Polity and governanceThe Hindu, NationalGS2Must read
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at Melongthang, Leh, on Sunday, 18 October 2026. Supreme Court judges, Attorney General R. Venkataramani, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and High Court Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati attended. Hearings begin on 21 October, with a Division Bench of Chief Justice Bhati and Justice Sanjay Parihar taking up the first cases. Until now, litigants from Leh and Kargil had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu. The bench sits about 3,500 metres above sea level; the CJI said he had been told no High Court in India has sat higher. An e-filing portal, a document management system and an online recruitment portal were launched, and the bench is designed as a paperless court.
Prelims facts
- The Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh was inaugurated at Leh on 18 October 2026; hearings begin on 21 October.
- The legal basis is a presidential Regulation of 27 August 2026 under Article 240, read with Section 58(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
- The Regulation creates sittings of the existing common High Court, not a new High Court, and leaves the principal seat unchanged.
- The CJI said Ladakh matters before the Supreme Court will be listed on one day and heard by video-conference from the bench.
- The CJI linked the bench to legal aid, calling it a constitutional promise (Article 39A).
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International relationsThe Hindu, InternationalGS2Must read
US Vice President JD Vance said at a CBS town hall, reported on 18 October 2026, that "to the extent my rhetoric has been imperfect, that's on me". He was responding to criticism, led by India, of his description of H-1B workers as "indentured servants". Vance said his remark applied to certain H-1B holders, not the whole category, and was a criticism of companies. He argued that a worker's visa is the "only lifeline" to the United States and that employers can have workers "shipped back", which gives employers "way too much power". The remarks fell short of an apology but softened the tone two days before External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was to host US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai on 20 October.
Prelims facts
- JD Vance said on 18 October 2026 that his "rhetoric has been imperfect" after calling some H-1B workers "indentured servants" on 8 October.
- On 8 October 2026 the US Labor Department suspended eight companies, including TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Cognizant, Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe, from the PERM programme.
- PERM labour certification is usually the first step for an employer-sponsored US green card.
- The MEA called the term "deeply offensive" because of its colonial connotations and said talent mobility benefits both countries.
- The Indian indenture system began in 1834 with a voyage to Mauritius and sent more than a million Indians abroad on fixed-term contracts.
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EconomyThe Hindu, BusinessGS3
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) withdrew a net ₹52,100 crore from Indian equities in October 2026 up to the middle of the month, according to depository data reported by PTI on 18 October. This followed a net outflow of ₹35,861 crore in September, after net inflows of ₹29,631 crore in August and ₹20,200 crore in July. The October outflow is already about ₹16,239 crore larger than September's. With this, net FPI selling of Indian shares in 2026 has reached ₹3.12 lakh crore, nearly 1.9 times the ₹1.66 lakh crore outflow recorded in the whole of 2025. FPIs turned marginal buyers on 16 October, a reversal analysts described as brief.
Prelims facts
- FPIs sold a net ₹52,100 crore of Indian equities in October 2026 up to mid-month, after a ₹35,861 crore outflow in September.
- Net FPI equity outflows in 2026 have reached ₹3.12 lakh crore, nearly 1.9 times the ₹1.66 lakh crore of all of 2025.
- Analysts blamed high US bond yields, a stronger dollar, high crude prices and an AI-led rally in North Asian markets.
- A foreign stake below 10% of a company's paid-up equity is portfolio investment; 10% or more is treated as FDI.
- The RBI's Voluntary Retention Route (2019) requires FPIs to keep at least 75% of their allocation in India for at least three years.
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