Legal Current Affairs for 19 January 2026

India’s first open-sea marine fish farming project has been launched in the Andaman Sea.
The project is implemented by NIOT under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Open-sea cages are designed to withstand natural ocean conditions.
The initiative aligns with India’s Blue Economy strategy.

India currently has over 90 chess Grandmasters, reflecting rapid growth in the sport.
A chess Grandmaster title requires three GM norms and a 2500 Elo rating.
Open tournaments allow players to earn norms without age or category restrictions.
Chess gained increased institutional support in India after 2010.

Green ammonia is produced using green hydrogen derived from renewable energy sources.
India has set a national target of 500 GW renewable energy capacity.
Andhra Pradesh aims to generate 160 GW of green energy.
Kakinada is being developed as a Green Hydrogen Valley.

In the immediate term (2026), Geoeconomic Confrontation has emerged as the biggest global risk, overtaking armed conflict and extreme weather events as the most likely trigger of a global crisis.
Geoeconomic Confrontation refers to the strategic use of economic tools such as trade restrictions, sanctions, investment controls, and technology bans by states to advance geopolitical interests and constrain rivals, weakening multilateralism and rising protectionism.
State-based armed conflict ranks second globally, reflecting ongoing wars and regional spillover risks.
Climate-related risks like extreme weather events rank next, alongside societal polarisation.
Technological risks are rising globally, with misinformation and disinformation ranking 5th worldwide, reflecting growing threats to democratic processes and social trust.
At the same time, adverse outcomes of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have entered the top 10 global risks, highlighting concerns over job displacement, ethical misuse, and security challenges.
Cyber insecurity ranks 9th globally, underscoring increasing digital vulnerability as economies and governance systems become more digitally dependent.
Over the long term (next ten years), climate-related risks dominate, with extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and critical changes to Earth systems at the top.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 mandates the establishment of the Lokpal at the Union level and Lokayuktas at the State level to inquire into complaints of corruption against specified public functionaries.
The Act aims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and integrity in public administration through an independent and statutory anti-corruption framework.
The Act was amended in 2016 to allow the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha to be a member of the Lokpal Selection Committee in the absence of a formally recognised Leader of Opposition.
The Lokayukta is a state-level anti-corruption authority established to investigate complaints and allegations against public servants.
The Lokayukta and Upalokayukta are appointed by the Governor after consultation with the Chief Justice of the State High Court and the Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly.
In most states, the Lokayukta holds office for a non-renewable term of five years or until attaining the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier, and enjoys security of tenure, as removal is possible only through an impeachment motion passed by the state legislature.

Location: Located within the old Parliament House (Samvidhan Sadan). It is also known as Narendra Mandal and was later remodelled into the Library Hall.
Establishment & Function: It was established in 1920 under the Government of India Act, 1919, as a British-created consultative body. It functioned from 1921 to 1947, allowing India’s princely states to raise issues with the Crown through sittings presided over by the Viceroy.
Post-Independence Role: It housed the Supreme Court of India from its inauguration on 28th January, 1950, until August 1958. Prior to that, the Federal Court of India had sat there from 1937 to 1950.