Context

• The recent partial reunification of ancient Buddhist gems associated with the historical Buddha marks a moment of considerable significance for India’s cultural heritage sector.
• These artifacts, dispersed for more than a century, were reacquired from abroad by an Indian conglomerate and subsequently transferred to the government, prompting a celebratory public exhibition inaugurated in Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Beyond the event itself lies a deeper question about the long-term stewardship, presentation, and interpretation of these relics.
• If handled with care and foresight, their return has the potential to shift public attitudes toward India’s museums, enhance heritage governance, and position India as a central destination for global Buddhist pilgrimage.

Buddhist Relics and Early Indian Heritage Practices

• Understanding the historical place of relics in Buddhism clarifies why such objects, often visually modest and materially unremarkable, commanded extraordinary devotion.
• Following the Buddha’s passing, his corporeal remains, including ash and bone fragments, were periodically divided among followers and ultimately placed in vessels with gems and offerings.
• These relics were interred in stupas, large hemispherical mounds that functioned simultaneously as reliquaries, teaching devices, and ritual centres.
• Their power derived not from aesthetic value but from their perceived ability to sanctify spaces, cultivate devotion, and transform the spiritual lives of those who approached them.

Sanchi as a Model of Spatial and Ritual Engagement

• The Great Stupa at Sanchi illustrates the sophisticated strategies through which relics were contextualized in early India.
• Initially constructed under Ashoka and later expanded, the stupa complex incorporated gateways at the cardinal directions leading to a circumambulatory path.
• Carved reliefs on the gateways depicted episodes from the Buddha’s life, scenes of worship, auspicious symbols, and figures in foreign dress, suggesting both historical continuity and cross-cultural interaction along emerging trade routes.
• Such visual programs prepared visitors emotionally and intellectually to encounter the relics, while railings and monastic presence facilitated a semi-secluded sacred environment conducive to reflection and community-building.
• The success of these strategies is reflected in Sanchi’s growth as a major religious centre supported by diverse social strata and by the expansion of Buddhist sites across the subcontinent.

Adaptation Across Regions and Symbolic Presence

• As Buddhism spread, relic-centred practices evolved.
• In peninsular India, for example, rock-cut cave complexes often contained monolithic stupas that lacked corporeal relics yet conveyed the Buddha’s presence symbolically through sculpture and architectural design.
• This adaptation demonstrates that Buddhist sacred environments could operate even in the absence of physical remains, underscoring the importance of spatial, visual, and ritual framing in mediating sacred experience.
• Such precedents offer instructive models for contemporary institutions seeking to present relics in ways that respect both historical traditions and modern sensibilities.

Contemporary Challenges of Display and Stewardship

• With little of the original Piprawaha stupa surviving, the recently reunited relics are expected to move into a public institution after the Delhi exhibition.
• Merely placing them behind glass vitrines would replicate a colonial museological model that encourages passive viewing and strips objects of ritual potency.
• To avoid this, museums must articulate and implement long-term strategies that honour the multifaceted roles relics have historically played.
• Thoughtfully designed spaces should allow visitors to engage with the relics through chanting, contemplation, meditation, or aesthetic appreciation, acknowledging that relics can still function as living objects within the cultural sphere.

Institutional Responsibilities and Community Engagement

• The return of the relics should also catalyse systemic changes in heritage education and governance.
• Museums could establish grants and fellowships encouraging collaboration among art historians, anthropologists, scientists, and filmmakers to trace how artifacts shape social worlds.
• Educational initiatives should introduce postgraduate students and heritage practitioners to stewardship, restitution ethics, and interpretive methodologies.
• Simultaneously, institutions must engage communities living near heritage sites to combat illicit antiquities trafficking by training them in documentation practices, legal awareness, and heritage advocacy.
• Such programs align India’s heritage stewardship with international norms while empowering local custodians.

Conclusion

• The reunification of the Piprawaha relics represents more than an act of repatriation; it provides an opportunity to reimagine heritage stewardship in India.
• By adopting historically informed display strategies, enhancing educational infrastructures, and involving communities in heritage protection, India can ensure that these relics are not merely preserved but meaningfully revived.
• If such efforts succeed, the relics will not only have returned to the land of the Buddha but will once again be able to exert their transformative aura, inviting both local and international publics to engage with India’s profound Buddhist past.

Context

• The split verdict delivered by Justices B.V. Nagarathna and K.V. Viswanathan in Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) v. Union of India marks a significant moment in India’s constitutional and anti-corruption
• The dispute concerns Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which bars inquiry or investigation into allegations against public servants for decisions taken in the discharge of official duties without prior sanction of the appropriate government.
• The controversy revives longstanding questions regarding the balance between shielding honest officials and preserving investigative independence.

Historical and Legal Context

• The conflict surrounding Section 17A follows earlier judicial interventions against executive control over corruption investigations.
• The Single Directive, which required government approval before investigating senior bureaucrats, was struck down in Vineet Narain v. Union of India (1998).
• The judgment emphasised that the rule of law, equality before law, and protection against the politician-bureaucrat nexus demand insulation of investigative agencies from executive interference.
• Parliament later reintroduced a similar threshold through Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, enacted via the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003.
• In Dr. Subramanian Swamy v. Director, CBI (2014), the Supreme Court invalidated Section 6A, declaring differential investigative thresholds for senior officials discriminatory and violative of Article 14.
• The Court reiterated that however high you may be, the law is above you, underscoring the principle of accountability irrespective of official rank.
• Section 17A of the PC Act, inserted in 2018, extended the protective threshold from senior bureaucrats to all public servants.
• Critics argue that this framework suppresses corruption detection and conflicts with Lalita Kumari v. State of Uttar Pradesh (2014), which mandates FIR registration upon disclosure of a cognisable offence.
• The government defended Section 17A as a safeguard against frivolous complaints and a necessary measure for administrative confidence and policy stability.

The Competing Judicial Views

• Justice Nagarathna’s Position: Section 17A is Unconstitutional
  • Justice Nagarathna held that Section 17A imposes an impermissible barrier to initial inquiry and thus protects the corrupt.
  • The vice lies not in who grants approval but in the requirement of prior sanction itself.
  • For her, Section 17A revives protections previously rejected and undermines transparency, probity, and the demands of the rule-based governance.
  • She identified structural conflicts of interest: the government both oversees the accused officials and grants approval for investigations, enabling a shared departmental interest to deny sanction.
  • The arrangement promotes an institutional nexus that discourages scrutiny and allows wrongdoing to remain unchecked.
• Justice Viswanathan’s Position: Section 17A is Constitutional with Safeguards
  • Justice Viswanathan agreed that vesting approval power in the government would be unconstitutional but viewed prior sanction as legitimate to prevent policy paralysis and shield honest decision-makers from vexatious complaints.
  • The constitutional defect lies in placement, not existence. He proposed that the Lokpal, conceived as an independent anti-corruption authority, could serve as an external filter.
  • The Lokpal Act and PC Act operate in the same normative field, as both incorporate mechanisms for screening, accountability, and protection against misuse, allowing an institutional equilibrium that balances governance and scrutiny.

The Core Constitutional Disagreement and Broader Implications

• The Core Constitutional Disagreement
  • The core disagreement centres on whether prior investigative filters are impermissible barriers or permissible institutional checks if independent.
  • Justice Nagarathna rejects any pre-investigation threshold as inconsistent with earlier jurisprudence, while Justice Viswanathan endorses a hybrid model where an independent authority mitigates abuse while preventing executive veto.
• Broader Implications and the Way Forward
  • The dispute engages three constitutional concerns: separation of powers, anti-corruption capability, and administrative efficiency.
  • The resolution will shape India’s state accountability
  • Excessive investigative insulation promotes impunity, whereas unmediated investigative power risks bureaucratic hesitation and diminished state capacity in economic and administrative fields.

Conclusion

• The split verdict in CPIL v. Union of India illustrates a constitutional struggle to balance governance, integrity, and oversight within the modern administrative state.
• A larger Bench of the Supreme Court will now determine whether investigative autonomy, filtered scrutiny, or an institutional hybrid best reflects constitutional commitments to democracy and the rule of law.

About Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026:

• It is aimed at further improving the efficiency of the resolution of complaints filed by aggrieved customers of banks and other regulated entities.
• It will come into force on July 1, 2026, replacing the existing Integrated Ombudsman Scheme of 2021.
• The proceedings under the Scheme shall be summary in nature and shall not be bound by any rules of evidence.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will appoint one or more of its officers as RBI Ombudsman and RBI Deputy Ombudsman to carry out the functions entrusted to them under the Scheme.
  • The appointments will be made generally for a period of three years at a time.
• The RBI will establish a Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre at one or more locations, as may be decided, to receive complaints filed under the Scheme and process them.
• Who does it cover?
  • The entities covered under the new scheme include commercial banks, regional rural banks, state and central co-operative banks, and urban co-operative banks with deposits of Rs 50 crore or more.
  • Additionally, NBFCs that accept deposits or have assets over Rs 100 crore and engage in customer dealings are also included.
  • Furthermore, all non-bank prepaid payment issuers, such as digital wallets, and credit information companies that handle credit scores, are part of this list.
  • The scheme excludes housing finance and core investment companies.
• What kind of complaints can be filed?
  • Customers can file complaints related to deficiency in service, such as delays, failure to follow RBI directions, or inadequate customer service.
  • However, issues involving commercial judgment of institutions, disputes between regulated entities, employer–employee matters, or cases already before courts or tribunals are excluded.
  • A key condition for filing a complaint with the ombudsman is that the customer must first approach the concerned entity.
  • The ombudsman can be approached only if there is no response within 30 days or if the customer is dissatisfied with the reply.
• Is there a cap on compensation?
  • There is no limit on the value of the dispute that can be brought before the ombudsman.
  • RBI Ombudsman can award compensation of up to ₹30 lakh for consequential financial loss and up to ₹3 lakh for non-financial losses such as harassment, mental anguish, or loss of time.
• How can complaints be filed?
  • Complaints can be filed online through the RBI’s Complaint Management System portal, or sent by email or post to a centralised receipt and processing centre.
• The complaint handling process:
  • The RBI Ombudsman (or Deputy) acts like a judge for these disputes.
  • The process emphasises conciliation and settlement between the customer and the regulated entity.
  • If a settlement cannot be reached, the ombudsman can pass an award after giving both sides an opportunity to be heard.
  • If a customer is unhappy with the decision of the Ombudsman, she can appeal to the appellate authority (RBI's executive director) within 30 days.
  • Entities can appeal too, but only with senior approval and not if they ignored document requests.
  • The authority can uphold, change, or send back the case.

About Pratas Islands:

• The Pratas Islands, also known as the Dongsha Islands, are a small group of three islands located in the northern part of the South China Sea.
• These islands are characterized by a circular atoll structure, with Dongsha Island being the only island above sea level, while the other two are submerged.
• They are composed primarily of clastic coral and reef flats.
• Once discovered during the ancient Han Dynasty, Dongsha Island became an important point along trade and fishing routes through the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan from mainland China, and the Bashi Channel between Y'Ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island of Taiwan.
• They are strategically important positions along the major sea route connecting the Pacific and Indian ocean.
• The People’s Republic of China claims them, but Taiwan controls them and has declared them part of the Dongsha Atoll National Park.
• There are no permanent residents. But Taiwanese marines are stationed there.
• The region is notable for its rich biodiversity, supporting a variety of flora and fauna, including numerous fish species, coral, and migratory birds like the Chinese Egret.
• The ongoing tensions between Taiwan and China, along with the impacts of global warming, continue to pose risks to the islands and their biodiversity.

About Irrawaddy Dolphin:

• It is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.
  • Euryhaline organisms survive in a range of salinity. These organisms thrive in saltwater, freshwater, and brackish water.
• Scientific Name: Orcaella brevirostris
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • It is found in rivers in South and Southeast Asia: the Irrawaddy (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Kalimatan, Indonesia), and the Mekong (Cambodia).
  • Indian presence: Occurs mainly in Chilika Lake (Odisha); also reported in the Sundarbans region.
  • Irrawaddy dolphins prefer coastal areas, particularly muddy, brackish waters at river mouths and deltas, and do not appear to venture far offshore.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered

About Chang'e-6 Mission:

• It is the first human sampling and return mission from the far side of the moon.
• It is part of the broader Chang’e lunar exploration program, named after a Chinese goddess of the Moon.
• Chang’e-6 consists of an orbiter, a returner, a lander, and an ascender.
  • The lander was equipped with multiple sensors, including microwave, laser, and optical imaging sensors which can measure distance and speed, and identify obstacles on the lunar surface.
• The probe has adopted two methods of moon sampling, which include:
  • Using a drill to collect subsurface samples
  • Grabbing samples on the surface with a robotic arm.
• It marks the second time a mission has successfully reached the far side of the moon. China first completed that historic feat in 2019 with its Chang’e-4
  • Though the far side of the Moon holds great scientific promise, it is harder to explore the far side of the Moon than the near side.
  • Communication signals from Earth can’t directly reach the far side, so relay satellites have to be launched ahead of any mission.
• The Chang'e-6 landed on the lunar far side and collected rock and regolith samples, and launched them to eventually return to Earth nearly a month later.
• Chang’e-6 landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, a massive and roughly 4-billion-year-old crater covering a vast portion of the far side of the Moon.
• The samples Chang’e-6 collected there could include pieces of the Moon’s interior that would have been excavated by the giant impact that formed the basin.

About Neknampur Lake:

• Neknampur Lake, also known as Ibrahim Bagh Cheruvu, is a historic man-made reservoir situated in the southern part of Hyderabad, Telangana.
• It was constructed during the Qutb Shahi dynasty in the 16th century.
• Initially commissioned by Sultan Ibrahim Qutb Shah and later revitalized under Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah through a channel built by nobleman Neknam Khan (the lake was renamed in his honor), it became part of Hyderabad’s water network.
• Once vital to the city’s water supply until urban shifts in the mid-20th century, the lake has since deteriorated due to urbanization and pollution.
• Restoration efforts since the 2010s include a large floating treatment wetland installed in 2018, recognized as India’s largest, which has improved water quality and revived biodiversity.

About Bagurumba Dance:

• It is one of the folk dances of the Bodo community, deeply inspired by nature.
• It represents peace, fertility, joy and collective harmony, and is closely associated with festivals such as Bwisagu, the Bodo New Year, and Domasi.
• Features of Bagurumba Dance:
  • The dance symbolises blooming flowers and reflects harmony between human life and the natural world.
  • It features gentle, flowing movements that imitate butterflies, birds, leaves and flowers. Performances are usually organised in groups, forming circles or lines that enhance its visual elegance.
  • It is traditionally performed only by women of the Bodo community, with the musical instruments being played by their male counterparts.
• Dance Attire: The dancers dress in handwoven, bright red, yellow, and green dokhna, jwmgra, and aronai, dancing to the beautiful beats of the handmade percussion instruments.
• Musical Instruments used: The musical instruments include the traditional kham (a drum made of wood and goatskin), including sifung (a bamboo flute), and other wooden instruments like jota, gongwna and tharkha.

About Royle’s Pika:

• Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei), also called the Himalayan mouse hare or hui shutu, is a species of pika.
• Habitat: It is found in open rocky landscapes and rhododendron forests.
• Distribution: It is found in northwestern Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India to Nepal and Tibet.
• Characteristics of Royle’s pika:
  • It relies on a thick winter snowpack to act as an insulating blanket, shielding it from brutal sub-zero temperatures.
  • It does not make its own nest; rather, it takes narrow creeks and existing burrow systems as its nest.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern
• Threats: Climate change and population isolation.