Why it is in the news
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking at a rally on 11 October 2026 to mark two years in office, said that the Government of India “has acknowledged before the Supreme Court that Katchatheevu Island belongs to Sri Lanka”. He was referring to the Supreme Court hearing of 6 October 2026 on a batch of petitions, led by A.K. Selvaraj v Union of India (W.P.(C) 561/2008), challenging the “unconstitutional ceding” of the island under the 1974 agreement and the 1976 arrangement. Before the Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva, Attorney General R. Venkataramani reportedly said that India enjoys “excellent relations” with Sri Lanka and does not intend to reopen the two agreements. The Court gave no ruling on their validity, orally urged that Indian fishermen be sensitised not to cross into Sri Lankan waters, and listed the matter for February 2027.
The exam angle
Issue: A 1974 boundary settlement that moved a small island to Sri Lanka has become a live question of treaty law, federal politics and fishermen’s survival, now before the Supreme Court.