SNIPPETS: 25 NOVEMBER 2025

POLITY

• Justice Surya Kant was sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Known for a consensual judicial style, he has delivered key rulings, including the electoral bonds verdict, Pegasus surveillance probe, and scrutiny of sedition law. He previously upheld the Article 370 changes and contributed to resolving the farmers’ protest. His tenure will focus on reducing Supreme Court pendency and overseeing the constitutionality of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) scheme.
•  The Audit Diwas is observed on November 16 as India’s first auditor-general assumed the office on this day in 1860.  Sir Edward Drummond took charge as the first Auditor General. After India became independent in 1947, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India was established as a constitutional authority with the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1950.

SCIENCE AND TECH

• India has achieved a major scientific breakthrough with CSIR–IGIB developing an indigenous CRISPR-based gene-editing tool, now transferred to the Serum Institute of India. Its first application, Birsa-101, offers a cost-effective therapy for sickle cell disease by correcting the root genetic mutation. Phase I trials with AIIMS begin next year, followed by SII-led Phase II & III trials. The innovation supports India’s target of eliminating sickle cell disease by 2047 and strengthens indigenous biotech capacity.
• Sentinel-6B, a joint NASA–NOAA–ESA satellite, was launched on 17 November 2025 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. As the second mission in the Sentinel-6 series, it carries six instruments to measure sea-level rise, ocean temperature, currents, and atmospheric conditions. Orbiting Earth every 112 minutes, it extends the global altimetry record begun in the 1990s. Its high-precision ocean data will improve climate monitoring, cyclone forecasting, maritime security, and support India’s coastal and monsoon predictions.

DEFENCE

• The Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, the first Mahe-class Shallow Water Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) craft, enhancing India’s littoral security and undersea threat detection. Built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd under a 2019 contract, it marks a major push in naval indigenisation. Equipped with advanced ASW sensors, torpedoes, and high-speed agility, INS Mahe replaces the Abhay-class and supports rapid coastal patrols. Commissioned on 24 November 2025, it symbolises speed and precision through its cheetah mascot and Urumi crest.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS

• Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s first and only woman President and former UN Human Rights chief, received the 2024 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. A two-term President of Chile (2006–2010 and 2014–2018), Bachelet was honoured for her global leadership and public service. The award carries Rs 10 million and a trophy made of Haematite Jasper, the ancient, exceptionally hard stone also used at Indira Gandhi’s samadhi at Shakti Sthala, New Delhi, estimated to be 2,000 million years old.
• India won the inaugural Blind Women’s T20 World Cup after defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final played at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.