Daily Current Affairs 27 March 2026: Iran Strait Access, Modified UDAN and CJI Recusal

Daily Current Affairs 27 March 2026 explores significant recent events impacting geopolitics, judiciary, infrastructure, environment, and science. We delve into Iran’s control over a crucial global trade route and India’s strategic economic shifts. Furthermore, we examine a fundamental legal principle, a major government initiative to boost regional air travel, environmental challenges concerning a vital river, and groundbreaking scientific achievements in particle physics.

Iran’s Statement on Strait of Hormuz and Oil Trade with India

Iran has declared that only ships from India, China, Russia, Iraq, and Pakistan will be permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz without facing stricter measures. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, asserted the nation’s sovereign right over this critical strait, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, implying required approval for transit. Iran also acknowledged India and Sri Lanka for sheltering the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena during an exercise.

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The Indian government is exploring oil trade in local currencies with West Asian countries. This initiative aims to address the “double dent” challenge of rising oil prices, which complicates inflation control, and the Rupee depreciation. Local currency trade could cover up to 80% of India’s oil import payments, mitigating global energy price volatility and currency fluctuations. Domestically, India maintains 60 days of oil reserves and a minimum of one month’s LPG supply.

Doctrine of Necessity

The Supreme Court is currently examining a case regarding the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). Historically, since 1991, an interim committee including the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, and Chief Justice of India (CJI) recommended CEC appointments, which the President then approved.

The Chief Election Commissioner Appointment Act, 2023, however, replaced the CJI in this committee with a Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister. This change sparked concerns about maintaining unbiasedness and neutrality in the appointment process, qualities previously ensured by the CJI’s involvement.

The 2023 Act faces a challenge, raising the question of whether the CJI should be reinstated in the committee. When the matter reached the Supreme Court, CJI Surya Kant highlighted a potential conflict of interest, as the case directly pertains to the CJI’s role. This concern was previously noted by Justice Sanjeev Khanna.

This situation brings forth the Doctrine of Necessity. This doctrine applies when all potential adjudicators (judges) might have a conflict of interest, potentially leading to widespread recusals and a denial of justice. In such exceptional cases, the Doctrine of Necessity permits judges to hear cases despite a perceived conflict of interest to ensure justice is served.

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Principle: The core principle is that justice cannot be denied due to the absence of an unbiased adjudicator.

Comparison with Natural Justice:

• Natural Justice generally prohibits individuals from being judges in their own cause, thereby preventing conflicts of interest.
• The Doctrine of Necessity acts as an exception when no alternative unbiased forum exists.

Origin: This concept is rooted in Common Law principles.

Example: The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) case presented a conflict as judges decided on the constitutionality of a body intended to appoint judges. The Doctrine of Necessity was invoked to prevent judicial paralysis from recusals.

Conditions for Application: The doctrine is invoked when a majority of adjudicators are disqualified due to conflicts of interest.

Limitations: If an alternative, impartial method or authority is available for adjudication, the Doctrine of Necessity will not apply, and judges with conflicts of interest should recuse themselves. The doctrine underlines a judge’s responsibility to uphold justice even amidst conflicts, provided no other viable alternative exists.

Modified UDAN Scheme

The Government of India has approved the Modified UDAN Scheme, extending the subsidy period for airlines from 3 to 5 years.

The UDAN Scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) was launched under the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 with the objective of making air travel affordable and expanding regional air connectivity. Its first flight took place on April 27, 2017, between Shimla and Delhi.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) serves as the nodal agency. Previous phases focused on developing unserved airports and promoting connectivity, while Phase 5 emphasizes helicopters, small aircraft, and last-mile connectivity.

The Modified UDAN Scheme (Revamped Version) will operate from 2026 to 2036, with a total outlay of ₹28,840 Crore. Its focus areas include the sustainability of regional routes, infrastructure expansion, and restarting defunct routes from earlier UDAN phases.

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Key Changes in Funding Mechanism:

• Previous Mechanism: Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for regional routes was drawn from a Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF). This fund was generated through an airfare levy on flights between major metro cities, assuming that higher-income metro commuters could subsidize regional connectivity.
• New Mechanism (Modified UDAN): The government will directly provide funding for VGF, effectively abolishing the airfare levy on metro routes. This aims to potentially lower metro-to-metro air travel costs and offer greater scope for reducing regional connectivity expenses.

Other Features of Modified UDAN: The scheme includes the development of 100 airports and 200 helipads, enhanced last-mile connectivity to remote and hilly areas, and support for airline operators to maintain routes even with low traffic.

Key Features of UDAN: It involves an airfare cap for affordability, Viability Gap Funding (VGF), encouraged Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) Tax Reduction by states, various concessions from state governments, and exemplifies Cooperative Federalism.

Significance: This scheme promotes regional connectivity and development, boosting tourism, trade, and economic growth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. It ensures accessibility to remote and strategic areas, facilitates employment generation and infrastructure development, and fosters national integration.

Kaveri River

A recent study by IIT Gandhinagar forecasts a 2.5-3.5% decline in the Kaveri River’s water flow over the next 25 years, starting from 2026. This prediction follows a significant historical 28% decline between 1951 and 2012. This situation is particularly alarming given that many North Indian perennial rivers, such as the Ganga and Indus, are projected to experience increased water flow due to global warming.

Geographical and Hydrological Profile: The Kaveri River, a perennial South Indian river, originates in the Brahmagiri Hills (Talakaveri) of the Western Ghats, Karnataka. It is fed by both the South-West Monsoon and the retreating North-East Monsoon. The river is vital for irrigation, drinking water, and hydroelectric power, with major dams like Krishna Raja Sagara and Mettur Dam.

Drainage Basin and Inter-State Dispute: Originating in Karnataka, the Kaveri flows through Tamil Nadu (major lower riparian), Kerala, and Puducherry. It is a long-standing source of water sharing disputes, primarily between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

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Supreme Court Verdict (2018) on Water Share:

• Tamil Nadu: 404.25 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet)
• Karnataka: 284 TMC
• Kerala: 30 TMC
• Puducherry: 7 TMC

Tributaries:

• Left Bank: Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavathy
• Right Bank: Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravati

The river forms a delta after Thiruvarur, famously known as the “Garden of Southern India.” Important cities on its banks include Mysuru, Erode, and Thanjavur.

Antiproton

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) recently achieved the first successful road transport of antiprotons.

An antiproton is the antiparticle of a proton, possessing the same mass as a proton but carrying an equal and opposite negative electric charge. When a proton and an antiproton collide, they undergo annihilation, releasing pure energy as gamma rays.

Cosmological Significance: This research helps scientists investigate the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. The Big Bang theory suggests equal amounts of matter and antimatter were created, yet matter predominantly exists today. Understanding antiprotons helps explain this dominance. Antiprotons also have the same magnitude of spin as protons but exhibit opposite behavior.

Discovery: Theorized by Paul Dirac during his work on relativistic quantum theory, antiprotons were experimentally confirmed in 1955 by Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain.

Production: Antiprotons naturally exist in cosmic rays and can be artificially produced in laboratories like CERN.

Importance: Studying antiprotons supports the validation of the Standard Model of particle physics, helps understand fundamental symmetry laws and the aftermath of the Big Bang, and offers insights into why matter became dominant in the universe. Additionally, antiproton therapy is being explored as a potential application in cancer treatment.

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