UPSC Mains Current Affairs for 22 April 2026

Judicial Accountability in India – The Justice Varma Case

April 22, 2026

Judicial Accountability Latest News

The resignation of Justice Yashwant Varma during an ongoing inquiry has raised questions about judicial accountability and the fate of such investigations.

Removal of Judges in India: Constitutional Framework

The removal of judges in India is governed by Article 124(4) and Article 217 of the Constitution.
These provisions ensure judicial independence while also providing a mechanism for accountability.
A judge of the Supreme Court or High Court can be removed only on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The process is deliberately rigorous to prevent arbitrary removal.
The procedure begins with a motion in Parliament.
- If admitted, a three-member inquiry committee is constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. This committee investigates the charges and submits a report.
- If the committee finds the charges proved, both Houses of Parliament must pass a removal motion with a special majority. The final removal is done by the President.
This process separates the investigative stage from the political decision-making stage, ensuring due process and institutional balance.

Judges Inquiry Committee: Structure and Functioning

The inquiry committee plays a central role in establishing facts. It typically consists of a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice, and a distinguished jurist.
The committee conducts hearings, examines witnesses, and reviews evidence. Proceedings are often held in-camera to maintain confidentiality.
Importantly, the committee operates under a statutory framework and is expected to follow principles of natural justice. It ensures that the judge concerned gets an opportunity to defend themselves.
The outcome of the inquiry determines whether Parliament proceeds with impeachment.

Issue of Resignation During Inquiry

A key legal issue arises when a judge resigns during the inquiry process. The Constitution and the Judges (Inquiry) Act do not clearly specify whether the inquiry should continue in such cases.
Past instances show inconsistency. In some cases, inquiries were discontinued after resignation, while in others, committees continued their work and submitted findings.
Legal experts argue that the investigative stage is independent and serves a public purpose.
It helps establish truth and accountability, even if removal becomes redundant after resignation.
If inquiries are automatically terminated upon resignation, it may allow judges to avoid adverse findings by stepping down at a strategic stage. This raises concerns about institutional credibility.

News Summary: Justice Yashwant Varma Case

The case against Justice Yashwant Varma originated from allegations of unaccounted cash discovered at his official residence following a fire incident.
A parliamentary inquiry committee was constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. The panel conducted multiple in-camera hearings and examined several witnesses as part of the investigation.
During the proceedings, assisting counsel informed the committee that the evidence was sufficient to substantiate the charges. These included possession of unexplained cash, interference with material evidence, and furnishing misleading explanations.
The inquiry had reached an advanced stage and was about to enter the defence phase when the judge chose to withdraw from the proceedings.

Resignation and Its Implications

Justice Varma submitted his resignation during the inquiry and alleged procedural unfairness in the process.
Following the resignation, the committee concluded that the impeachment process could not continue, as it applies only to a sitting judge. The panel formally closed proceedings and submitted its report to the Lok Sabha.
The Union government rejected allegations of bias and defended the conduct of the inquiry.
However, the resignation does not completely end accountability. Since the judge is no longer in office, criminal proceedings may still be initiated under ordinary law, subject to approval.
The case has triggered a broader debate on whether resignation should terminate statutory inquiries, highlighting gaps in the current legal framework governing judicial accountability.

Source : TH | TOI | HT

Judicial Accountability FAQs

Q1: What are the grounds for removal of judges in India?

Ans: Judges can be removed for proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

Q2: Which law governs the inquiry against judges?

Ans: The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 governs the investigative process.

Q3: What happens if a judge resigns during impeachment proceedings?

Ans: The removal process ends, but legal ambiguity remains regarding continuation of inquiry.

Q4: Can criminal proceedings continue after resignation?

Ans: Yes, criminal proceedings can continue under ordinary law after resignation.

Q5: Why is the Justice Varma case significant?

Ans: It highlights gaps in judicial accountability mechanisms and raises questions about procedural loopholes.

Pahalgam Attack Security Shift: How Pahalgam Attack Security Shift Transformed J&K Strategy

April 22, 2026

Pahalgam Attack Latest News

The April 22, 2025 Pahalgam attack, in which terrorists killed 26 people—mostly tourists—marked a major turning point in Jammu & Kashmir’s security approach.
It exposed critical vulnerabilities, especially the unprecedented targeting of tourists, and forced a reassessment of existing strategies.
In response, the security framework has shifted from urban, reactive measures to a more dispersed, intelligence-driven model, focusing on high-altitude dominance, stronger local intelligence networks, and enhanced surveillance with precision operations.

While the situation has stabilised and tourism is recovering, the gaps revealed by the attack continue to influence security planning in the region.

Pahalgam Attack: Exposing Security Gaps in J&K’s ‘Normalcy’ Narrative

Breakdown of the ‘Normalcy’ Assumption - The Pahalgam attack disrupted the prevailing narrative of stability in Jammu & Kashmir, where declining urban violence and rising tourism had encouraged wider access to remote regions.
Expansion into Strategically Vulnerable Areas - Nearly 75 high-altitude tourist destinations across the Pir Panjal range—such as Sinthan Top and Boota Pathri—were opened post-pandemic. However, many of these areas lay close to historical infiltration routes, where militant presence persisted intermittently.
Misreading of Threat Perception - Security agencies largely assumed militants would continue traditional patterns of attacks in urban centres or against security forces. The possibility of tourists being targeted in remote, lightly secured areas was not adequately anticipated.
Emergence of ‘Soft Frontiers’ - These newly opened tourist zones effectively became “soft frontiers”—areas accessible to civilians but lacking sufficient security coverage, exposing vulnerabilities in the system.
Corrective Measures and Realisation - Following the attack, over 50 tourist sites were closed, reflecting an acknowledgment that tourism expansion had outpaced security preparedness.

Post-Pahalgam Security Shift in J&K: From Terrain Control to Intelligence-Led Operations

From Road Security to Terrain Dominance

Deployment in High-Altitude Zones - Security forces have established 43 Temporary Operating Bases (TOBs) across the Pir Panjal range, with personnel stationed at altitudes of 3,000–9,000 feet. Units like the Central Reserve Police Force and Rashtriya Rifles now occupy strategic heights.
Strategic Shift: “Holding the Ridge” - The focus has moved from road-centric security to controlling ridgelines and forested terrain, aiming to disrupt militant infiltration routes and deny them geographic advantage.

Technology Integration and the ‘Human Firewall’

Aadhaar-Linked Identification System - Over 50,000 individuals in the tourism ecosystem (guides, pony handlers, vendors) have been integrated into an Aadhaar-linked database with QR-coded IDs.
Enhanced Surveillance Mechanisms – It included measures like: Deployment of Facial Recognition Devices at transit points; Use of drone corridors for aerial monitoring of vulnerable areas; and Focus on non-intrusive security presence to sustain tourism.

Intelligence-Led Precision Operations

Operation Mahadev (2025) - Security forces neutralised the Pahalgam attackers using human intelligence and drone surveillance, marking a shift toward proactive operations.
Busting of Terror Networks
- “Doctor Module” (2025): Led to seizure of 350 kg explosives in Haryana, preventing wider attacks
- Kishtwar-Doda Operations: Neutralisation of the Saifullah group
- Crackdown on a transnational Lashkar-e-Taiba recruitment network
Shift to “Intel-First” Strategy
- Operations now prioritise:
  - Deep network tracking across regions
  - Precision strikes with minimal collateral damage
  - Moving beyond reactive responses to preventive security measures

Limits of Security Adaptation in J&K

Despite recent reforms, the security framework in Jammu & Kashmir remains porous and evolving, with key challenges continuing to undermine complete control.

Challenges in Border Surveillance

Delays in deploying all-weather surveillance systems, partly due to setbacks in satellite missions, have restricted continuous monitoring.
Surveillance remains inconsistent, especially in harsh weather conditions.
Ground sensors and drones, though useful, are affected by extreme terrain and climate, reducing their reliability.

Intelligence Deficit in Difficult Terrain

Dense forests in the Pir Panjal range limit effective intelligence gathering.
The terrain allows militants to remain concealed and mobile.
Small, flexible “hybrid” militant modules can evade detection temporarily, exploiting gaps in surveillance and intelligence.

External Factors and Continued Threats

Continued cross-border infiltration pressures sustain the threat environment.
Security officials note that as long as external support persists, sporadic incidents are likely to continue, even if reduced.

Source: IE | TH

Pahalgam Attack FAQs

Q1: What is the Pahalgam attack security shift?

Ans: Pahalgam attack security shift refers to the transformation in Jammu and Kashmir’s security strategy after the 2025 attack, focusing on intelligence-led and terrain-based operations.

Q2: Why did the Pahalgam attack security shift occur?

Ans: The Pahalgam attack security shift occurred because the attack exposed vulnerabilities in tourist areas and forced a rethink of traditional urban-centric security approaches.

Q3: What changes were introduced under the Pahalgam attack security shift?

Ans: The Pahalgam attack security shift introduced high-altitude deployments, drone surveillance, Aadhaar-linked verification systems, and intelligence-driven precision operations.

Q4: What are the limitations of the Pahalgam attack security shift?

Ans: Despite reforms, the Pahalgam attack security shift faces challenges like infiltration, difficult terrain, weak human intelligence, and technological limitations in surveillance systems.

Q5: How does the Pahalgam attack security shift affect national security?

Ans: The Pahalgam attack security shift strengthens counter-terrorism by focusing on proactive intelligence and terrain dominance, though long-term challenges remain in maintaining security stability.

3D Glass Semiconductor: How 3D Glass Semiconductor India Is Transforming Chip Technology

April 22, 2026

3D Glass Semiconductor Latest News

The foundation stone for India's first advanced 3D chip packaging unit was laid in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Approved under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) at a cost of ₹1,934 crore, the facility is led by US-based 3D Glass Solutions and has received investments from Intel, Lockheed Martin, and other venture capital and private equity funds.
It is being described as the project that will put India "at the cutting edge of technology" in advanced chip packaging.

What are Semiconductors and Why Do They Matter

A semiconductor is a material (usually silicon) that can conduct electricity under certain conditions — making it the foundation of all modern electronics, from smartphones and laptops to missiles and satellites.
Chips (or integrated circuits) are tiny devices made from semiconductors that process and store information.
Every digital device —phone, car, ATM — runs on chips. Countries that can design and manufacture chips hold enormous technological, economic, and strategic power.

Moore's Law and its Limitations

Moore's Law, formulated in 1965 by Gordon Moore (co-founder of Intel), states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles approximately every two years, driving exponential improvements in computing power while reducing costs.
For decades, this was the guiding principle of the semiconductor industry — chips kept getting smaller, faster, and cheaper.
However, chips are now approaching physical and thermal limits — one simply cannot keep shrinking transistors indefinitely.
As a result, the industry is now pursuing alternative strategies to sustain performance improvements — the most promising of which are advanced packaging, chiplets, and 3D integration.

Traditional Chips vs. 3D Glass Chips — What's the Difference

Traditional chips are built on silicon wafers, with all components arranged side by side on a flat, planar surface.
This works well up to a point, but as one tries to fit more and more components onto the same flat surface, he/she inevitably hit physical limits.
There is only so much space on a single layer, and beyond a certain point, components simply cannot be made any smaller or packed any tighter without causing errors, overheating, or signal interference.

3D Glass Chips — The Next Generation

Think of 3D chips as skyscrapers instead of bungalows — instead of spreading components sideways, stack them vertically, dramatically increasing computing power within the same physical footprint.
Key advantages of glass-based 3D chips include:
- Better thermal stability — glass handles heat more efficiently than silicon.
- Lower signal loss — signals travel more cleanly through glass substrates.
- Higher precision — enables more advanced and finer chip nodes.
- Heterogeneous Integration — allows combining different types of chips (logic processors, memory chips, sensors) into a single 3D package, enabling faster AI models, more efficient data centres, and advanced defence electronics.
The Odisha facility specifically uses glass substrates (instead of traditional silicon) and 3D Heterogeneous Integration (3DHI) technology — making it genuinely cutting-edge and novel even by global standards.

About the Odisha Facility

Location - Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Cost- ₹1,934 crore
Technology - 3D Glass Chip Packaging and 3DHI modules
Lead Company - 3D Glass Solutions (USA)
Key Investors - Intel, Lockheed Martin, VC/PE funds
Applications - Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Defence, Data Centres
This is the only project among the ten approved under ISM that represents truly advanced packaging — making it strategically distinct from all other approved plants.

India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) — Overview

Launched in 2021 with a total outlay of ₹76,000 crore, ISM was conceived as India's state-backed push to build a full-stack chip ecosystem — covering fabrication, packaging, testing, design, and display manufacturing.
Key Achievements So Far:
- 10 semiconductor projects approved across six states.
- Total investments attracted: over ₹1.6 lakh crore.
Projects include:
- Chip fabrication plant by Tata Group.
- OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) units — including Micron Technology (USA).
  - OSAT - the stage after chip fabrication where chips are assembled into usable packages and tested for quality.
  - India currently has more OSAT capacity than fabrication capacity, reflecting where it is in the semiconductor value chain.
- The Odisha 3D glass packaging facility.

ISM 2.0 — What's Next

The government is working on the next iteration of ISM with an expected outlay of approximately $11 billion.
Key shifts from ISM 1.0 to ISM 2.0:
- [my_image src="https://d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net/current-affairs-wp-uploads/2026/04/ISM-1.0-Vs-2.0.jpg" size="full" align="none" width="auto" height="285px" alt="" title="ISM 1.0 Vs 2.0"]
ISM 2.0 reflects a more mature, ecosystem-wide approach — moving beyond just building plants to strengthening the entire semiconductor supply chain within India.

Conclusion

This development highlights the fact that India is moving beyond basic chip assembly toward genuinely cutting-edge packaging technology that even advanced nations are only beginning to deploy.
From a strategic perspective, investments by Lockheed Martin and Intel signal that India's semiconductor push is being taken seriously by global defence and technology majors.
From an economic perspective, ISM is a textbook example of industrial policy — using state support to build strategic industries that the private sector alone would not develop fast enough.
From a geopolitical perspective, reducing dependence on imported chips — especially from Taiwan and China — is directly tied to India's supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy.

Source: IE

3D Glass Semiconductor FAQs

Q1: What is 3D glass semiconductor India project?

Ans: 3D glass semiconductor India project refers to India’s advanced chip packaging initiative using glass substrates and 3D integration to improve performance, efficiency, and computing power.

Q2: Why is 3D glass semiconductor India important?

Ans: 3D glass semiconductor India is important because it helps India enter advanced chip technology, reducing dependence on imports and strengthening technological and strategic capabilities.

Q3: How does 3D glass semiconductor India differ from traditional chips?

Ans: 3D glass semiconductor India uses vertical stacking of components and glass substrates, unlike flat silicon chips, enabling better thermal stability, faster performance, and higher efficiency.

Q4: What is the role of India Semiconductor Mission in 3D glass semiconductor India?

Ans: The India Semiconductor Mission supports 3D glass semiconductor India by funding projects, building infrastructure, and promoting a complete semiconductor ecosystem in the country.

Q5: How does 3D glass semiconductor India impact global supply chains?

Ans: 3D glass semiconductor India strengthens supply chain resilience, reduces reliance on countries like China and Taiwan, and positions India as a global semiconductor hub.