CLAT Current Affairs: 8 September 2026

Supreme Court Collegium Set to Consider Vacancies in the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Collegium is expected to turn its attention to filling vacancies in the Supreme Court after the Centre appointed Chief Justices to eight High Courts. With these appointments, all 25 High Courts now have regular Chief Justices.

The Supreme Court currently has four vacancies. Another vacancy is expected in November when Justice Satish Chandra Sharma retires. The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court has also been increased, making the filling of vacancies an important administrative and institutional issue.

What is the Collegium?

The Collegium is a system through which senior judges recommend the appointment and transfer of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts. It is not a body created by the Constitution or by an Act of Parliament. It developed through a series of Supreme Court judgments on judicial appointments.

For appointments to the Supreme Court, the Collegium consists of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.

For appointments to a High Court, the process begins with the High Court Collegium. It consists of the Chief Justice of that High Court and its two senior-most judges. The recommendation is then considered by the Supreme Court Collegium.

The Collegium only makes recommendations. The formal appointment is made by the President of India under the constitutional process.

The system has been debated because it gives the judiciary a central role in choosing judges of the higher judiciary. Supporters associate it with judicial independence, while critics have raised questions about transparency and accountability.

For students, the basic process is worth remembering: the Collegium recommends; the executive processes the recommendation; and the President formally appoints the judge.

Rajnath Singh Begins Three-Day Visit to Sri Lanka

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is visiting Sri Lanka from 8 to 10 September 2026. During the visit, he will hold discussions with Sri Lankan leadership on a range of issues and interact with members of the Indian diaspora in Colombo. (Press Information Bureau)

The visit is taking place at a time when India is seeking to deepen its engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean region. Defence and maritime security are particularly important areas in India–Sri Lanka relations because of the two countries’ geographical proximity and their position along important Indian Ocean routes.

India and Sri Lanka have long-standing political, economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. Their relationship also has a security dimension. Cooperation between the two countries includes areas such as defence training, maritime security and regional security.

The visit is also connected with India’s Neighbourhood First policy. The policy places India’s immediate neighbours at an important position in its foreign-policy approach.

Sri Lanka is particularly important to India from a maritime perspective. The island lies close to India’s southern coastline and near important sea routes through the Indian Ocean. Developments in Sri Lanka can therefore have implications for India’s maritime security and wider regional interests.

RBI Withdraws More Than ₹6 Lakh Crore from the Banking System

The Reserve Bank of India withdrew more than ₹6 lakh crore from the banking system on 7 September after surplus liquidity rose to around ₹11.6 lakh crore. The RBI accepted bids worth ₹3.53 lakh crore through an overnight operation and another ₹2.59 lakh crore through a 30-day operation.

To understand this development, it is important to understand the meaning of liquidity.

Liquidity refers to the amount of money that is readily available in the financial system. Banks need liquidity to meet customer withdrawals, provide loans and conduct their regular operations. But an unusually large surplus of money in the banking system can also affect short-term interest rates and the transmission of monetary policy.

The RBI can absorb excess liquidity through market operations. In simple terms, instead of allowing banks to keep all their surplus funds in the system, the central bank takes some of that money out for a specified period.

The recent increase in liquidity has been linked to large foreign-currency inflows and the RBI’s foreign-exchange operations. Reuters reported that the surplus had reached nearly 4% of total banking deposits.

This is different from the RBI changing the policy rate. The RBI can influence monetary conditions through several tools, including operations that inject or absorb liquidity.

The development therefore provides a useful example of how a central bank manages the money available in the banking system and tries to keep financial conditions stable.

Japan Credit Rating Agency Upgrades India’s Sovereign Rating

The Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) has upgraded India’s long-term sovereign credit rating from BBB+ to A-. The upgrade was announced on 2 September 2026. (The Indian Express)

A sovereign credit rating is an assessment of a country’s ability and willingness to repay its debt. Rating agencies examine factors such as economic growth, government finances, debt levels, external finances and the broader stability of the economy.

The rating is important because investors use sovereign ratings while assessing the level of risk associated with lending to or investing in a country. A higher rating generally indicates a stronger assessment of the country’s creditworthiness.

The upgrade from BBB+ to A- therefore represents an improvement in JCR’s assessment of India’s creditworthiness.

It is also important to distinguish a credit rating from an economic ranking. A credit rating does not simply tell us which country has the largest or fastest-growing economy. It focuses on the country’s ability to meet its financial obligations.

Different rating agencies can also give different ratings because they use their own methodologies and assessments.

Defence Acquisition Council Approves Proposals Worth ₹1.10 Lakh Crore

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has granted in-principle approval to defence procurement proposals worth around ₹1.10 lakh crore for India’s three armed forces. The proposals cover the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The approved proposals include equipment such as CBRN reconnaissance vehicles, radars, advanced light helicopters, marine gas turbines, bridge systems and mechanical mine layers.

The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Ministry of Defence for defence procurement. It is chaired by the Defence Minister.

The term CBRN stands for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear. CBRN reconnaissance vehicles are designed to help armed forces detect and assess hazards arising from such materials.

The latest approvals form part of India’s broader effort to modernise its armed forces. Defence procurement is also connected with India’s policy of increasing domestic production and reducing dependence on imports.

It is important to understand that in-principle approval is not the same as the final purchase of equipment. The approval allows the procurement process to move forward, after which the prescribed acquisition and contracting procedures have to be completed.

Prime Minister to Dedicate Western Dedicated Freight Corridor Sections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Gujarat and Maharashtra on 8 September and inaugurate or dedicate infrastructure projects worth more than ₹35,000 crore. The programme includes the dedication of three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). (Press Information Bureau)

A Dedicated Freight Corridor is a railway route designed primarily for transporting goods rather than passenger traffic. By separating freight movement from heavily used passenger railway routes, such corridors are intended to improve the speed, capacity and efficiency of freight transportation.

The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is particularly important because it connects industrial and commercial regions with major ports in western India.

Better freight connectivity can reduce transportation time and improve the movement of goods between manufacturing centres, markets and ports. This has implications for logistics, trade and supply chains.

The project is therefore not simply a railway infrastructure project. It is also part of India’s broader effort to improve its logistics network and make the movement of goods more efficient.

Also Read: What to Do After a Bad CLAT Mock

ISRO Reaffirms Its Central Role as Private Participation Expands

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has sought to clarify that greater participation by private companies in India’s space sector does not mean that ISRO is being privatised or losing its central role. The clarification follows concerns among some employees about the increasing transfer of manufacturing and operational activities to private companies. (Reuters)

India began opening its space sector to greater private participation through reforms introduced in 2020. The objective was to allow private companies to contribute to activities such as manufacturing, launch services and other space-related commercial activities.

One institution created as part of this new framework is IN-SPACe, which facilitates and regulates the participation of non-government entities in India’s space activities.

Private participation does not mean that ISRO itself becomes a private organisation. ISRO remains India’s principal space agency and continues to undertake major research, development and space missions.

The change is better understood as an expansion of India’s overall space ecosystem. The government wants private companies to contribute investment, manufacturing capacity and technological capabilities while ISRO continues its core research and development role.

This distinction is important when reading about India’s space reforms: ISRO remains a government space agency, while private companies are being given greater opportunities to participate in the space sector.

International Literacy Day

International Literacy Day is observed every year on 8 September. It draws attention to the importance of literacy and the continuing challenges faced by people who do not have adequate reading and writing skills.

The day was established under the framework of UNESCO, the United Nations agency concerned with education, science and culture.

Literacy is not limited to the ability to read and write. It affects a person’s ability to access education, understand information, participate in society and improve economic opportunities.

For current affairs, the date is the key fact to remember: 8 September is observed as International Literacy Day.

Key Takeaways

The major areas to revise from today’s current affairs are the Supreme Court Collegium and judicial appointments, India’s defence and maritime relationship with Sri Lanka, the RBI’s management of surplus liquidity, India’s sovereign credit rating, the Defence Acquisition Council, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, India’s changing space-sector policy, and International Literacy Day.