February 4, 2026 - Current Affairs

Supreme Court Slams Meta, WhatsApp Over Privacy Policy

In Context

The Supreme Court of India strongly cautioned WhatsApp and its parent company Meta for "surveillance capitalism" model and breaching the right to privacy of Indian users through data sharing and commercial exploitation.

Background

In 2021, WhatsApp updated its terms of service, mandating that users share metadata with its parent company, Meta (then Facebook).

Unlike the European Union, where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prevented such a move, Indian users were given a "take-it-or-leave-it" ultimatum: accept the terms or lose access to the platform.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) identified this as an Abuse of Dominant Position under the Competition Act, 2002.

Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)

In Context

A recent controversy erupted over alleged misuse of MPLADS funds and critics demanding the scheme should be discontinued.

Critical Arguments for Scrapping the Scheme

Critics, including the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), have argued for its discontinuation based on:

Breach of Separation of Powers: The scheme allows legislators (MPs) to perform executive functions (deciding on specific local projects). This blurs the line between the legislature and the executive.

Federalism Concerns: The subjects covered under MPLADS (sanitation, local roads, etc.) fall under the State List and Local Bodies (73rd/74th Amendments). Critics argue the Union is "encroaching" on local government domains.

Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026

In News

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, superseding the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026

The rules have been notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and will come into full effect from April 1, 2026.

The rules provide for the levy of environmental compensation based on the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle for non-compliance, including cases of operating without registration, false reporting, submission of forged documents or improper solid waste management practices.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will prepare the relevant guidelines, while State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees will levy the environmental compensation.

Death Penalty in India

Context

According to an annual report on capital punishment published by Square Circle Clinic at NALSAR University of Law, the Supreme Court of India has not confirmed a single death sentence in the past three years, reflecting a highly restrictive approach toward capital punishment.

Key Findings of the Report

Lower Courts Continue to Impose Death Sentences: Sessions Courts imposed 1,310 death sentences between 2016 and 2025, including 128 sentences in 2025 alone, despite growing skepticism at higher judicial levels.

Low Confirmation Rates in High Courts: Of the 1,310 death sentences, 842 cases reached the High Courts. Only 70 sentences (just 8.31%) were confirmed.

Supreme Court Overturns Confirmed Sentences: Even where High Courts confirmed death sentences, the Supreme Court has not upheld a single one in the past three years.

News In Short 04-02-2026

In News

Experts caution that the expiry of the New START Treaty would eliminate the last remaining legally binding constraint on the nuclear arsenals of the world’s two largest nuclear powers.

Background

The term START originates from the “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,” with the first agreement, START-I, signed between the US and the former USSR in 1991 and coming into force in 1994.

START-I limited each side to 6,000 nuclear warheads and 1,600 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) but expired in 2009.

It was succeeded by the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT, also called the Treaty of Moscow) and later by the New START treaty (signed in 2010 & entered into force in 2011).