UPSC Prelims
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Prelims Pinpointer — October 12, 2026
Today’s high-yield Prelims facts — Katchatheevu and Sri Lanka’s claim in court, Gandhi’s Great Trial and the right to peaceful protest, and Manipur’s 1949 merger
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Katchatheevu: Sri Lanka Cites India’s Stand in Court
Why in News
- Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that India has acknowledged before its Supreme Court that Katchatheevu belongs to Sri Lanka.
About Katchatheevu
- It is a small, uninhabited island in the Palk Strait, between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s Jaffna peninsula.
- It was historically under the control of the Raja of Ramnad.
About the 1974 and 1976 Agreements
- The 1974 India–Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Agreement, signed by Indira Gandhi and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, placed Katchatheevu on the Sri Lankan side of the boundary.
- The 1974 agreement allowed Indian fishermen to rest and dry their nets without travel documents.
- The 1976 agreement fixed the boundary in the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal. It barred fishermen of each country from fishing in the other’s waters and recognised India’s sovereignty over the Wadge Bank.
About the Constitutional Question
- In Berubari Union (1960), the Supreme Court held that ceding Indian territory to another country requires a constitutional amendment under Article 368.
- The government’s position has been that Katchatheevu was disputed territory, not settled Indian territory, so no amendment was needed.
About Palk Strait
- The Palk Strait separates Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka’s Northern Province and links the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar.
- Adam’s Bridge (Ram Setu), a chain of limestone shoals, lies at its southern end.
Mains Angle
- Katchatheevu is central to the fishermen’s conflict, which involves arrests of Indian fishermen and bottom trawling in Sri Lankan waters.
- The issue shows how Tamil Nadu’s politics can influence India’s foreign policy.
- India’s stand in court reflects its Neighbourhood First priority of stable ties with Sri Lanka.
Conclusion: India’s stand signals that it treats the boundary as settled, while the livelihood concerns of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen still need a negotiated solution.
Source: The Hindu
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Right to Peaceful Protest: From Gandhi to the Supreme Court
Why in News
- The detention of protesters demanding the CEC’s resignation on 10 October has revived attention on Mahatma Gandhi’s 1922 court statement on dissent and on the Supreme Court’s rulings on peaceful protest.
About the Great Trial (1922)
- Gandhi was tried for sedition under Section 124A of the IPC, in Ahmedabad, on 18 March 1922.
- The charge related to three articles he had published in his journal Young India.
- Gandhi and his publisher Shankarlal Banker pleaded guilty. Gandhi was sentenced to six years of imprisonment, and he was released early in 1924 on health grounds.
- In his statement, Gandhi said that affection cannot be manufactured or regulated by law. He argued that people should be free to express disaffection as long as they do not incite violence.
- The trial came soon after Gandhi suspended the Non-Cooperation Movement following the Chauri Chaura incident of February 1922.
About Judicial Precedents
- Kameshwar Prasad (1962): Peaceful demonstration is a form of expression.
- Himat Lal K. Shah (1972): The State can only regulate assembly, through reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order.
- Anita Thakur (2016): Peaceful protest is a fundamental right.
- MKSS (2018): A blanket ban on protests at Jantar Mantar is not allowed.
About Sedition Today
- In S.G. Vombatkere v. Union of India (2022), the Supreme Court put the sedition law (Section 124A) on hold, so no new cases could be filed under it.
- The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 has removed sedition as an offence.
- In its place, Section 152 of the BNS punishes acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
Conclusion: From Gandhi’s trial to recent rulings, Indian law has recognised peaceful dissent as essential to democracy, subject only to reasonable restrictions.
Source: The Hindu
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Manipur Armed Groups Call Shutdown over 1949 Merger
Why in News
- Seven banned armed groups in Manipur have called a 12-hour shutdown on 15 October to observe “National Black Day” in protest against Manipur’s 1949 merger with India.
About Manipur’s Integration with India
- Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh signed the Instrument of Accession in August 1947.
- The Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947 provided for an elected assembly, which was formed in 1948.
- The Manipur Merger Agreement was signed in Shillong on 21 September 1949 and took effect on 15 October 1949.
- Manipur became a Part C State, then a Union Territory in 1956, and a full State on 21 January 1972.
Constitutional Provisions
- Article 371C provides for a Hill Areas Committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly to safeguard the interests of the hill areas.
Conclusion: The shutdown call reflects the persistence of separatist sentiment in Manipur and the need for a sustained political approach alongside security measures.
Source: The Hindu
