November 10, 2025

Quick Overview

This week’s current affairs span across crucial governance, economy, and technology developments in India and globally. Key highlights include: the Supreme Court’s deliberation on the nature of the Right to Vote, the G20’s findings on rising global inequality, India’s move to ensure data privacy amid the rise of Generative AI, and the post-demonetisation monetary trends in India. Together, these developments underline the interconnected challenges of democracy, equity, technology sovereignty, and economic reform.

1. The Right to Vote vs. Freedom of Voting: A Constitutional Debate

The Union Government recently informed the Supreme Court that the right to vote is distinct from the freedom of voting. The right to vote, governed by the Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1951, is a statutory right, not a fundamental one. However, the freedom of voting—the act of expressing one’s choice—is protected under Article 19(1)(a) as part of the right to freedom of speech and expression.

This issue emerged from petitions challenging Section 53(2) of the RPA, which allows uncontested candidates to be declared elected without polling. Critics argue this denies citizens the chance to exercise their expressive right through NOTA (None of the Above). The Election Commission countered that NOTA is not a candidate under the Act, and such elections are rare.
Judicial precedents such as PUCL v. Union of India (2003) clarified that while the right to vote is statutory, casting a vote becomes an act of constitutional expression.

This debate reaffirms that universal adult franchise (Article 326) ensures inclusion, yet voting itself remains a legal entitlement, not a constitutional guarantee—raising questions about voter empowerment and democratic participation.

2. G20 Report on Global Inequality: The Growing Wealth Divide

The G20 Committee, under South Africa’s presidency, revealed alarming inequality trends. Between 2000 and 2024, the richest 1% of the world accumulated 41% of new wealth, while the bottom 50% received only 1%. In India, the top 1% grew their wealth share by 62% during the same period.

Globally, 83% of nations have high income inequality (Gini > 0.4), covering 90% of the population. Despite India’s moderate Gini coefficient (25.5) compared to China (35.7) and the US (41.8), inequality persists due to economic liberalisation, financial deregulation, unequal asset ownership, and intergenerational wealth transfer.

The report calls for a global framework to tackle inequality, including:

• A proposed International Panel on Inequality (IPI) modelled on the IPCC,

• Progressive taxation and inheritance tax,

• Reforms in global trade and intellectual property (IP) laws,

• Enhanced social protection policies and food security measures.

The findings underscore that rising inequality not only threatens economic growth but also erodes democratic institutions and social cohesion.

3. Securing Data Privacy in the Era of Generative AI

With India’s growing reliance on Generative AI (GenAI) models such as ChatGPT and Gemini, the government has raised concerns over data privacy, inference risk, and national security.
Inference risk arises when AI systems deduce sensitive insights—such as government strategies or user identities—from seemingly benign prompts.

To address this, the government has:

• Restricted the use of foreign AI tools on official devices,

• Invested ₹10,372 crore in the IndiaAI Mission to develop 12 indigenous Large Language Models (LLMs),

• Encouraged ministries to adopt Zoho-based Indian platforms,

• Established a subcommittee under MeitY for national AI governance guidelines.

The focus is now on digital sovereignty—ensuring that India’s data, AI infrastructure, and digital tools remain independent and secure.
Building indigenous AI ecosystems, enforcing data localisation, and promoting domain-specific LLMs (e.g., for law or governance) will be key to safeguarding national interests in the AI era.

4. Demonetisation and Money Supply: A Macroeconomic Update

According to recent RBI data, the currency with the public has more than doubled since the 2016 demonetisation—rising from ₹17.97 lakh crore (Nov 2016) to ₹37.29 lakh crore (Oct 2025).
However, the currency-to-GDP ratio has declined, reflecting accelerated economic growth and greater digital payments adoption.

The 2016 demonetisation, conducted under Section 26(2) of the RBI Act, aimed to curb black money, fake currency, and promote digital transactions. Although cash usage rebounded, the parallel expansion of UPI and digital ecosystems indicates structural transformation in India’s payment landscape.

This suggests that while demonetisation’s immediate economic shock was debated, its long-term legacy lies in formalising financial behaviour and digitising the economy.

CLAT/Exam Relevance Summary

These topics are vital for UPSC GS Paper 2 & 3, and CLAT Current Affairs, covering Constitutional interpretation, economic inequality, data governance, and fiscal policy—core components of India’s policy and legal ecosystem.