Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 10 September 2026, prepared for the RPSC RAS Prelims and Mains and other Rajasthan government examinations. The Rajasthan High Court on 9 September 2026 issued a significant conservation order banning all “guaranteed leopard sighting” tourism advertising and operations within and around the Jawai Dam Leopard Conservation Reserve in Pali district, prohibiting commercial establishments, mining and habitat alteration within one kilometre of notified boundaries. On 10 September, Rajsamand district made national headlines for a grassroots environmental campaign in which women have scattered more than 1.5 lakh seed balls across the Aravalli hills using slingshots over the past eight years, targeting mining-affected hills and barren land this season. New Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal, sworn in on 7 September, began his first working day on 8 September by restricting the outgoing Acting CJ’s bench to CAT-related appeals only, drawing bar association attention to his sweeping roster realignment. Phase 2 of Rajasthan’s statewide Urban Local Body elections is due on 11 September, following Phase 1 across 162 ULBs in 39 districts on 9 September. IAF Dronathon-2026 at Pokhran Field Firing Range opens on 14 September. Each item carries a Prelims fact set and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.

1. Rajasthan HC Bans Guaranteed Leopard Sighting Tourism Around Jawai Reserve

Why in News: The Rajasthan High Court on 9 September 2026 passed an order banning “guaranteed leopard sighting” tourism operations around the Jawai Dam Leopard Conservation Reserve in Pali district. The order prohibits all new commercial activities including hotels, and industrial activities including mining, within one kilometre of the notified boundaries of specified protected areas in the region. It also prohibits revenue authorities from converting land within this one-kilometre zone.

What the order says. “No tourism establishment shall advertise or operate on the premise of guaranteed leopard sighting from rooms, camps or private premises, or undertake feeding, baiting, lighting or habitat alteration to attract wildlife,” the court stated. Schools, panchayat buildings and other government structures continue to function, and farmers may pursue agricultural crops on their fields without obstruction.

What was happening at Jawai. Wildlife activist Gaurav Bhardwaj and forest officers had documented hotels feeding chicken and guinea fowl to leopards to guarantee tourist sightings, sometimes offering “your money back” if a leopard is not seen. Bhardwaj raised the issue with the Rajasthan Forest Department three times without action, leading to judicial intervention. Senior IFS officer Mohan Pargaien noted that when carnivores are fed or baited for tourist spectacle, wildlife tourism “is being reduced to a commodity.”

What is the Jawai Reserve. The Jawai Dam Leopard Conservation Reserve is a distinctive habitat in the granite hills, caves and scrub forests of Pali district, near Jawai Dam on the Jawai river (a tributary of the Luni). It hosts one of India’s highest densities of free-roaming leopards and is distinct from conventional tiger reserves in that the leopards inhabit a mosaic of pastoral, agricultural and rocky terrain shared with local communities. Leopards are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: The Rajasthan HC order of 9 September 2026 bans guaranteed leopard sighting tourism and prohibits new commercial activity, including hotels and mining, within 1 km of notified boundaries of the Jawai Reserve.
  • Prelims: The Jawai Dam Leopard Conservation Reserve is in Pali district; the Jawai River is a tributary of the Luni River.
  • Prelims: The prohibition specifically covers feeding, baiting, lighting or habitat alteration to attract wildlife.
  • Prelims: The leopard (Panthera pardus) is Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; Rajasthan’s state animal is the Chinkara (and the Camel is also an official state animal).
  • Prelims: Wildlife Tourism policy framework: Schedule I wildlife cannot be disturbed under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; leopards are listed under Schedule I.
  • Mains: The commercialisation of guaranteed wildlife sightings as a threat to conservation behaviour modification; the legal and governance gap between forest department jurisdiction and tourism industry operations in buffer zones (GS Paper 3 environment and biodiversity).

2. Rajasthan Women Scatter 1.5 Lakh Seed Balls Across Aravalli Hills Using Slingshots

Why in News: Women in Rajsamand district are gaining national attention for an eight-year initiative of scattering seed balls across the Aravalli hills using traditional slingshots, targeting slopes, hilltops and valleys that are inaccessible on foot. In the 2026 monsoon season, the campaign targets mining-affected hills, deep valleys, wildlife areas and barren panchayat land, with a goal of planting 50,000 seeds this year. The initiative is jointly run by Deogarh Municipality, Career Sansthan Rajsamand, Career Mahila Mandal Deogarh and Mera Yuva Bharat Rajsamand.

The seed ball method. Each seed ball (cost: approximately Rs 2) is made of soil, cow dung and an organic mixture, containing seeds of local species. When rain falls, the outer layer dissolves and seeds germinate without pit-digging or watering, achieving a 70 per cent success rate. Seeds include native Rajasthan species: peepal, rohida, sheesham, karanj and locally gathered neem, jamun, tamarind, mango, pomegranate, guava and papaya seeds from households. More than 1.5 lakh seed balls have been scattered in Rajsamand, Amet, Bhim, Deogarh, Kumbhalgarh, Todgarh, Satpalia and Diver over eight years.

What the Aravalli means to Rajasthan. The Aravalli range, India’s oldest fold mountain system (Proterozoic era), runs approximately 692 km from Palanpur in Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana to the Delhi Ridge. Roughly 80 per cent of its length lies in Rajasthan. It acts as a watershed dividing the Indus drainage (Luni and its tributaries) from the Ganga system, and is the ecological barrier that separates the Thar Desert from the fertile plains to the east. Its degradation is a direct driver of advancing desertification.

The Raksha Bandhan tradition. The campaign also runs an annual tradition where women visit forests ahead of Raksha Bandhan, tie rakhis to trees and pledge to protect them, linking conservation to cultural ritual.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: The seed ball initiative in Rajsamand district has scattered more than 1.5 lakh seed balls in the Aravalli hills over eight years; each ball costs approximately Rs 2 and has a 70 per cent germination success rate.
  • Prelims: The Aravalli range is the oldest fold mountain system in India (Proterozoic era); about 80 per cent of its length lies in Rajasthan; highest peak is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) at Mount Abu.
  • Prelims: The Aravalli acts as a watershed: to its west flows the Luni (into the Rann of Kutch), to its east the Banas and Chambal (towards the Ganga system).
  • Prelims: Rohida (Tecomella undulata) is the state flower of Rajasthan.
  • Prelims: The 2026 campaign specifically targets mining-affected hills, raising ecological restoration issues from extraction activity in the Aravalli.
  • Mains: Community-led ecological restoration as a complement to forest department afforestation programmes; seed ball methodology (originally from Kenya, adapted to India) as low-cost indigenous-species reseeding; the gender dimension of conservation (GS Paper 3 environment, GS Paper 1 social issues).

3. Chief Justice Agrawal’s Day 1 at Rajasthan HC: Roster Restricted, Cases Redistributed

Why in News: Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal, who took oath on 7 September 2026, began his first working day at the Rajasthan High Court’s principal seat at Jodhpur on 8 September 2026 by restricting the roster of the division bench led by outgoing Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma to hearing only appeals against orders of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). Until that day, Acting CJ Sharma had been master of the roster with the authority to list a wide range of important cases before his bench.

What the order meant. As the master of the roster (a constitutional convention reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2018), the Chief Justice determines which bench hears which case. CJ Agrawal exercised this power immediately to realign case distribution across four benches at the Jaipur seat, while he himself sat on a division bench at Jodhpur with Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati.

The background. Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta had written three letters to the CJI between 2 and 17 August 2026, alleging that Acting CJ Sharma had misused his powers as master of the roster, selectively shifted cases to his own bench and passed orders that raised questions over the integrity of decision-making. A fourth letter on 30 August alleged interference in an internal judicial inquiry. The SC Collegium recommended CJ Agrawal’s appointment on 31 August 2026, and the Centre notified it on 5 September.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: CJ Sanjay Kumar Agrawal began his first working day at the Rajasthan HC on 8 September 2026, immediately restricting Acting CJ Sharma’s bench to CAT appeals only.
  • Prelims: The Rajasthan HC’s principal seat is at Jodhpur; the Bench at Jaipur was established in 1976.
  • Prelims: The “master of the roster” doctrine gives the Chief Justice exclusive power to allocate cases among benches; affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2018.
  • Prelims: Article 217 governs appointment of HC judges; Article 219 governs the oath administered by the Governor.
  • Prelims: The CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal) handles service matters of central government employees under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985; appeals from CAT orders lie before the respective High Court.
  • Mains: The “master of the roster” convention as a safeguard and a pressure point: how the CJI and incoming CJs use this power to correct roster concentration, and the transparency deficit in the collegium’s allocation of judicial accountability (GS Paper 2 judiciary).

4. Rajasthan ULB Elections: Phase 1 Completed, Phase 2 on 11 September, Counting on 14 September

Why in News: Phase 1 of Rajasthan’s statewide Urban Local Body (ULB) elections was completed on 9 September 2026 across 162 ULBs in 39 districts, covering 131 municipalities, 27 municipal councils and 4 municipal corporations (Bharatpur, Alwar, Bikaner and Bhilwara). Approximately 57.52 lakh voters decided the fate of 20,623 candidates for 5,393 wards across 7,067 booths. Phase 2 is on 11 September 2026 covering the remaining 147 ULBs, including the six largest municipal corporations (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bikaner). Counting for both phases is on 14 September 2026.

The scale and institutional frame. Statewide, elections cover 309 ULBs in all: 10 municipal corporations, 47 municipal councils and 252 municipalities (nagar palikas), with a total of approximately 10,245 councillor posts. This is the first time the entire Rajasthan ULB election has been compressed into a simultaneous exercise. The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 provides constitutional status to urban local bodies and mandates their conduct by the State Election Commission under Article 243ZA of the Constitution, distinct from the Election Commission of India.

Why this matters for RPSC. ULB elections are a recurring RPSC topic: the functions and powers of urban local bodies, the ward committee system under Article 243S (as applicable to urban areas), reservation of seats for women (not less than one-third) and OBCs, and the role of the Finance Commission in devolving funds.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: Phase 1 of Rajasthan ULB elections was on 9 September 2026 across 162 ULBs in 39 districts; the four municipal corporations in Phase 1 were Bharatpur, Alwar, Bikaner and Bhilwara.
  • Prelims: Phase 2 is on 11 September 2026; counting is on 14 September 2026; total ULBs statewide: 309 (10 corporations + 47 councils + 252 municipalities).
  • Prelims: Conducted by the Rajasthan State Election Commission under Article 243ZA of the Constitution (74th CAA, 1992).
  • Prelims: The Constitution’s Part IX-A (Urban LBs, Articles 243P to 243ZG) mandates elections every 5 years, reservation for SC/ST/women (one-third), and the Wards Committees system.
  • Mains: Simultaneous statewide ULB elections as governance reform: benefits in cost and logistics versus risks of voter fatigue and reduced local-level campaign engagement; the persistent challenge of weak fiscal devolution to urban bodies despite the 74th Amendment’s intent (GS Paper 2 local governance).

5. Dronathon-2026 at Pokhran: IAF’s Indigenous Drone and Counter-Drone Showcase, 14-16 September

Why in News: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to host Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan from 14 to 16 September 2026. Announced on 8 September 2026, the three-day event brings together domestic manufacturers, start-ups and innovators to showcase indigenous Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS (CUAS) systems through static displays and live demonstrations, aligned with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

What it covers. Focus areas are surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm drone technology and electronic warfare. The IAF said the platform will help identify contemporary solutions and evaluate their combat effectiveness.

Why Pokhran, Jaisalmer. The Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer district’s Thar Desert provides India’s primary desert test range with unrestricted airspace and open terrain ideal for live-fire and counter-drone testing. Pokhran is historically significant as the site of India’s nuclear tests: Pokhran-I on 18 May 1974 (codename Smiling Buddha, India’s first nuclear test) and Pokhran-II on 11 and 13 May 1998 (Operation Shakti, five tests including a thermonuclear device). The South Western Command (HQ: Jaipur) and XII Corps (Konark Corps, HQ: Jodhpur) operate in this sector.

The national drone policy context. India notified the Drone Rules, 2021 replacing the earlier UAS Rules 2021, liberalising the drone ecosystem. The PLI scheme for drones was launched in 2021-22 to incentivise domestic manufacturing. Dronathon-2026 operationalises the user-industry feedback loop that the PLI and policy framework aim to create.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: Dronathon-2026 will be held at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer from 14 to 16 September 2026, organised by the Indian Air Force.
  • Prelims: Focus: indigenous UAS and Counter-UAS, swarm technology and electronic warfare.
  • Prelims: Pokhran: site of Pokhran-I (18 May 1974, Smiling Buddha) and Pokhran-II (11 and 13 May 1998, Operation Shakti).
  • Prelims: South Western Command of the Indian Army is headquartered at Jaipur; its desert-sector formations include XII Corps (Konark Corps) at Jodhpur.
  • Prelims: Drone Rules, 2021 and the PLI scheme for drones (2021-22) are the primary policy instruments for India’s drone ecosystem.
  • Mains: Drone and counter-drone technology as the defining tactical layer of 21st-century conflict (Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, Operation Sindoor lessons); the industry-user co-development model that Dronathon institutionalises; Rajasthan’s Thar Desert terrain as a test and deployment environment (GS Paper 3 defence, science and technology).

Practice MCQs

1. The Rajasthan High Court’s 9 September 2026 order regarding the Jawai Dam Leopard Conservation Reserve correctly states which of the following?

a) The order prohibits new commercial activity including hotels and mining within 1 km of the reserve and bans guaranteed leopard sighting tourism b) The order designates Jawai as a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger c) The order creates a 5-km eco-sensitive zone and bans all human activity within it d) The order directs Rajasthan to prepare a leopard census and submit it to the National Tiger Conservation Authority

Answer: a

Explanation: The Rajasthan High Court on 9 September 2026 passed an order prohibiting all new commercial activities including hotels and industrial activities including mining within one kilometre of the notified boundaries of the Jawai Dam Leopard Conservation Reserve and adjacent protected areas in Pali district. The order specifically states that no tourism establishment shall advertise or operate on the premise of guaranteed leopard sighting, or undertake feeding, baiting, lighting or habitat alteration to attract wildlife. Wildlife activist Gaurav Bhardwaj had documented hotels feeding chicken and guinea fowl to leopards to guarantee sightings. The Jawai Reserve is in Pali district; the Jawai river, on whose dam it is centred, is a tributary of the Luni river. The leopard (Panthera pardus) is listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

2. The Aravalli seed ball initiative in Rajsamand district, which gained national attention in September 2026, is correctly described as which of the following?

a) A government scheme under CAMPA that began in 2020 and plants 10 lakh trees annually b) An eight-year grassroots women-led initiative scattering more than 1.5 lakh seed balls across the Aravalli hills using slingshots, with a 70 per cent success rate c) An IIT-funded research project testing drone-based seed dispersal in the Aravalli d) A World Bank project covering all Aravalli districts in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana

Answer: b

Explanation: Women in Rajsamand district, working through Deogarh Municipality, Career Sansthan Rajsamand, Career Mahila Mandal Deogarh and Mera Yuva Bharat Rajsamand, have been carrying out the Aravalli seed ball initiative for eight years. More than 1.5 lakh seed balls have been scattered across Rajsamand, Amet, Bhim, Deogarh, Kumbhalgarh, Todgarh, Satpalia and Diver. Each seed ball costs approximately Rs 2 and is made of soil, cow dung and an organic mixture containing local species like peepal, rohida, sheesham and karanj; the germination success rate is about 70 per cent. The 2026 campaign targets mining-affected hills, deep valleys and barren panchayat land, aiming to plant 50,000 seeds this year. Rohida (Tecomella undulata) is the state flower of Rajasthan. The Aravalli range is India’s oldest fold mountain system; about 80 per cent of its length lies in Rajasthan.

3. Which of the following correctly identifies the “master of the roster” and its exercise by CJ Sanjay Kumar Agrawal on his first working day at the Rajasthan HC?

a) The “master of the roster” refers to the senior-most puisne judge; CJ Agrawal used it to merge the Jodhpur and Jaipur benches b) The “master of the roster” is a collegium convention; CJ Agrawal used it to create a new bench specifically for PILs c) The “master of the roster” is a power of the Chief Justice to allocate cases among benches; CJ Agrawal restricted Acting CJ Sharma’s bench to CAT appeals only d) The “master of the roster” is shared equally between the CJ and the two senior-most judges; CJ Agrawal did not alter any roster on his first day

Answer: c

Explanation: The “master of the roster” doctrine, reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2018, gives the Chief Justice the exclusive power to allocate cases among benches; no other judge can direct which bench hears a case. CJ Sanjay Kumar Agrawal, sworn in on 7 September 2026 by Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde, began his first working day at the Rajasthan HC’s principal seat in Jodhpur on 8 September. He immediately restricted the division bench of Acting CJ Sanjeev Prakash Sharma to hearing only appeals against CAT orders, and reassigned the range of important cases that bench had been listing to other benches. This followed three letters by SC Justice Sandeep Mehta to CJI Surya Kant (dated 2 to 17 August 2026) alleging misuse of the master of the roster by Acting CJ Sharma. Rajasthan HC’s principal seat is at Jodhpur; the Jaipur bench was established in 1976. Article 217 governs HC judge appointments; Article 219 governs the oath.

4. Phase 1 of Rajasthan’s Urban Local Body elections on 9 September 2026 is correctly described by which statement?

a) It covered all 309 ULBs simultaneously, including all 10 corporations b) It covered 147 ULBs including the six largest corporations of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bikaner c) It covered only nagar palikas (municipalities) in 20 districts, with all corporations reserved for Phase 2 d) It covered 162 ULBs in 39 districts, with the four corporations of Bharatpur, Alwar, Bikaner and Bhilwara going to polls

Answer: d

Explanation: Phase 1 of Rajasthan’s statewide ULB elections was held on 9 September 2026 across 162 ULBs in 39 districts, comprising 131 municipalities, 27 municipal councils and 4 municipal corporations (Bharatpur, Alwar, Bikaner and Bhilwara). About 57.52 lakh voters decided the fate of 20,623 candidates for 5,393 wards. Phase 2 on 11 September covers the remaining 147 ULBs, including the six largest corporations (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bikaner). Counting is on 14 September 2026. Statewide there are 309 ULBs (10 corporations, 47 councils and 252 municipalities). The elections are conducted by the Rajasthan State Election Commission under Article 243ZA (74th CAA, 1992), distinct from the Election Commission of India. The Constitution under Part IX-A mandates elections every 5 years, reservation for SC/ST/women (not less than one-third).

5. The Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where IAF Dronathon-2026 is scheduled (14-16 September 2026), is historically significant as:

a) The site of India’s first ICBM test in 1983 and the Akash missile system trials in 1995 b) The site of India’s first nuclear power plant commissioned in 1960 c) The site of Pokhran-I (18 May 1974, Smiling Buddha) and Pokhran-II (11 and 13 May 1998, Operation Shakti) d) The site of the Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre and the Army’s largest tank warfare exercise ground

Answer: c

Explanation: The Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer district’s Thar Desert, Rajasthan is India’s primary desert test range and is historically significant as the site of India’s nuclear tests. Pokhran-I, codename Smiling Buddha, was conducted on 18 May 1974 and was India’s first nuclear test, conducted during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure. Pokhran-II, codename Operation Shakti, was conducted on 11 and 13 May 1998 as a series of five tests including a thermonuclear (hydrogen bomb) device, during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, leading to international sanctions. IAF Dronathon-2026 (14 to 16 September) will showcase indigenous UAS and Counter-UAS systems at this range, aligned with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. The Drone Rules, 2021 and the PLI scheme for drones (2021-22) provide the policy and incentive framework for India’s domestic drone ecosystem.