Legal Current Affairs for 12 November 2025

They are a subset of cooperative banks in India that operate primarily in urban and semi-urban areas.
History: Cooperative Credit Societies Act of 1904 and its 1912 amendment laid the legal foundation.
They are registered as cooperative societies under the respective State Cooperative Societies Acts (for single-state operations) or the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 (for operations across multiple states).
Control and Regulation: UCBs function under a dual regulatory framework:
Banking Regulation Act, 1949: They were brought under the purview of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 through an Amendment in 1966.
The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 has given RBI more control over UCBs, allowing it to intervene in their management and governance.
Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS): The respective state governments or the central government control administrative functions through the RCS.

Objective: Prioritize high-impact locations, covering approximately 8.8 crore MT of legacy waste.
Legacy Waste refers to aged municipal solid waste in landfills or dumpsites, it is a mix of partially or completely decomposed biodegradable waste, plastic waste, etc.
About 80% of the legacy waste is concentrated in 214 sites across 202 Urban Local Bodies.
Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Eligibility: All States/UTs with ongoing legacy waste projects with priority to sites containing over 45,000 MT of legacy wastes.
No minimum threshold for eligibility for UTs and North Eastern States.

The 15th edition of India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD) was held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Location: Eastern portion of mainland Southeast Asia.
Boundaries: China (North), Laos and Cambodia (West).
Maritime Boundaries: South China Sea (East and South), Gulf of Thailand (Southwest).
Geographical Features:
Climate: Tropical
Major rivers: Mekong River and Red River.
Both rivers form deltas while draining into South China Sea.
Major Mountain: Annam Cordillera, extending from northwest to southeast in central Vietnam.

Origin: Derives name from Kenya’s Rift Valley, where the disease was first recognised in the early 1930s
Caused By: Phlebovirus belonging to the Phenuiviridae family.
Spread: It primarily affects animals eg. cattle,etc.
Humans get infected through close contact with infected animals or by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
It has not been shown to spread from person to person.
Treatment: Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment. However, animals vaccine do exist.

Case Background: In 1978, Shah Bano Begum, a 62-year-old Muslim woman, sought maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC (now Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023) after being divorced by her husband. This section ensures maintenance for dependents irrespective of religion.
Husband contended that under Muslim personal law, his obligation ended after the iddat period (3 months after divorce), but the Madhya Pradesh High Court increased her maintenance, prompting him to appeal to the Supreme Court (SC).
Supreme Court Verdict (1985): A 5 judge SC constitution bench unanimously ruled in Shah Bano’s favour, declaring Section 125 CrPC a secular law applicable to all, including Muslim women.
The Court held she was entitled to maintenance beyond the iddat period and lamented that Article 44 (UCC) remained a “dead letter.” SC criticized the non-implementation of Article 44, which calls for a Uniform Civil Code.
It referenced the Quran to support continued maintenance post-divorce.

Sarla Mudgal Case, 1995: This case addressed issues of religious conversion and polygamy, while also emphasizing the importance of a Uniform Civil Code.
Lily Thomas Case, 2013: The SC ruled that a Hindu man cannot remarry after converting to Islam without first dissolving his existing marriage, addressing misuse of conversion to evade bigamy laws.
Shayara Bano Case, 2017: The SC struck down triple talaq as unconstitutional, leading to the enactment of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, which criminalizes instant divorce (talaq-e-biddat).
Jose Paulo Coutinho Case, 2019: The Court hailed Goa as a “shining example” and held that the Portuguese Civil Code, 1867, which applies in the state, also regulates succession and inheritance rights of Goan residents for properties situated outside Goa or elsewhere in India.

Delhi Declaration 2025: It will serve as a roadmap for the expansion of Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs).
Digital Initiatives: Launch of Sahkar Digi-Pay and Sahkar Digi-Loan apps to enable even the smallest UCBs to offer digital payment and loan facilities.
Expansion Goal: A target to establish one UCB in every city with a population of over 2 lakhs within 5 years.
Future Initiatives: National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies (NAFCUB) has been directed to onboard 1,500 banks onto Sahkar Digi-Pay within two years; encourage conversion of successful credit societies into UCBs.
NAFCUB is an Apex Level promotional body for Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies, registered as a Multi-State Cooperative Society in February 1977.

Key Risks Highlighted by SEBI:

Unregulated Nature: Digital gold is not classified or regulated as a security or commodity derivative and lacks the investor protection mechanisms available for SEBI-approved products.
Counterparty Risk: Investors rely entirely on the issuer, creating a high risk of default on physical gold or cash delivery.
No Investor Protection: Market safeguards like insurance, grievance redressal, and guaranteed settlements do not apply, leaving investors without formal recourse.
Digital gold: It refers to buying gold electronically without physical possession, with its price linked to physical gold. Created using blockchain technology, it allows investors to buy, sell, and store gold online.

India ranked 9th in the long-term CRI (1995–2024) and 15th in 2024.
Report released by Germanwatch at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.
India lost over 80,000 lives and USD 170 billion in 30 years due to extreme weather.
Dominica, Myanmar, and Honduras were the most-affected countries long-term.

Sergio Gor sworn in as US Ambassador to India on November 11, 2025.
Oath administered by Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office.
President Donald Trump and key officials attended the ceremony.
Gor previously served as Director of Presidential Personnel and was confirmed by the US Senate in October 2025.