Rajasthan Current Affairs 7 September 2026

Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 7 September 2026, prepared for the RPSC RAS examination and other Rajasthan government examinations. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court at Lok Bhawan in the Raj Bhavan complex, Jaipur, on 7 September, with Governor Haribhau Bagade administering the oath, filling a permanent post that had been held by an Acting Chief Justice amid a controversy that reached the Supreme Court. On the eve of the state’s first simultaneous urban local body elections on 9 and 11 September, the state’s water-grid programme, the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, the Yamuna and Narmada agreements and the Brahmani-Banas linkage, returned to public discussion. The State Election Commission’s polling arrangements for about 309 urban bodies and over 1.44 crore voters were in place, and the India Meteorological Department continued a heavy-rain watch over parts of eastern Rajasthan following waterlogging in Alwar, Dausa and the opening of two gates of the Bandh Baretha dam in Bharatpur. Each item carries a Prelims fact set and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.

1. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal Sworn In as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court

Why in News: On 7 September 2026, Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court at a ceremony at Lok Bhawan, in the Raj Bhavan complex, Jaipur. Governor Haribhau Bagade administered the oath of office in the presence of Chief Secretary V. Srinivas and senior officials.

The appointment path. The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the appointment on 31 August 2026, in a round that named Chief Justices for eight High Courts, and the Department of Justice notified the appointments on 5 September 2026. Justice Agrawal was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court in September 2013, became a permanent judge in March 2016, and was, until his elevation, Acting Chief Justice of that High Court after the retirement of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha. Before joining the Bench, he served as Advocate General of Chhattisgarh.

Why this particular filling matters. The Rajasthan High Court had been headed by an Acting Chief Justice during a period in which a sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice Sandeep Mehta, publicly accused the acting Chief Justice of corruption, nepotism, favouritism and misuse of administrative powers. Lawyers’ associations of the Rajasthan Bar had sought a permanent Chief Justice on the ground that a permanent occupant of the post would restore administrative certainty in the High Court’s roster, listing and disciplinary decisions. The 7 September swearing-in ends the Acting Chief Justice arrangement.

The constitutional and appointment scheme. A judge of a High Court is appointed by the President under Article 217 of the Constitution after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the state, and, in the case of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned. In practice, since the Second Judges Case (1993) and the Third Judges Case (1998), the appointment operates through the collegium of the Chief Justice of India and the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court for Chief Justices of High Courts. The Rajasthan High Court has its principal seat at Jodhpur and a bench at Jaipur.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 7 September 2026 at Lok Bhawan in the Raj Bhavan complex, Jaipur, with the oath administered by Governor Haribhau Bagade.
• Prelims: The Supreme Court Collegium recommendation covering eight High Courts was made on 31 August 2026 and notified by the Department of Justice on 5 September 2026.
• Prelims: The Rajasthan High Court was established in 1949, with its principal seat at Jodhpur and a bench at Jaipur.
• Prelims: A High Court judge is appointed by the President under Article 217 in consultation with the CJI, the Governor and the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned.
• Prelims: The Second Judges Case (1993) and Third Judges Case (1998) established the collegium system for higher judicial appointments.
• Mains: Judicial administration, the collegium’s handling of complaints against a serving Acting Chief Justice, and the role of a permanent Chief Justice in restoring administrative certainty (GS2 polity, judiciary).

2. The Eve of Rajasthan’s First Simultaneous Urban Local Body Elections

Why in News: Rajasthan goes to its first simultaneous urban local body elections on 9 and 11 September 2026, with counting on 14 September. On the eve of the polls, on 7 September, the State Election Commission confirmed final polling arrangements for the two-phase exercise announced by State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh covering about 309 urban bodies.

The scale, as reported. The elections cover 10 municipal corporations, 47 municipal councils (nagar parishads) and 252 municipalities (nagar palikas) on the State Election Commission’s own announcement; the eligible electorate is over 1.44 crore, and the ward seats number about 10,245, with 16,465 polling centres set up. Jaipur Municipal Corporation alone has about 24.2 lakh eligible voters and 150 wards, and votes on 11 September; Jaipur returned to a single Municipal Corporation for these polls after having earlier been divided into Greater and Heritage corporations.

Post-poll timetable. The election of heads of urban local bodies is scheduled for 21 September, and of deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and vice-presidents for 22 September.

The examinable core, as always for local government. Urban local government is governed by Part IXA of the Constitution, inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, comprising Articles 243P to 243ZG. Superintendence, direction and control of municipal elections is vested by Article 243ZA in the State Election Commission, not in the Election Commission of India.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: Polling in Rajasthan’s first simultaneous urban local body elections is on 9 and 11 September 2026, with counting on 14 September and head-of-body elections on 21 September.
• Prelims: The elections cover about 309 urban bodies and over 1.44 crore voters across 16,465 polling centres.
• Prelims: Jaipur Municipal Corporation has 150 wards and about 24.2 lakh eligible voters, and votes on 11 September.
• Prelims: The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 inserted Part IXA, comprising Articles 243P to 243ZG.
• Prelims: The State Election Commissioner for Rajasthan is Rajeshwar Singh.
• Mains: The One State-One Election design as an instrument of fiscal and electoral efficiency, and the pending question of political and fiscal devolution to municipalities in Rajasthan (GS2 local government).

3. Rajasthan’s Water Grid: ERCP, the Yamuna Agreement and the Brahmani-Banas Linkage

Why in News: Rajasthan’s water-transfer programme returned to public discussion on 6 September 2026, when Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma set out the state’s water grid in a public address at Ajmer. The projects themselves, rather than the campaign setting, are what the RAS syllabus tests.

The projects.

These are campaign claims and should be treated as such. The precise definitions of “appointment provided” and “recruitment completed” have not been laid out in a single reference document, and Prelims-grade figures should draw on the state Budget document rather than a campaign speech.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: The PKC-ERCP scheme interlinks the Parbati, Kalisindh and Chambal rivers to serve 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan.
• Prelims: A 295.5 km underground pipeline has been proposed to carry Yamuna water from Hathnikund Barrage (Yamunanagar, Haryana) to Hansiawas in Churu district.
• Prelims: The Bisalpur reservoir on the Banas near Deoli is the principal source of drinking water to Jaipur, Ajmer and Tonk.
• Mains: Federal river interlinking, the political economy of water-sharing agreements, and the substitution of surface for groundwater irrigation as a route to sustainability (GS3 environment, water resources).

4. Heavy Rain in Eastern Rajasthan: Bharatpur Dam Gates and Alwar Waterlogging

Why in News: On 6 September 2026, following the India Meteorological Department’s alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall over eastern Rajasthan, monsoon rain returned across the state, with rain reported from Jaipur, Ajmer, Dausa, Alwar, Bharatpur and Sawai Madhopur. The Bandh Baretha dam in Bharatpur opened two gates as the water level rose, and low-lying areas of Alwar and Dausa were inundated.

The rainfall classes, which RAS asks directly.

Incidents. In Ajmer, a wall of a school compound near Plaza Cinema collapsed around 6 a.m. on 6 September following rain, damaging vehicles parked adjacent to it. The incident is a reminder that in eastern Rajasthan the risk profile in the second half of the monsoon is dominated by structural failure and short-duration flash flooding rather than by riverine flooding at scale.

Why the Banas-Chambal catchment matters. The Banas is the largest river flowing entirely within Rajasthan and, with its tributaries the Berach, Kothari and Menali, drains the eastern half of the state into the Chambal. A heavy-rainfall episode centred over the Banas and Chambal catchments feeds directly into the Bisalpur, Rana Pratap Sagar and Jawahar Sagar reservoirs, which is the reason RAS repeatedly tests this system.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: IMD alert of heavy to very heavy rain over eastern Rajasthan continued into 6-7 September 2026; Bharatpur’s Bandh Baretha dam opened two gates.
• Prelims: Very heavy rainfall is 115.6 to 204.4 mm in 24 hours; extremely heavy is 204.5 mm and above.
• Prelims: The Banas is the largest river flowing entirely within Rajasthan; its principal tributaries include the Berach, Kothari and Menali.
• Prelims: The Bisalpur reservoir lies on the Banas in Tonk district; the Rana Pratap Sagar and Jawahar Sagar dams are on the Chambal.
• Mains: Short-duration flash floods, structural failure and urban stormwater drainage in eastern Rajasthan cities (GS3 disaster management, urban infrastructure).

5. Jaipur Votes on 11 September: 150 Wards, One Municipal Corporation

Why in News: Jaipur Municipal Corporation, the state’s largest urban body, votes in the second phase on 11 September 2026 across 150 wards with about 24.2 lakh eligible voters. Jaipur has returned to a single Municipal Corporation for these polls after having been divided into Greater and Heritage corporations under the previous administrative arrangement.

Why the single-corporation model matters. The Heritage-Greater split was designed to give separate administrative attention to the walled city; unifying the corporation restores a single revenue and expenditure envelope, at the cost of the finer-grained heritage attention that a separate Heritage corporation was designed to secure. The trade-off is the recurring one in city government: whether coordination of city-wide services or local heritage stewardship should take priority.

The reservation pattern for Jaipur’s 150 wards follows Article 243T’s mandate of not less than one-third of seats reserved for women, with district-wise reservation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe seats corresponding to their population share.

Rajasthan Relevance:

• Prelims: Jaipur Municipal Corporation votes on 11 September 2026 across 150 wards with about 24.2 lakh eligible voters, as a single corporation.
• Prelims: Jaipur was previously divided into Greater and Heritage municipal corporations before returning to a single body for the 2026 polls.
• Prelims: Not less than one-third of municipal seats are reserved for women under Article 243T.
• Prelims: The State Election Commission administers municipal elections under Article 243ZA.
• Mains: Structural design of city government - single versus multi-corporation models - and the trade-off between city-wide coordination and heritage stewardship (GS2 local government).

Practice MCQs

1. Who administered the oath of office to Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal as the new Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 7 September 2026?

a) The Chief Justice of India b) The Governor of Rajasthan c) The Chief Minister of Rajasthan d) A senior judge of the Supreme Court

Answer: b

Explanation: Governor of Rajasthan Haribhau Bagade administered the oath of office to Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal at a ceremony at Lok Bhawan in the Raj Bhavan complex, Jaipur, on 7 September 2026, with Chief Secretary V. Srinivas and senior officials in attendance. The oath of office to a High Court Chief Justice is administered by the Governor of the state under Article 217 read with Article 219 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court Collegium recommendation covering eight High Courts was made on 31 August 2026 and notified by the Department of Justice on 5 September 2026. Justice Agrawal was elevated to the Chhattisgarh High Court in 2013, made a permanent judge in 2016, and, until his elevation to Rajasthan, was Acting Chief Justice there.

2. The Rajasthan High Court has:

a) Its principal seat at Jaipur and a bench at Jodhpur b) Its principal seat at Jodhpur and a bench at Jaipur c) Its principal seat at Jaipur and no other bench d) Its principal seat at Jodhpur and no other bench

Answer: b

Explanation: The Rajasthan High Court has its principal seat at Jodhpur and a bench at Jaipur, and was established in 1949. Article 217 of the Constitution provides that a Judge of a High Court is appointed by the President of India after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the state, and, in the case of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned. The collegium system for higher judicial appointments emerged from the Second Judges Case of 1993 and the Third Judges Case of 1998. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal took oath as the new permanent Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 7 September 2026, ending a period in which the Court had been headed by an Acting Chief Justice.

3. In Rajasthan’s first simultaneous urban local body elections, polling is scheduled on:

a) 7 and 9 September 2026, with counting on 12 September b) 9 and 11 September 2026, with counting on 14 September c) 11 and 14 September 2026, with counting on 17 September d) 13 and 15 September 2026, with counting on 18 September

Answer: b

Explanation: Rajasthan’s first simultaneous urban local body elections are being held in two phases, on 9 and 11 September 2026, with counting on 14 September, under the state’s One State-One Election policy. The elections cover about 309 urban bodies (10 municipal corporations, 47 municipal councils and 252 municipalities), with over 1.44 crore eligible voters and about 10,245 ward seats spread across 16,465 polling centres. The election of heads of urban local bodies is scheduled for 21 September, and of deputy mayors, deputy chairpersons and vice-presidents for 22 September. Urban local government is governed by Part IXA of the Constitution, inserted by the 74th Amendment Act, 1992, with the State Election Commission exercising superintendence, direction and control under Article 243ZA.

4. The Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (PKC-ERCP), invoked by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma at the Ajmer roadshow on 6 September 2026, aims to interlink which set of rivers?

a) The Luni, Sukri and Jawai b) The Banas, Berach and Kothari c) The Parbati, Kalisindh and Chambal d) The Chambal, Kali Sindh and Banas

Answer: c

Explanation: The Modified PKC-ERCP interlinks the Parbati, Kalisindh and Chambal rivers, and is designed to serve 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan. The Union Cabinet approved the Modified PKC-ERCP as a Union-supported project in December 2024. PKC-ERCP sits alongside the Yamuna water agreement and the Brahmani-Banas linkage to the Bisalpur reservoir as the three limbs of the state’s water grid, all three of which were set out publicly on 6 September 2026. The Luni system (option a) drains western Rajasthan and is not part of ERCP; the Banas system (option b) drains eastern Rajasthan into the Chambal but is not the ERCP set.

5. Which of the following statements about Jaipur Municipal Corporation for the 2026 urban local body elections is NOT correct?

a) Jaipur votes in the second phase on 11 September 2026 b) The corporation has 150 wards and about 24.2 lakh eligible voters c) Jaipur returned to a single Municipal Corporation from an earlier Greater-Heritage split d) Not less than one-half of the seats in the corporation are reserved for women

Answer: d

Explanation: Option (d) is the incorrect statement and is therefore the answer. Under Article 243T of the Constitution, not less than one-third of the seats in every municipality are reserved for women, and not one-half. Reservation of one-third is the constitutional minimum, and some states have legislated a higher share, which would in any case be an item of state law rather than a constitutional mandate. Rajasthan is not one of them for urban bodies: its municipalities reserve one-third of seats for women, the 50 per cent reservation the state had attempted for urban local bodies having been struck down by the High Court in May 2010. The 50 per cent share survives in Rajasthan only in the panchayats. Consistently with that, 50 of Jaipur’s 150 wards are reserved for women. The other three statements are correct: Jaipur Municipal Corporation votes in the second phase on 11 September 2026, with about 24.2 lakh eligible voters across 150 wards, and returned to a single corporation for the 2026 polls after the earlier Greater-Heritage split. The State Election Commission of Rajasthan, headed by State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh, is the constitutional authority under Article 243ZA.