Supreme Court (SC) reiterates right to vote and contest elections are statutory, not fundamental rights.

Exam-focused facts from the 14 April 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Supreme Court bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan set aside Rajasthan High Court orders that had struck down eligibility conditions for District Milk Producers’ Cooperative Unions elections.
Verdict dated April 10, 2026 held that neither right to vote nor right to contest election is a fundamental right and both are purely statutory rights that can be regulated by law.
Court upheld bye-laws requiring minimum milk supply and operational continuity as valid eligibility criteria, not unconstitutional disqualifications.
Supreme Court ruled cooperative societies are not 'State' under Article 12, so writ petitions under Article 226 were not maintainable and statutory remedies under Rajasthan Cooperative Societies Act should have been exhausted first.