November 2025 brought the four Labour Codes into force, the Supreme Court's opinion on timelines for Governors, the DPDP Rules, COP30 in Belém and the first G20 summit in Africa. Major items are grouped below by GS paper.

In this compilation: 27 major items, grouped by GS theme · 10-question quiz at the end.

Timeline: key events of November 2025

Places in news, November 2025

Polity & Governance

1. SC: courts cannot fix timelines for President and Governors

• A five-judge Constitution Bench answered the 16th Presidential Reference under Article 143.
• It held that courts cannot impose fixed timelines for assent to Bills under Articles 200 and 201.
• It also said Governors cannot sit on Bills indefinitely; "deemed assent" was ruled out.

Why it matters for UPSC: Governor's role and cooperative federalism; contrast with the April 2025 Tamil Nadu ruling.

Syllabus: GS2 – Centre–state relations

2. SC strikes down key parts of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021

• The Court held the provisions gave the Union too much control over appointments and tenure.
• It continues the Madras Bar Association line of cases.
• Parliament later passed a new Tribunals Reforms Act in 2026.

Why it matters for UPSC: Separation of powers and tribunal independence.

Syllabus: GS2 – Tribunals

3. DPDP Rules, 2025 notified

• The Rules fully operationalise the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
• They set out consent, data-breach reporting and the Data Protection Board's work.
• Many obligations phase in over 12–18 months.

Why it matters for UPSC: Right to privacy (Puttaswamy, 2017) and data governance.

Syllabus: GS2 – Privacy