The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 29th October 2026

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

SC Says It Will ‘Examine Everything’ in SIR Case

• On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said that it would “examine everything” after a group of petitioners asked the Court to protect and preserve all records related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
• The petitioners included Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. They asked the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to either keep all records safe or submit them before the Court. These records include all documents and decisions related to the revision of voter lists.
• The request was made by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represents Rahul Gandhi along with advocate S. Prasanna. The request was made before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. In response, the Chief Justice said, “We will examine everything.” The Court then scheduled the next hearing for mid-November.
• The hearing was postponed after senior advocate Vikas Singh, who represents the main petitioner Rakesh Kumar Singh, asked for more time to respond to an affidavit filed by the ECI on Monday. Other petitioners, including Shailendra Mani Tripathi, were also involved in the request for more time.
• Vikas Singh pointed out that the ECI’s affidavit discussed the decisions taken, the consultations held and whether the decisions had been made unanimously, meaning that everyone had agreed. In response, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the petitioners were making a simple request that would not interfere with the ECI’s work. They only wanted the Commission to submit the records before the Court or to be directed to keep all the files safe.
• Separately, the Supreme Court issued a notice on a petition filed by Dola Sen, a Trinamool Congress leader. Her petition raised questions about the way the ECI was working and accused it of changing or tampering with Form 6. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy appeared in Court on behalf of Dola Sen.
• Menaka Guruswamy told the Court that the ECI had issued a press note claiming that the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Bihar SIR exercise allowed changes to Form 6 that she described as tampering. She criticised the Commission for using the Court’s judgment to justify these actions and questioned what she called the audacity of the institution.
• Guruswamy also said that the ECI’s affidavit accepted many of the allegations made by the petitioners in their case.
• The affidavit was filed in response to a legal challenge that began with protests on the streets of the national capital, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. These protests later led to several petitions being filed in the Supreme Court. The petitioners included ordinary citizens, activists and Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi.
• In its affidavit, the ECI stated that a Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed simply by demanding it. The Commission argued that the CEC can be removed only by following the same procedure and meeting the same legal conditions that apply to the removal of a Supreme Court judge.
• In its affidavit, the ECI presented a united position. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, stated that their decisions regarding the SIR exercise followed the law. They also argued that any attempt to stop or restrict the CEC from carrying out his duties was illegal.
• Before the public protests began, media reports had suggested that there were disagreements within the ECI. According to these reports, both Election Commissioners had raised concerns about irregularities in the procedures followed by the Commission. They had also reportedly complained about the CEC’s alleged habit of taking decisions on his own and behaving in an authoritarian manner during the large-scale SIR exercise.
• The SIR exercise has reportedly led to the removal of approximately 13 crore voters from the electoral
• The ECI’s affidavit denied the allegations that Form 6 had been changed. The Commission explained that an additional declaration form had been provided along with Form 6, but argued that this extra declaration form was not officially a part of the statutory Form 6. In other words, the Commission maintained that the additional declaration form was separate from the legally prescribed Form 6.
• According to the procedure explained in the affidavit, voters whose names were removed from the voter list during the SIR exercise must fill out Form 6 to apply for their names to be added again. Along with this form, they must also fill out an additional declaration form. In that declaration, they have to link their earlier voter-list details with the voter-list details of their parents and grandparents.
• The affidavit also stated that officials from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal had filed appeals against the inclusion of voters whose names had previously been deleted from the electoral rolls.
• The petitioners argued that these appeals, which reportedly numbered more than 16 lakh in West Bengal, were creating a huge burden on the Appellate Tribunals and slowing down their work. They claimed that the large number of appeals was putting pressure on the tribunals and making it difficult for them to deal with cases properly.
• Senior advocate Vikas Singh said that there was a great deal more to discuss about the ECI’s affidavit. His statement indicated that the petitioners had further concerns and objections regarding the Commission’s response.
• Senior advocate Maninder Singh, who represented the ECI, questioned why the petitioners were making this request before the Supreme Court. He also criticised the arguments made on behalf of Dola Sen, describing them as political statements or rhetoric that were intended to serve some other purpose rather than simply address the legal issues.
• Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Union government, argued that the Supreme Court should not be turned into a place for political arguments or political disputes.
• At the end of the hearing, the Supreme Court allowed the ECI to submit an additional affidavit if it felt that more information or explanations were needed. This means that the Commission has the option to file another written statement to provide further details or clarify its position in the ongoing case.

Modi: Science Succeeds Only When It Benefits Society

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that science is successful only when its benefits reach people and improve their lives. He explained that scientific discoveries should not remain limited to laboratories but should be used in fields and in everyday life to solve people’s problems.
• While speaking at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC), Mr. Modi said that the event should not become just a place where people discuss ideas. Instead, it should lead to real work and results that can be measured.
• Modi said that for a long time, India’s progress in science and technology was mainly about catching up with other countries. However, in the 21st century, India has become a leading country in scientific and technological progress.
• He said that the discovery of zero shows that India has a long history of discovering new things. He also gave examples of India’s recent achievements, such as Chandrayaan landing near the Moon’s south pole, Mangalyaan successfully reaching Mars on its very first attempt, and the development of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The people attending the conclave included three Nobel Prize winners, leading experts and officials from India’s scientific institutions, startup founders, and scientists from India as well as other countries.
• Modi said that a country can develop strong technology only when it gives proper attention to research. He added that efforts were being made to speed up the work of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which aims to support and strengthen research in India.
• Speaking about money for research, he mentioned a commitment of ₹1 lakh crore. This included ₹12,000 crore to help turn research carried out in laboratories into products and technologies that can be used and sold in the market. He said that private investors would also contribute an equal amount in partnership with the government for this purpose. He further mentioned new financial commitments worth ₹24,000 crore.
• Modi said that the number of patent applications filed in India had increased from around 50,000 to 1.5 lakh. He explained that this increase showed that more people in India were developing new ideas and creating new things. According to him, it was a sign that a strong habit of innovation was growing in the country, rather than simply an increase in the number of applications.
• While talking about artificial intelligence (AI), Mr. Modi raised an important question about how scientists should make correct and thoughtful decisions in an age when AI is becoming increasingly common.
• He explained that science moves forward when people question existing ideas and look at problems in new ways. He said that AI can complete regular tasks quickly and help people work more efficiently. However, it should not stop scientists from thinking for themselves or limit their ability to form their own ideas. He also stressed that the answers given by AI must be accurate and meet the high standards that scientists follow.
• Referring to the birth anniversary of the famous nuclear scientist Homi J. Bhabha, which falls on October 30, Mr. Modi said that India would need large amounts of nuclear energy to become a developed country.
• He pointed out that the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) had reached its first criticality. This means that the reactor had achieved the stage at which a controlled nuclear chain reaction begins and continues. He said that this achievement would help strengthen India’s long-term energy position.
• Modi also spoke about the progress of Indian space startups. He mentioned an Indian-made rocket that successfully placed a satellite into orbit on its first attempt. He also highlighted India’s ability to carry out satellite docking, a process in which two spacecraft or satellites connect with each other in space.
• He said that AI chips made in India were being sent to other countries and that an AI model had also been developed within the country. He added that scientists and researchers were working on battery technology using raw materials available in India. This could help the country develop its own battery technology by making use of its domestic resources.
• Modi explained that different fields, such as nuclear energy, space technology, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors, have different needs and face different challenges. However, he said that India was making progress in all these new and developing areas of technology at the same time.
• Describing India as a young country with vision and imagination, Mr. Modi said that the country needed a generation of people who could lead the world in technology. He ended by expressing confidence in India’s ability to achieve its goals with the words: “We will do it.”

Cyclone Arnab Expected to Make Early Landfall as Heavy Rain Pounds Andhra Pradesh

• Heavy rain hit the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, killing one person and causing widespread damage. Meanwhile, southern Odisha remained on high alert as the ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ Arnab moved closer to the coast.
• According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone was expected to reach the coast early on Wednesday, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., near the Yanam–Kakinada region of Andhra Pradesh. Earlier, the IMD had said that the cyclone would reach the coast around forenoon on Wednesday.
• The Jathara premises in Visakhapatnam rural mandal recorded the highest rainfall on Tuesday, with 141.75 mm of rain. Visakhapatnam district was among the worst-hit areas, as many places received more than 100 mm of rain along with strong winds. At least 200 trees were uprooted within Visakhapatnam city.
• A 65-year-old man died at Mangalapalem after touching live electric wires that had broken and fallen into water.
• Due to the severe storm on Tuesday, airlines cancelled at least 21 flights at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports. At Vijayawada airport, five flights to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Kadapa were cancelled on Tuesday. All flights scheduled for Wednesday were also cancelled by the authorities.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that 290 cyclone shelters had been set up and 84,396 people had been moved to safer places to protect them from the storm.
• More than 30,000 fishing boats had been brought back from the sea as a safety measure. Meanwhile, 93 boats from Andhra Pradesh, along with their crew members, were reported safe at Gopalpur in Odisha.
• The Odisha government began moving more than 48,000 people from areas at risk in the southern districts of the State to safer places, government sources said. As there was a risk of landslides, the government also closed several ghat roads, which are roads that pass through hilly areas.
• The East Coast Railway announced that 22 express and passenger train services would be cancelled or have their services restricted on different dates between October 27 and November 5. These trains connect Visakhapatnam, Secunderabad, Kirandul, Jagdalpur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Rayagada, Howrah, Bhubaneswar and Koraput.
• Private bus operators also restricted bus services to southern Odisha because of the approaching cyclone and the risks linked to the bad weather.
• Manorama Mohanty, Director of the IMD in Bhubaneswar, said that southern Odisha districts, including Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Koraput and Rayagada, could face winds blowing at 50–60 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 70 kmph.
• The IMD also warned that thunderstorms, lightning and strong, sudden winds could occur at one or two places in the districts of Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam on Wednesday.
• Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Pravakar Patil said that the government planned to move 48,000 people from dangerous areas to safer places in the first phase of evacuation. This first phase would cover eight districts.
• Under the evacuation plan, 11,000 people each from Nabarangpur and Gajapati districts were to be moved to safer places. In Malkangiri, 9,850 people had been identified for evacuation. Around 6,500 people in Ganjam and 5,000 people in Koraput were also expected to move to selected shelters and other safe locations.

Important Questions

1. What records related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists did Rahul Gandhi and other petitioners ask the Supreme Court to protect and preserve?
2. Why did petitioners argue that more than 16 lakh appeals against the inclusion of previously deleted voters in West Bengal were burdening the Appellate Tribunals?
3. What did Prime Minister Narendra Modi say about how scientific discoveries should benefit society beyond laboratories?
4. How did Prime Minister Narendra Modi explain the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving scientific work without limiting scientists’ independent thinking?
5. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), when and where was the very severe cyclonic storm Arnab expected to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast?
6. What evacuation measures did the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha governments take to move people from cyclone-affected and high-risk areas to safer places?

Important Vocabulary

1. Petitioners — People who formally request a court to take action.
2. Affidavit — A written statement confirmed to be true under oath.
3. Tampering — Interfering with something in an improper or dishonest way.
4. Unanimously — In a way that everyone agrees.
5. Conclave — A formal meeting where people discuss important subjects.
6. Innovation — The introduction of new ideas, methods or products.
7. Criticality — The stage at which a nuclear reactor sustains a controlled chain reaction.
8. Semiconductors — Materials that conduct electricity better than insulators but less than conductors.
9. Evacuation — The process of moving people away from a dangerous place.
10. Innovation — The introduction of new ideas, methods or products.
11. Criticality — The stage at which a nuclear reactor sustains a controlled chain reaction.