CLAT PG Current Affairs — 27 July 2026

The Union Government has deferred its proposal to include the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 2022 in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, citing pending judicial proceedings. The Ninth Schedule shields laws from fundamental rights challenges under Article 31-B. Karnataka's 2022 Act sought to increase OBC, SC, and ST reservations beyond the 50% ceiling set in Indra Sawhney.

The Karnataka Reservation Act, 2022 significantly enhanced reservation quotas for OBCs, SCs, and STs in state government jobs and educational institutions, pushing total reservations well past the 50% ceiling established by the Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992). Legally, any law breaching that ceiling is vulnerable to Article 14, 15, and 16 challenges in court.

Inclusion in the Ninth Schedule, introduced by the First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951, immunises a law from judicial review on fundamental rights grounds under Article 31-B — a protection the Supreme Court itself qualified in I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007), holding that even Ninth Schedule laws enacted after April 24, 1973 (Kesavananda Bharati date) are subject to basic structure review.

The Union Government's decision to defer Ninth Schedule inclusion while Karnataka's Act faces active litigation is constitutionally significant: it acknowledges the Coelho caveat. If courts strike down the Act, Ninth Schedule inclusion would be moot. If courts uphold it, inclusion becomes a protective shield against future challenges.

For aspirants, this episode crystallises three intersecting doctrines — the 50% reservation ceiling, Ninth Schedule immunity, and its basic structure qualification — all of which examiners repeatedly mine. It also raises federalism questions: state reservation expansions require central backing for Ninth Schedule protection, revealing the Centre-State legislative interplay on social justice policy.

Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) are a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in October 2019 to expedite trials of rape and POCSO Act cases. The scheme includes dedicated exclusive POCSO courts (ePOCSO). Initially approved for one year, it has been extended multiple times. As of the latest PIB release, 761 FTSCs including 411 ePOCSO courts are operational across 30 states and UTs. The scheme is jointly funded by the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio.

India's criminal justice system has historically struggled with pendency — lakhs of cases involving heinous crimes like rape and child sexual abuse languish for years in overburdened district courts. The FTSCs scheme was a direct legislative and administrative response to this crisis, accelerating after the Justice Verma Committee recommendations post-Nirbhaya (2012) and the nationwide outrage following subsequent high-profile cases.

The POCSO Act 2012 mandates speedy trials, ideally within one year, but ordinary courts rarely meet this standard. ePOCSO courts are designed exclusively for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences cases, enabling specialised judicial attention and child-friendly infrastructure including screens, separate entry points, and support persons.

The scheme's funding model — 60% Centre, 40% states — makes it a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), not a Central Sector Scheme, which is a crucial distinction for exam purposes. States must create posts of judges and support staff from existing High Court sanctioned strength wherever possible.

From an exam angle, FTSCs sit at the intersection of judicial reform, child protection law, federalism (CSS architecture), and criminal justice pendency. The UPSC often uses this topic to test whether students can distinguish between scheme types, identify correct statutory linkages (POCSO Act sections, IPC sections on rape), and evaluate the scheme's outcomes. CLAT PG passages frequently reproduce MHA or PIB press releases and ask candidates to apply stated legal principles to hypothetical scenarios.