MAINS Current Affairs includes Criminalisation of Politics & ISRO’s NavIC System can no longer Provide Navigation Data Independently: Govt

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Criminalisation of Politics

Context: A report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch analysed the self-sworn election affidavits of all serving Chief Ministers of 28 States and 3 Union Territories. The report highlights the continuing issue of the criminalisation of politics in India and raises concerns about its impact on democratic governance and public trust.

Major Highlights of the Report

Criminal Cases Against Chief Ministers

• The report reveals that 45% (14 out of 31) serving Chief Ministers have criminal cases registered against them.
• This reflects the growing presence of individuals with criminal backgrounds in positions of executive leadership.

Women Representation

Among the 31 Chief Ministers, only one Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta of Delhi, is a woman.

Across all State and Union Territory Legislative Assemblies, there are only 390 women MLAs, accounting for 9% of the total 4,123 legislators, indicating low political representation of women.

Educational Qualifications

The educational background of Chief Ministers shows considerable diversity.

• 9 Chief Ministers (29%) are postgraduates.
• 7 (23%) are graduates.
• 6 (19%) are graduate professionals.
• 3 possess doctoral degrees.
• 2 have studied only up to Class 10.

Reasons for Criminalisation of Politics

1. Weak Disqualification Laws

• Under the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951, a candidate is disqualified only after conviction.
• Since criminal trials often take several years, individuals with serious criminal charges are able to contest multiple elections before any final judgment is delivered.

2. Money and Muscle Power

• Political parties often prefer candidates who possess substantial financial resources and strong local influence because they are considered more likely to win elections.
• This encourages the entry of individuals with criminal backgrounds into electoral politics.

3. Low Voter Awareness

• Although candidates are legally required to disclose their criminal records through election affidavits, many voters remain unaware of these disclosures or continue voting primarily on caste, religion, or local political considerations.

4. Party Complicity

• Political parties frequently justify giving tickets to candidates facing criminal cases by citing their popularity, electoral strength, or ability to secure victory.
• This weakens internal political accountability.

5. Judicial Delays

• Frequent adjournments, shortage of judges, and prolonged judicial proceedings delay the disposal of criminal cases, enabling accused politicians to continue in public office for long periods.

Impact of Criminalisation of Politics

• Erosion of Democratic Values: It undermines the principle of free and fair elections and voters are left with restricted choices, weakening the spirit of representative democracy.
• Corruption: The presence of criminal elements escalateselectoral malpractices such as voter intimidation, booth capturing, and the use of black money in campaigns.
• Decline of Public Trust: Repeated election of tainted representatives, lead to declining voter turnoutand weakening people’s faith in democratic institutions.
• Distortion of Policy-Making:Elected representatives use political power to protect personal and criminal networks and divert policy-making away from public interest.

Key Committee Recommendations

Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998)

The Committee recommended partial state funding of elections to reduce the influence of black money and minimise corruption in the electoral process.

Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), 2007

The Commission also supported state funding of elections and suggested reforms to improve transparency and integrity in the electoral system.

National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2002)

The Commission recommended:

• Statutory audit of political party finances.
• Mandatory disclosure of candidates’ assets and liabilities.
• Greater accountability of political parties.

Law Commission of India – 244th Report (2014)

The Commission recommended:

• Disqualification of candidates once charges are framed for offences punishable with imprisonment of five years or more.
• Establishment of Fast-Track Courts for speedy disposal of criminal cases involving sitting MPs and MLAs.

Supreme Court Interventions

Lily Thomas v. Union of India (2013)

The Supreme Court ruled that any sitting MP, MLA or MLC convicted of an offence carrying a sentence of two years or more would be immediately disqualified from holding public office.

Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India (2018)

The Court directed political parties to publicise the criminal antecedents of candidates and disclose the nature of offences and pending criminal cases to enable informed voting.

Supreme Court Directions (2020)

The Supreme Court further directed political parties to:

• Publish the criminal records of candidates on their official websites.
• Disseminate the information through social media and newspapers.
• Explain the reasons for selecting candidates with criminal cases over individuals with clean backgrounds.

These disclosures must be made within 48 hours of candidate selection.

Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025

Background

The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced and later referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) following widespread opposition.

Major Features

The Bill proposes that:

• A Minister may be removed if charged with an offence punishable with five years or more of imprisonment and remains arrested and detained for 30 consecutive days.
• A Prime Minister or Chief Minister who remains in custody for 30 consecutive days must resign, failing which they would automatically cease to hold office on the 31st day.
• Removal may be ordered by the President or Governor on the advice of the Prime Minister or Chief Minister, respectively, or occur automatically after the prescribed period of detention.

At present, Ministers leave office through resignation, dismissal by the Prime Minister or Chief Minister, or disqualification following conviction under existing laws.

Way Forward

• There is a need to undertake comprehensive electoral reforms to prevent the entry of criminal elements into politics. Criminal cases involving elected representatives should be disposed of through fast-track courts to ensure timely justice.
• Political funding should be made more transparent, and political parties must be held accountable for selecting candidates with criminal backgrounds. Greater public awareness regarding candidates’ criminal records and stronger voter participation can promote informed electoral choices.
• Strengthening judicial efficiency, improving transparency, and enforcing stricter accountability mechanisms will help uphold democratic values, strengthen the rule of law, and restore public confidence in political institutions.

Conclusion

The growing criminalisation of politics poses a serious challenge to democratic governance, constitutional values, and the rule of law. The increasing presence of elected representatives with criminal backgrounds undermines public trust and weakens institutional credibility.

Addressing this issue requires a combination of electoral reforms, speedy judicial processes, transparency in political funding, accountable political parties, and informed voter participation to ensure that India’s democracy is represented by leaders of integrity and public service.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2. ISRO’s NavIC System can no longer Provide Navigation Data Independently: Govt

Context: India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) has temporarily lost its ability to provide standalone Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services after the number of operational satellites fell below the minimum required threshold.

• This development has raised concerns regarding the resilience of India’s indigenous satellite navigation system, although there is no immediate impact on most civilian users, as smartphones generally rely on multiple global navigation systems.

About the Recent Development

• At present, NavIC has only three operational satellites capable of providing Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services.
• The situation worsened after the last operational atomic clock onboard the IRNSS-1F satellite failed in March 2026.
• Since at least four satellites are required to independently determine a user’s location through trilateration, NavIC can no longer provide independent navigation services.
• The development has highlighted the need to strengthen and replenish India’s indigenous navigation constellation, which was originally created to reduce dependence on foreign satellite navigation systems for both civilian and strategic purposes.
• However, most smartphone users are unlikely to experience any disruption because modern devices simultaneously receive signals from multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and NavIC.

NavIC

• NavIC officially operationalised as theIRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), is India’s indigenous satellite navigation system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• It is designed to provideaccurate position, velocity, and timing (PNT) services to users in India and the surrounding region extending up to 1,500 km beyond the nation’s borders.
• Core specifications & Capabilities:
  • Coverage Area: Entire Indian landmass and an area extending up to 1,500 km around the Indian boundary.
  • Accuracy:Better than 10 meters for civilian users across the primary coverage area. Better than 5 meters within the core Indian landmass.
• Service Types: 
  • Standard Positioning Service (SPS):Open to all civilian users (integrated into modern consumer smartphones and vehicle tracking systems).
  • Restricted Service (RS): An encrypted signal reserved exclusively for authorized strategic users, such as the Indian Armed Forces and security agencies.
• NavIC SPS signals are interoperable with the other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals namely GPS, Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou.
• NavIC was originally designed as a constellation of seven satellites: three placed in geostationary orbit and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit, to ensure continuous coverage over India and nearby regions.
  • ISRO has launched 11 satellites under the programme over the years, including replacements.

Significance of NAvIC

• NAvIC was developed to give India anindependent navigation capability rather than relying entirely on foreign systems such as the US’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s Galileo or China’s BeiDou.
  • The need for an indigenous system became evident after the 1999 Kargil conflict, when access to GPS data in the region was restricted,highlighting the strategic risks of depending on foreign navigation services.
• NavIC is designed to support a wide range of civilian applications, including vehicle tracking, road, rail and maritime navigation, disaster management, surveying, mapping, location-based services and precise timing.

Way Forward

Despite the temporary operational shortfall, the Government has clarified that there are no immediate security or operational vulnerabilities, as users continue to rely on a hybrid Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) framework.

The Indian Armed Forces also use this hybrid navigation framework to ensure uninterrupted operational capability.

Meanwhile, ISRO is working to rebuild the NavIC constellation and restore its independent navigation capability across India and neighbouring regions extending approximately 1,500 kilometres beyond the country’s borders.

As part of this effort:

• NVS-03 is fully prepared for launch.
• NVS-04 and NVS-05 are in advanced stages of development and realisation.

These satellites are expected to restore the full operational capability of India’s indigenous navigation system.

Conclusion

NavIC represents a critical strategic asset that strengthens India’s technological self-reliance in satellite navigation and Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services. Although the temporary reduction in operational satellites has affected its ability to provide standalone navigation, the impact on users remains limited due to interoperability with other GNSS systems.

The planned deployment of new satellites will help restore NavIC’s independent capability and reinforce India’s long-term objectives of technological sovereignty, national security, and reliable navigation services for both civilian and strategic applications.

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