UPSC Current Affairs 26 November 2025, Key Topics and MCQs

UPSC Current Affairs – 26 November 2025 presents key constitutional developments, contemporary challenges and exam-relevant insights for UPSC aspirants. The analysis covers historical context, recent judicial trends and MCQs based on the important topics of the day.

Indian Constitution Ahead of Its Time for UPSC Prelims 2025

This section explains how the Constitution adopted several progressive measures decades before many Western democracies. It highlights universal adult franchise implemented in 1950, long before countries such as the US and Australia granted complete voting rights.

The Constitution challenged caste hierarchy through Articles 15(2), 17 and 23, which prohibited discrimination, untouchability and bonded labour even in private spaces. India also institutionalised affirmative action for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in 1950, much earlier than affirmative action models in the US and South Africa.

Moreover, the Constitution recognised that power structures in India extended beyond the state to caste groups and local hierarchies, requiring constitutional safeguards to curb social oppression.

Indian Constitution vs Western Models for UPSC Mains

This topic compares India’s transformative constitutional model with Western liberal constitutions. Western models primarily restricted state authority, while India expanded constitutional rights to protect individuals from societal discrimination, especially caste-based exclusion.

Western nations rarely included group-specific protections at the founding stage. India, however, guaranteed minority cultural and educational rights through Articles 29 and 30 from the beginning. Anti-discrimination clauses were incorporated into Western democracies largely in the 1960s–1970s, whereas India embedded them in Articles 14–17 of the original Constitution.

India’s framework combines liberal rights with social reform goals, visible through Directive Principles and affirmative action.

Evolution of the Constitution Since 1950

Judicial interpretation expanded Article 21 into several derivative rights such as privacy, environment, education and legal aid. The Basic Structure Doctrine created through the Kesavananda Bharati (1973) judgment became a cornerstone in protecting democracy, secularism and judicial review.

Social justice measures evolved through Mandal reforms and the 77th and 103rd Constitutional Amendments. Rights of minorities, persons with disabilities and transgender persons expanded through progressive judgments. Federalism strengthened through GST Council jurisprudence and cooperative mechanisms post-liberalisation.

Key Constitutional Challenges Today

Persistent caste discrimination, manual scavenging and residential segregation remain major issues despite constitutional safeguards. Concentration of executive power affects institutional independence. Emergency-era provisions and preventive detention laws continue to give the state wide authority.

Emerging concerns include digital surveillance, weak data protection systems and algorithmic bias. Balancing religious freedom and gender justice remains difficult in debates such as Sabarimala and personal laws.

Way Forward for Constitutional Governance

Strengthening autonomy of constitutional bodies requires transparent appointments and secure tenures. Constitutional literacy should expand through textbooks, universities and digital platforms. Updating privacy and algorithmic accountability laws is essential under Article 21.

States must play a major role in digital governance, climate policy and welfare delivery. Minority-rights jurisprudence should be reinforced to preserve India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.

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