UPSC Key-August 3, 2022: Why you should read ‘Ninja Missile’ or ‘One China Policy’ or ‘Supreme Court Collegium’ for UPSC CSE

SC collegium meets on next CJI, new postings

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: General Studies-II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The five-judge Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, met Tuesday and discussed kickstarting the process of appointment of the next Chief Justice as the CJI is set to retire on August 26.

• For Your Information-As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the document governing the process of appointment of judges and appointment of the CJI, the Law Minister asks the outgoing Chief Justice of India to recommend the next CJI. The MoP states that the CJI should be “the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office.” Although the MoP says that the CJI’s views must be sought “at the appropriate time” and does not specify a timeline for the process, it normally takes place a month before the retirement of the incumbent CJI.

• Who is the next Chief Justice of India after Justice N. V. Ramana?

• Do You Know-Articles 124 to 147 in Part V of the Constitution deal with the organisation, independence jurisdiction, powers, procedures and so on of the Supreme Court. The Parliament is also authorised to regulate them.

• What is the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court Judges in India?

• Who appoints the Chief Justice of India?

• How is the seniority of judges in the Supreme Court decided?

• What does the Collegium consider while making the recommendation?

• National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act 2014-Know the key highlights

• Supreme Court on NJAC Act 2014 (99th Constitutional Amendment Act)-know in detail

• First Judges Case (1982), Second Judges Case (1993) and Third Judges Case (1998)-Know in detail

• What was the Supreme court’s ruling in the Second Judges case (1993), with respect to the appointment of a judge?

• Third Judges case (1998) and Supreme Court’s ruling in case of the appointment-What was the Supreme Court’s ruling?

• The National Judicial Appointments Commission Act of 2014 and the Collegium System-Compare and Contrast

• What are the qualifications required for a person to be appointed as the Chief Justice of India?

• A person appointed as a Chief Justice of Supreme Court, before entering upon his office, has to make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before whom?

• The Constitution has made certain provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial functioning of a Judges-Know in detail

• Jurisdiction And Powers Of Chief Justice of India-Know in detail

• Executive Vs Judiciary for appointment of judges in higher judiciary-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How is seniority decided in the SC?

📍Supreme Court strikes down NJAC, revives collegium system

Pelosi lands in Taiwan, angry China warns of ‘targeted military ops’

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, casting aside private warnings from the Biden administration about the risk that her high-profile diplomatic visit could stoke a new crisis in Asia and immediately prompting a sharp response from the Chinese government.

• Why does China have a problem with Pelosi visiting Taiwan?

• China-Taiwan tensions-Know in detail

• What is Taiwan’s attitude toward the visit?

• How does the world, and US, view Taiwan?

• What is Pelosi’s view on China?

• How does the India view Taiwan?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What is China’s problem with Nancy Pelosi visiting Taiwan?

📍Explained: Why a proposed Nancy Pelosi visit to Taiwan has raised US-China tensions

IN PARLIAMENT

Digital tools gap in govt schools

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In at least 10 states in India, less than 10% of schools are equipped with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, according to data tabled by the government in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

• What is Unified District Information System for Education?

• Know salient results from UDISE+ 2020-21

• What are the features and advantages of UDISE+ 2020-21

• Know these terms-Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), Gender Parity Index (GPI) and Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR)

• How COVID – 19 Pandemic impacted shools especially enrolment, Digital accessibility, Gender Parity Index (GPI) and Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR)?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Department of School Education & Literacy

GOVT & POLITICS

Lok Sabha passes Bill to implement global norms on endangered species

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

• General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed by voice vote the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill-2021 that seeks to provide for implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

• What is CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)?

• Why CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is needed?

• What are CITES Appendix I, II, and III?

• The Asiatic lion and tigers are two species listed in which Appendix of CITES?

• What happens at CITES meetings?

• How effective is CITES?

• Is India a member of CITES?

• When did India join CITES?

• How is CITES implemented in India?

• Know about Wild Life Protection Act 1972 in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍What is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species?

Flagging terror threat, India pledges support to Maldives

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighborhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- To counter the threat of transnational crime, terrorism and drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean region, India on Tuesday said it will give 24 vehicles and one naval boat to the Maldives Security Force and help train the island-nation’s security personnel.

• India-Maldives Relations-Historical Background and Present Situation

• Map Work-Maldives

• Geo-Strategic Importance of Maldives to India

• India – Maldives-Major issues in Bilateral Relations

• Why anti-India sentiments are rising in Maldives?

• What Steps India has taken in the recent years to ensure friendly relations with Maldives?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What Maldives’ new police academy means for bilateral security cooperation with India

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

PMLA and its discontents

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Money-laundering and its prevention

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Upendra Baxi writes: Apex court draws from international law to back its reading of PMLA. But international agreements and frameworks on money laundering do not relieve states of the responsibility of fair trial and of complying with due process.

• What do you know about the Political Declaration and Global Programme of Action adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on February 23, 1990?

• “International instruments from the basic Vienna and Palermo conventions to the soft law standards such as Financial Action Task Force (1989) established the normative architecture for the PMLA. But these anti-ML instruments emphasise that such laws are “subject to constitutional principles”, norms and standards”-Decode the statement

• What is the ‘Burden of proof’?

• What Is Money Laundering?

• What Section 3 of PMLA says?

• What is the offence of money-laundering?

• What are the norms for arrest?

• What are the Bail Conditions defined under Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA)?

• What was the key highlight in the amendment of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002?

• In Nikesh Tarachand Shah vs Union of India (2017), the two-judge bench of Justices Rohinton Nariman and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, had declared the ‘twin test’ of bail under PMLA as unconstitutional since it was manifestly arbitrary. In the recent judgement, the Court also overruled its own order of November 2017 that had declared the bail criteria unconstitutional-What was that ‘Twin test’ of Bail?

• “Section 3 of the 2002 Act has a wider reach and captures every process and activity, direct or indirect, in dealing with the proceeds of crime and is not limited to the happening of the final act of integration of tainted property in the formal economy”-Decode the quote

• What is the punishment for money-laundering?

• Money Laundering and its impact? What influence does money laundering have on economic development?

• How does fighting money laundering help fight crime?

• Steps Taken by Government of India to Prevent Money Laundering

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Supreme Court overrides its own 2017 ruling to justify ‘drastic’ PMLA provision for bail

EXPLAINED

India’s One-China stand & relations with Taiwan

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interest

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- As US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night, upsetting China, India was keenly watching the developments, although it has not yet commented on it. India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan yet, as it follows the One-China policy. However, during then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India in December 2010, India did not mention support for the One-China policy in the joint communique.

• For Your Information- While following the One-China policy, India has an office in Taipei for diplomatic functions — India-Taipei Association (ITA) is headed by a senior diplomat. Taiwan has the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi. Both were established in 1995.

• Map Work-Taiwan

• What is the ‘One China’ policy?

• India-Taiwan Bilateral Relations-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: The China-Taiwan tussle

Hellfire R9X: missile with sharp blades that killed al-Zawahiri

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– The US military used its ‘secret weapon’ — the Hellfire R9X missile – to kill Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on the balcony of a safehouse in Kabul on July 31.

• Who was Al-Zawahiri?

• What is the Hellfire R9X missile?

• Why Hellfire R9X missile is called as ‘Ninja Missile’?

• When did the Hellfire missile enter active service?

• Where has the Hellfire missile been used on previous occasions?

• What is known about the other Hellfire missile variants?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Killed at 71, Ayman al-Zawahri Led a Life of Secrecy and Violence

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