(1) Plea for SC/ST ‘creamy layer’ in Supreme Court
The Supreme Court sent a notice to the Centre after it received a plea calling for the establishment of a creamy layer system in SC/ST reservations, similar to that seen within the OBC.
Currently, a creamy layer is recognised for SCs and STs only in promotions within government jobs. This comes from a 2006 verdict that said the creamy layer will be taken into account for such promotions. Here is a brief timeline of key judgments regarding the issue, noting the considerations before the Court.
These key judgments have shown that a majority of judges in Supreme Court Benches have supported the creation of a ‘creamy layer’ of SCs and STs based on individual conditions, while recognising the inherent backwardness of these communities as a whole.
When it comes to reservation at other levels, what is to be decided by States is the criteria to decide what constitutes the creamy layer – whether it is economic conditions, vocations or something else.
(2) Trump-Putin Alaska summit yields no deal on war
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday (August 16. 2025) that Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not”, after a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land.
After the two leaders met in Alaska on Friday, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Putin had offered to freeze most front lines if Kyiv ceded all of Donetsk, the industrial region that is one of Moscow’s main targets, a source familiar with the matter said.
Zelenskiy rejected the demand, the source said. Russia already controls a fifth of Ukraine, including about three-quarters of Donetsk province, which it first entered in 2014.
The meeting between US and Russian presidents, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, was billed as a vital step towards peace in Ukraine. But with no ceasefire and an invitation to Moscow, the meeting has yielded more questions than answers.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been gradually advancing for months. The war – the deadliest in Europe for 80 years – has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts.
(3) Retail inflation eases to 8-year low of 1.55% in July
Retail inflation in India slipped to 1.55% in July 2025, the lowest since June 2017, and below the Reserve Bank of India’s comfort band of 2-6%, primarily led by a contraction in food prices.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Tuesday (August 12, 2025), showed inflation in India has been easing for nine consecutive months.
The rate of inflation in the food and beverages category came in at -0.8% in July 2025, lower than -0.2% in June and 5.1% in July 2024. Vegetable and pulses prices contracted 21% and 14% respectively, driven by a high base and falling prices.
Core inflation, which excludes the impact of food and fuel prices, also eased to 4.1% in July 2025 from 4.4% in the previous month, nearly at the RBI’s target of 4%.
The other broad categories in the CPI saw inflation remaining nearly the same in July as in June. The pan, tobacco and intoxicants category saw inflation remain flat at 2.4% in July. Similarly, the clothing and footwear category saw inflation ease marginally to 2.5% in July from 2.5% in June.
Inflation in the housing segment remained at 3.2% in July, while that in the fuel and light category quickened to 2.7% in July from 2.5% in June.
(4) Three-member panel to probe Justice Yashwant Varma case
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) set in motion the process of removing Justice Yashwant Varma of Allahabad High Court by admitting a motion, signed by 146 members, and constituting a three member inquiry committee to probe the charges against Justice Varma.
The inquiry committee comprises Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and senior Karnataka High Court advocate B.V. Acharya.
Justice Varma was repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court after burnt wads of currency notes were found at his official residence on March 14. Subsequently, an in-house inquiry of the Supreme Court had indicted Justice Varma.
Earlier, then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna had initiated an in-house probe into the allegations and set up the three-member committee in March to conduct the inquiry. After receiving the report, the CJI asked Justice Varma to resign or face impeachment proceedings.
However, since Justice Varma declined to quit, CJI Khanna then forwarded the report and the Judge’s response on it to the President of India and the Prime Minister for removal of the judge. Though Justice Varma had moved the Supreme Court against CJI Khanna’s recommendation for his removal, the top court rejected his plea.
(5) Afghanistan begins its fifth year of Taliban rule
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban marched into Kabul, returning to power after two decades, as internationally backed President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Since then, the former insurgents have consolidated their grip on power, excluded women and girls from public life, stamped out internal dissent and external challengers, and gained debut recognition as the country’s official government from Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
The Taliban govern through decrees, but Afghans have aspirations and needs that cannot be fulfilled through edicts and ideology.
Here is a look at key dates since the Taliban returned to power four years ago:
Published – August 18, 2025 03:42 pm IST