INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 2nd SEP 2026

Summary of Important News Items Editorials-449

INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 2nd SEP 2026.

(for reading Indian Express News items from 1 to 448 please visit –

web.prernaforias.com)

1. Supreme Court Quashes FIRs against Student Protesters under Article 142

The Supreme Court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to quash FIRs registered across several states against students who participated in the July 20–25 protests over examination paper leaks. The Court said the order was intended to protect the future of young protesters who had come to demonstrate bona fide, and also directed that no fresh FIRs be registered over the same protest incidents. However, police were permitted to proceed separately against 2,873 individuals allegedly having serious prior criminal records. The Centre was also given three months to formulate a pan-India compensation framework for families of students who died by suicide following the NEET-2026 paper-leak controversy. The CJP consequently withdrew its September 5 protest call. The logic is one of reconciliation rather than criminalisation of mass democratic protest. The gist is that constitutional courts can use Article 142 to secure complete justice, while distinguishing peaceful youth mobilisation from independently provable criminal conduct.

2. SCO Summit: Modi Calls for Dismantling Entire Terror Ecosystem

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for dismantling the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens. Speaking while Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was present, Modi warned that terrorism cannot be treated merely through an “action-reaction” framework and cannot be used as a strategic asset by any state. The summit’s Bishkek Declaration similarly rejected double standards in fighting terrorism and called for action against cross-border movement of terrorists, separatism and extremism. India’s position is significant because New Delhi has consistently accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, especially after the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Modi also reiterated India’s SCO framework of Security, Connectivity and Opportunity. The gist is that India seeks to use multilateral platforms to delegitimise state sponsorship of terrorism while linking security cooperation with sovereignty-respecting connectivity and regional economic integration.