CLAT 2027 Current Affairs | August 2026 Monthly Current Affairs | Complete One Shot Revision

Main Ideas

The lecture is an August 2026 current-affairs revision for law-entrance exams. Each topic is presented through its background, key facts and likely exam questions, often linked to geography, constitutional provisions, laws or treaties.

1. Nepal Flash Flood and Glacial Hazards

The lecture describes a major flood in Nepal on 26 August 2026. Initially reported as an earthquake, the event was later attributed to a glacier collapse and debris flow, rather than an earthquake. The lecture says the USGS analysis and satellite imagery supported this explanation.

It distinguishes between two types of hazards:

• A flash flood is a rapid, high-velocity rise of water. It may follow intense rain, a cloudburst, dam failure, or the sudden release of water from a glacier or landslide-dammed lake. Its short warning time makes it especially dangerous.
• A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) occurs when water held in or around a glacial lake is suddenly released, potentially causing destructive flooding downstream.

The event is linked to the Himalayan region near the Tibet–Nepal border and to downstream rivers and communities. The instructor emphasizes knowing the affected districts and how the water system connects to rivers that ultimately feed the Ganga drainage basin. The lecture compares the hazard with earlier disasters, including Chamoli in Uttarakhand and South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim.

Exam focus: Distinguish a flash flood from a GLOF, identify the cause of the Nepal event, and know the relevant rivers and downstream connections.

2. Nepal: Geography, History and Relations with India

The instructor reviews Nepal’s capital, its borders with India and Tibet, and the Indian states that share a border with Nepal.

The 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, signed after the Anglo-Nepalese War, is presented as an important turning point. The lecture connects it to the recruitment of Gorkhas into military service and to the historical boundary formed by the Mahakali River. It also outlines Nepal’s transition from monarchy to a federal democratic republic, its constitution and the structure of its parliament.

India–Nepal relations are discussed through:

• The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship and the reciprocal treatment of citizens.
• Trade, military cooperation and the Surya Kiran joint exercise.
• Regional organisations, energy links and pipelines.

Two border disputes receive particular attention:

• Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura: The countries disagree about the source and course of the Mahakali/Kali River and how the Sugauli Treaty’s boundary should be interpreted. The lecture mentions India’s road to Lipulekh and Nepal’s inclusion of the disputed areas on its map and currency.
• Susta: The lecture attributes the dispute partly to a change in the course of the Gandak/Narayani River, which altered the river’s relationship to the territory.

Exam focus: Know the treaty background, key rivers, disputed areas and how changes in river courses can affect boundary claims.

3. Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2026

The lecture says the Act received presidential assent and increased the Supreme Court’s strength to 37 judges excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI)—38 including the CJI. It also notes that the bill was introduced as a Money Bill, a point the instructor flags as potentially contentious.

The session places the change in the broader history of the Supreme Court, including earlier courts in colonial India, the Federal Court under the Government of India Act, 1935, and the Supreme Court’s establishment in 1950. It highlights the constitutional provisions concerning the Court, particularly Articles 124–147.

The instructor reviews judicial appointments and the collegium system:

• The First Judges Case (1982) treated consultation with the CJI as not binding.
• The Second Judges Case (1993) established the collegium approach and gave greater weight to the judiciary’s view.
• The Third Judges Case (1998) clarified the collegium’s composition and decision-making.
• The lecture also mentions the 99th Constitutional Amendment and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which the Supreme Court struck down.

Other topics include judges’ qualifications, appointment and oath, retirement at 65, removal by parliamentary process, and the Supreme Court’s jurisdictions and powers.

Exam focus: The Court’s composition, appointment process, collegium cases, removal procedure and the distinctions between its jurisdictions.

4. Renaming Kerala as Keralam

The lecture describes the proposal to rename Kerala Keralam and traces the name’s history to an Ashokan rock edict. It also discusses the movement for a Malayalam-speaking state and the formation of Kerala from Travancore, Cochin and Malabar.

The constitutional process for changing a state’s name is explained as follows:

• Article 3 empowers Parliament to form states and alter state boundaries, areas or names.
• A bill of this kind requires the President’s prior recommendation and must be referred to the affected state legislature for its views.
• The state legislature’s views are not binding on Parliament.
• Under Article 4, laws made under Article 3 are not treated as constitutional amendments under Article 368 and can be passed by a simple majority.

The lecture briefly lists earlier state and territory name changes as examples.

Exam focus: The history of the name, the linguistic reorganisation context, and the difference between an Article 3/4 law and an Article 368 amendment.

5. FCRA and Proposed Changes

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 is explained as a law intended to regulate foreign donations to individuals and organisations in India and help ensure that funds are used for their stated purposes. The lecture distinguishes foreign donations from ordinary remittances or business transactions, which it says are governed differently.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is identified as responsible for administering the FCRA. The requirements and restrictions discussed include:

• Registration or permission to receive foreign contributions.
• Use of a designated bank account.
• Limits on transferring foreign contributions to another person or organisation.
• Restrictions on recipients such as political parties, media organisations and certain public officials.
• A reporting threshold for gifts from relatives, as described by the instructor.

The lecture explains that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is an ad hoc parliamentary committee that can examine a bill and hear stakeholders, but whose recommendations are not binding on the government. It also reviews FCRA-related rules mentioned in the session, including activity categories, disclosure requirements, state- and purpose-specific registration, and expanded accountability for people connected to an organisation.

A proposed amendment bill is described as not yet passed. According to the instructor, it would address:

• Management of assets belonging to organisations whose registrations are suspended or cancelled.
• Restrictions on dealing with those assets.
• Oversight and enforcement.
• Penalties.

Exam focus: Distinguish the Act from its rules, understand the JPC’s role, and separate existing requirements from proposed changes.

6. Teesta River and India–Bangladesh Water Sharing

The Teesta is described as originating in Sikkim, flowing through West Bengal and Bangladesh, and joining the Brahmaputra/Jamuna system. The instructor also names several tributaries.

The session traces the dispute through partition, Bangladesh’s independence, the Joint Rivers Commission and later attempts at interim water-sharing arrangements. A proposed allocation discussed in 2011 is described as having faced opposition from West Bengal, leaving the dispute unresolved.

The lecture places the issue in the broader context of transboundary rivers, international law and India’s constitutional powers to enter international agreements. It notes that India and Bangladesh share many rivers but have agreements on only a small number, naming the Ganga and Kushiyara. The instructor also connects the issue to the expiry of the Ganga water-sharing treaty and the importance of India–Bangladesh relations.

Exam focus: The Teesta’s course and tributaries, the timeline of negotiations, and why the proposed agreement has not been concluded.

7. India–Sri Lanka Relations

The lecture reviews the history of Ceylon/Sri Lanka, the Tamil population and the Shastri–Sirimavo agreement concerning Indian-origin Tamils.

It discusses Kachchatheevu, locating it in the Palk Strait and covering the 1974 and 1976 India–Sri Lanka maritime agreements. The session addresses access to the island and St. Anthony’s Church, as well as continuing fishing-related concerns.

The instructor also gives a historical overview of the LTTE and the Tamil conflict, including India’s changing involvement, the 1987 Indo–Sri Lanka Accord, the 13th Amendment and the end of the LTTE conflict in 2009.

Other points include trade, development projects, maritime security cooperation and the proposed review of the India–Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement.

Exam focus: Locate Kachchatheevu, understand the maritime agreements and fishing issue, and know the broad timeline of India’s involvement in Sri Lanka.

Speakers and Sources Featured

Speaker: One instructor, whose name is not provided in the subtitles. The instructor addresses students and responds to brief comments from the live audience.

Other speakers: No other identifiable speaker gives a substantive presentation; audience members appear only through brief chat comments.

Sources, institutions, laws, treaties and cases named in the lecture:

• USGS
• Treaty of Sugauli
• 1950 India–Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship
• Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2026
• Constitution of India, particularly Articles 3, 4, 108, 124–147, 253 and 368
• First, Second and Third Judges Cases
• NJAC decision
• FCRA, 2010 and the proposed FCRA amendment
• Joint Parliamentary Committee
• Helsinki Rules
• India–Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission and water-sharing agreements
• 1974 and 1976 India–Sri Lanka maritime agreements