TODAY NEWS ON August 21, 2026

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
Source: The Hindu , Indian Exp and others

Home Minister calls for early resolution of pending water-related issues in south India

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday (August 20, 2026) emphasised the need for early resolution of pending water-related issues concerning southern States through joint meetings involving the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inter-State Council, and the respective States. Addressing the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting at Mamallapuram near Chennai, Mr. Shah said while protecting the interests of one’s own State was not wrong, if it results in other States being deprived of water for years, no actual interest was being served.

Wider engagement with universities and youth can bring new, unconventional ideas: PM Modi after high-level meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (August 20, 2026) called for greater engagement between government departments, universities, and the youth to integrate fresh perspectives into policymaking. As part of his ongoing outreach to younger generations, PM Modi said that such a wider engagement can birth new and unconventional ideas. Chairing the third high-level meeting with secretaries, PM Modi emphasised the importance of collective effort and cited the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis, when officials across departments worked together.

U.S. pushes allies, China to back Trump’s economic war on Iran

The United States on Thursday (August 20, 2026) warned allies and China to join President Donald Trump’s new campaign to isolate the Iranian economy, vowing that Washington would “collapse this regime” in Tehran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s comments underscored how Mr. Trump is shifting to economic rather than military pressure on Tehran as the war drags toward the six-month mark.

High Court Bench for Ladakh approved; Centre reaffirms commitment to constitutional safeguards

The Union Cabinet has decided to establish a High Court Bench in Ladakh, a move aimed at improving access to justice in the Union Territory, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday (August 20, 2026), reaffirming the Centre’s commitment to ensuring constitutional safeguards and the all-round development of the region. Ladakh Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena welcomed the “historic decision” and expressed sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister.

Plea in Supreme Court seeks CBI probe into allegations of Jharkhand JPSC exam irregularities

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking an independent, time-bound probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged malpractices in the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination. The petition, filed by activist Harisharan Devgan, represented by advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, has also filed an urgent request to orally mention the case for an early listing. The petition argued that it was imperative to have the allegations in the case probed by an independent agency, such as the CBI, rather than the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is currently investigating the case.

Opposition accuses government of pushing RSS agenda on NCERT textbooks

Opposition parties and student organisations on Thursday (August 20, 2026) accused the government of seeking to push the ideological imprint of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on school education after people with links to the Sangh and its affiliates were named in a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) team tasked with preparing new political science textbooks for Classes 11 and 12. The NCERT has reconstituted its 16-member textbook development team for political science with a mandate that includes integrating “cultural rootedness”, “Indian knowledge systems” and inclusion into the curriculum.

Congress seeks postponement of Census in Manipur, cites displacement

The Congress on Thursday (August 20, 2026) sought the postponement of the Census exercise in Manipur, citing continuing violence and the displacement of thousands of people. Inner Manipur MP A. Bimol Akoijam of the Congress said conducting the exercise under the present circumstances would be an injustice to those affected by the conflict. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Mr. Akoijam said that nearly 60,000 people remained homeless since the violence in the State began on May 3, 2023, with many still living in relief camps. More than 10,000 houses had been destroyed and several villages devastated, he said.

Assam, Meghalaya CMs call for peace after rioting in Shillong

The Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya called for restraint from people of both States on Thursday (August 20, 2026) to allow normalcy to return following the violence that erupted at a protest rally in Shillong on Wednesday (August 19, 2026). Thirty-one vehicles, mostly Assam-registered, were damaged, at least a dozen people were assaulted, and some vehicles were torched during a bike rally organised by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU). The bikers wore black masks and covered the registration plates of their two-wheelers.

Supreme Court asks CBSE to ease three-language rule for Class 6, give ‘elbow space’ to students, schools

The Supreme Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) asked the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) to grant current Class 6 students a one-time reprieve from a mandatory third-language Board exam. The court urged the Board to return to the drawing board to consider easing the policy into the curriculum, starting from earlier classes, giving students, families and schools “some elbow space”.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands withdraws call for interest in private sector-led data centre project

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has withdrawn an Expression of Interest (EoI) it had issued calling for feasibility proposals for a private-sector-led green AI data centre vertical in the islands. In a notice issued days after the EoI was published on August 10, the administration said that it was withdrawing the EoI with immediate effect “due to administrative reasons”. The withdrawal comes even as The Hindu reported that the local Nicobarese population on Great Nicobar Island said that they were not informed of any such plans for a data centre in the sea areas around GNI.

BNP’s Mirza Fakhrul elected as Bangladesh’s new President

Ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Thursday (August 20, 2026) elected as the country’s new President in the first contested poll for the post in 35 years. The 78-year-old BNP stalwart defeated his rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the Liberal Democratic Party chairman and the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance, Chief Election Commissioner and also Election Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin said. Mr. Alamgir secured 255 votes, while Oli Ahmad bagged 88 votes, he said.

Supreme Court forms High-Powered Enquiry Committee to investigate violence during student protests

The Supreme Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) ordered the formation of a high-powered enquiry committee (HPEC) to examine issues, including police violence, NEET-UG protests across the country.

The committee will be headed by Justice (Retd.) R. Subhash Reddy, former judge of the Supreme Court of India. Other members include, Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Shalinder Kaur, former Judge of the Delhi High Court, Rishi Kumar Shukla, former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Dr. L.R. Bishnoi, retired Director General of Police, Meghalaya.

Jharkhand HC stays notifications cancelling appointment of government staff through 11th to 13th JPSC exams

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) stayed the operation of notifications cancelling the appointment of government employees through 11th to 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations. The High Court also stayed the operation of the order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers. While hearing a petition against the government notifications, the Court asked the State to furnish its reply by September 15, the next date of hearing.

Bengal, J&K, Ladakh and five other State Collectors empowered to grant citizenship under CAA

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has transferred the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, from Empowered Committees — comprising Central government officials, including those from the Census, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and postal departments — to District Collectors in eight States and Union Territories (UTs). District Collectors in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (except tribal areas), Tripura (except tribal areas), Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have been authorised to process CAA applications, as per the August 19 order, making the earlier arrangement of multi-agency committee redundant.

Supreme Court scraps worker-friendly 1978 ‘industry’ precedent for new labour code

In a verdict in which judges varyingly differed on issues, nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) held that a nearly half-century-old expansive interpretation of ‘industry’, which previously granted workers stronger labour rights and protection, will not apply under the new Industrial Relations Code, 2020.

The reference before the Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was centered around a broad definition given to ‘industry’ in a 1978 seven-judge Constitution Bench judgment, authored by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa case.

Unauthorised structures outside Pakistan High Commission pulled down in Delhi

A section of structures outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was demolished after authorities found them to be beyond the mission’s approved boundary, official sources said on Thursday (August 20, 2026). The action was carried out by the agencies concerned using a JCB machine, which removed the structures and barricades erected along the lane outside the compound, including queue-management installations near the visa section, the sources said. Visuals showed that the demolition left a trail of rubble outside the mission, with broken metal railings and gates, twisted metal frames, roofing sheets, bricks and chunks of concrete and plaster strewn across the paved area.

As NRC demand intensifies, Manipur community leaders leave for Delhi

A 10-member team comprising leaders of different communities and organisations in Manipur left for New Delhi on Thursday (August 20, 2026) amid the unrest in the State’s Imphal Valley to press for an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census exercise is conducted in the State. The departure of the team, representing members from the Meitei, Pangal (Manipuri Muslims), Naga, and other indigenous communities, coincided with the boycott of Central and State government offices in Manipur on Thursday (August 20, 2026).

Amit Shah says Congress’s decision on rendering first two stanzas of Vande Mataram is ‘anti-national’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday (August 20, 2026) launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that its decision to render only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram reflected appeasement politics, disrespected martyrs and undermined national unity. In a statement to the media, Mr. Shah termed the Congress Working Committee’s move on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) to feature only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party functions, in line with the All India Congress Committee resolution of 1937, as “anti-national”.

Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan shifted to Islamabad hospital after court order

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was shifted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad from jail early on Friday for a medical examination, according to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. This came after a long-standing demand from Khan’s supporters, who have raised concerns about his deteriorating health during his three years in prison. Khan has been jailed since August 2023 and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, as per a Dawn report. He was also convicted in the Toshakhana case for concealing details of gifts received while he was in office.