Legal Current Affairs for 8 February 2026

About: Anti-Defection Law, introduced by the 52nd Amendment in 1985, adding the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution.
It aimed to stop political defections for personal gain. It applies to both Parliament and State Assemblies.
The law was strengthened by the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, which omitted the provision related to a “split” (where 1/3rd members could defect) and retained only the “merger” provision.
Objectives of the Law: Maintain political stability and prevent government toppling and curbs horse-trading by discouraging parties from luring legislators with incentives.
Enforce party discipline via voting according to the party whip.
Allow merger of parties without disqualification and strengthen democracy.

Padi Kaushik Reddy v. State of Telangana (2025): SC urged Parliamentary reforms to ensure timely and fair adjudication of defection cases and re-examine the Speaker’s role.
Keisham Meghachandra Singh vs The Hon’ble Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly (2020): Speaker must decide disqualification cases within 3 months; delays defeat the Tenth Schedule. SC also suggested an independent tribunal to ensure neutrality and speed.
Ravi S. Naik v. Union of India (1994): Speaker must act as a neutral adjudicator, an MP/MLA can be disqualified without formally resigning if conduct shows defection.
Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu (1992): Speaker’s decisions under the Anti-Defection Law are subject to judicial review in cases of mala fide intent, procedural irregularity, or constitutional violation.

About: The Startup India Initiative launched on 16th January 2016, led by DPIIT under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has evolved into a full-stack platform supporting startups from ideation to scale.
Startup India Action Plan: An Action Plan for Startup India was unveiled in 2016.
The Action Plan comprises 19 action items spanning across areas such as “Simplification and handholding”, “Funding support and incentives” and “Industry-academia partnership and incubation”.
The Action Plan laid the foundation of Government support, schemes and incentives envisaged to create a vibrant startup ecosystem in the country.

Accommodative Stance: This signals a deliberate bias towards lowering interest rates to stimulate growth by making credit cheaper, typically adopted when inflation is controlled but the economy requires support.
Neutral Stance: A balanced, data-dependent position with no pre-set bias, giving the RBI flexibility to adjust policy rates in either direction based on incoming macroeconomic data.
Calibrated Tightening: This indicates a cautious shift towards gradually tightening policy to curb inflation, signaling rate cuts are unlikely while potential hikes remain on the table.
Hawkish Stance: A policy orientation that prioritizes controlling inflation, even at the potential cost of slower growth, often through higher interest rates.
Dovish Stance: A policy approach that favors promoting growth and employment, typically through lower interest rates, even if inflation risks are elevated.

The Agni missile series, conceptualised in the 1980s as a part of Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), forms the backbone of India’s credible nuclear deterrence.
Beginning with a two-stage technology demonstrator tested in 1989, it evolved into Agni-I (700–1,250 km), Agni-II (2,000–2,500 km), and Agni-III (3,000–3,500 km) – all solid-fuel, mobile missiles inducted into the Indian Army.
India later tested Agni-IV (3,000–4,000 km) in 2014, a two-stage Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile with advanced indigenous systems, currently in field trials.
The Agni-V is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) -class missile (~5,000+ km) with canisterised, road-mobile launch.
Agni-VI, now under development, is expected to be launched from land and submarines with a strike range of 8,000–10,000 km, significantly strengthening India’s second-strike capability.
Agni Prime is a nuclear-capable new-generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles. It is a two-stage canister missile with a maximum range of 1,000 to 2,000 km. It is lighter than all the earlier Agni series of missiles.

About: Private Member’s Bills (PMBs) are legislative proposals introduced by Members of Parliament (MPs) who are not Ministers (i.e., not part of the government), enabling them to raise issues and suggest laws or amendments on matters significant to their constituencies.
Key Features: Only non-government MPs can introduce these bills, offering a chance for independent legislative proposals.
MPs can also introduce resolutions to call attention to specific matters.
Procedure:
Drafting and Notice: MPs draft and submit bills with at least one month’s notice.
Introduction: Bills are introduced in Parliament, followed by initial discussions.
Debate: If selected, bills are debated, typically in limited Friday afternoon sessions.
Decision: Bills may be withdrawn or proceed to a vote.
Decline of PMBs: Since Independence, only 14 PMBs have been passed by both Houses and received Presidential assent. No PMB has passed both Houses since 1970.

In the Prakash Singh judgment, the Court ruled that DGP appointments must be insulated from political influence and that the concept of “acting” DGPs should not exist.
The judgment mandated that DGPs be selected from among the three senior-most and meritorious officers empanelled by the UPSC, with a minimum fixed tenure of two years.
Subsequent Supreme Court orders in 2018 and 2019 laid down a detailed procedure, requiring States to send proposals to the UPSC three months before the incumbent DGP’s retirement.