SNIPPETS: 5 NOVEMBER 2025

POLITY

• On October 31, 2025, the Supreme Court of India upheld attorney–client privilege under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023, ruling that lawyers cannot be compelled to reveal client communications except in limited cases involving illegality or crime. The Court linked this privilege to Articles 19(1)(g), 20(3), and 21, ensuring protection of professional and constitutional rights. It also mandated judicial oversight under BNSS 2023, reinforcing confidentiality as a cornerstone of justice and the rule of law.

SCHEMES

• The Union government has launched the third round of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI 1.2) scheme for specialty steel with an outlay of ₹6,322 crore. It aims to add 26 million tonnes of production capacity, reduce imports, and enhance self-reliance in high-grade steel for sectors like defence, aerospace, and energy. Focus areas include super alloys, stainless and coated steels, and titanium alloys. Earlier rounds attracted ₹43,874 crore investment and created over 13,000 jobs.

ENVIRONMENT

• Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai have joined the Cool Cities Accelerator, a global coalition of 33 cities announced at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro to combat urban heat. The initiative aims to safeguard residents from extreme heat through urban redesign, cooling infrastructure, and resilient planning by 2030. Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, ClimateWorks, and others, it focuses on heat leadership, early warning systems, green spaces, and sustainable infrastructure to reduce heat-related deaths.
• In what officials described as the first such case reported from any Indian zoo, Shankar, the lone African elephant at the National Zoological Park in Delhi, died in September due to the rare rodent-borne virus — encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). The findings have been revealed in an autopsy report from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), based out of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. The 29-year-old bull elephant — brought from Zimbabwe in November 1998 — was a diplomatic gift to former President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma. After spending 13 years in solitary confinement, the elephant died on September 17 in its enclosure.

DEFENCE

• Exercise Trishul is a large-scale tri-services military drill involving India’s Army, Navy, and Air Force, spanning the Sir Creek, Rann of Kutch, Saurashtra coast, and Rajasthan desert. Supported by the Coast Guard and BSF, it focuses on jointness, interoperability, ISR, EW, and cyber warfare. The exercise embodies the spirit of “JAI” — Jointness, Atmanirbharta, Innovation. Drawing parallels with Exercise BRASS TACKS IV (1987), it enhances real-time coordination across multi-domain operations amid rising regional vigilance.