undertaking (DPSU) Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

• UK Defence Minister Lord Vernon Coaker inaugurated the UK-India Defence Partnership Pavilion, marking the establishment of a dedicated programme office within the UK’s Ministry of Defence. 
• This office will act as a one-stop hub for enhancing bilateral defence collaboration between the two nations, according to an official release by the British Deputy High Commission in Bengaluru.
• The UK and India have today (Monday) agreed to expand their collaboration on next-generation weapons with Thales and BDL. Thales and BDL have signed a contract that will deliver Laser Beam Riding MANPADs (LBRM).

The Minister of Panchayati Raj S. P. Singh Baghel released a report on the “Status of Devolution to Panchayats in States” in Delhi. The Panchayat Devolution Index report is an evidence-based ranking of states and UTs based on six frameworks.

• The report was prepared by Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) and the study covered 34 states and UTs in which 172 Panchayats of 68 districts were taken as samples.
• A total of 1,594 respondents were interviewed across the states.
• The study ranked states and UTs based on their performance, as measured by a devolution index.
• The states and UTs were ranked by each of the following six dimensions– framework, functions, finances, functionaries, capacity enhancement and accountability.
•  The first five states in the ranking were, Karnataka, followed by Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh.

Recently, a non-governmental organisation Transparency International released the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 which ranks 180 countries "on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt)" based on the situation between 1 May 2023 and 30 April 2024.

Highlights of the report

• The index is published annually since 1995.
• India saw a decline in its ranking, dropping to the 96th spot from 93rd last year, with a score of 38 out of 100.
• Denmark has emerged as the least corrupt country in the world for the second year.
• The global average corruption score remains stagnant at 43, with over two-thirds of countries scoring below 50.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar launched Karnataka’s Industrial Policy 2025-30, outlining a roadmap for sustainable and balanced industrial growth across the state, at the GIM Invest Karnataka 2025 event in Bengaluru.

• The new policy aims to reposition the State and make it the top destination for high technology manufacturing investments in Asia.
• The new policy focuses on equitable and sustainable development while aiming to attract Rs. 7.5 lakh crore in investments and generate 20 lakh new jobs during the policy period.
• It will also provide an additional 10% incentives to companies converting their R&D into manufacturing units.

Bharat Biotech group company, Biovet, has received approval from the national drugs regulator to market a vaccine against lumpy skin disease (LSD) in dairy cattle and buffaloes, the company announced recently, adding that it will help save hundreds of thousands of cattle in the country.

• Biolumpivaxin, is the world’s first Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) marker vaccine.
• It will help in disease surveillance as it means the experts will be able to distinguish between vaccinated and naturally infected dairy cattle.
• The vaccine got approval by the central drugs standard organisation (CDSCO).

About Lumpy Skin disease

Lumpy skin disease is a transboundary animal disease that has gained significant attention in India due to its severe impact on cattle health and the dairy industry. The disease is characterized by the development of skin nodules across the body, fever, swollen lymph nodes, decreased milk yield and difficulty in movement. LSD virus transmission is largely attributed to vector bites, with mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects playing an essential role.

Over the past two years, approximately 200,000 cattle have died, and millions more have lost their milk production capabilities due to the viral disease.