 Rajya Sabha Chairman refused to admit the motion for removal of Chief Justice of

India Dipak Misra, a first in India’s constitutional history.

 ruled that the Opposition’s petition was based on “suspicion, conjectures and
assumptions, and doesn’t constitute proof beyond reasonable doubt.”
 party would challenge the “unprecedented, ill-advised and illegal order” in the
Supreme Court.
 certainly does not constitute proof beyond reasonable doubt, which is required
in a case of ‘proved misbehaviour’ under Article 124 of the Constitution.
 Conversations between third party with dubious credentials, which have been
extensively relied upon, cannot themselves constitute any material evidence
against the office of Chief Justice of India
 party said it would challenge the order in the Supreme Court
 An impeachment motion moved by MPs had never been dismissed at the
preliminary stage
 Tata Consultancy Services on Monday became only the second Indian company to
cross the $100 billion mark in market capitalisation, buoyed by a robust outlook for
its business and a weakening rupee.
 software major, which listed in 2004, follows Reliance Industries Ltd., which
touched the milestone on October 29, 2007.
 global $100 billion club includes Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc.,
Amazon, Facebook, ExxonMobil, Walmart Inc. and Samsung, which are larger
than TCS.
 Centre has removed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from
Meghalaya, from April 1,
 Union Home Ministry said
 Earlier, it was effective in the State in the 20-km area along its border with
Assam.
 In Arunachal Pradesh, the AFSPA has been restricted to eight police stations,
instead of 16 earlier.
 Section 3 of the Act says it can be invoked in places “where the use of armed
forces in aid of the civil power is necessary.”
 AFSPA empowers the Army and Central forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to
kill anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search premises without
warrant and provide cover to forces from prosecution and legal suits without
the Centre’s sanction.
 decision was taken in the wake of significant improvement of the security
 situation in the State.
 Except for Tripura and Manipur, the Centre was issuing such notifications for
Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.
 Modi will launch the Rashtriya Gramin Swaraj Abhiyan in district of Madhya
Pradesh on the National Panchayati Raj Day on Tuesday and also take part in the
‘Aadi Mahotsav’ event, showcasing heritage of tribals in the region.
 will also unveil a road map for overall development of tribals during the next
five years and will unveil a plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of an
LPG bottling plant of Indian Oil Corporation at Maneri in Mandla district. He
would also launch a local government directory
 would also felicitate the sarpanchs of the villages that have achieved 100 per
cent smokeless kitchens, full vaccination under Mission Indradhanush, and
100 per cent electrification under Saubhagya Scheme
 Ramnagar is situated on the banks of the Narmada river. A number of ancient
monuments associated with erstwhile Gond (tribe) rulers are situated in the
town, surrounded by thick forest.
 ‘Aadi Mahotsav’is aimed at showcasing the rich heritage and traditions of
tribals.
 constant shrinking of glaciers in the Parvati Valley in himachal Pradesh and the
danger of flood.
 Assam government had raised the Special Police Officers (SPOs) in 2008 to guard
government officials and vital installations after militants triggered large-scale
violence in Dima Hasao district. Many surrendered rebels were included into the
squad under rehabilitation schemes.
 At the second Odisha river conference, which concluded on Monday, experts said
competitive politics over the Mahanadi water sharing was only making the matter
complicated.
 A group of civil society organisations, river and water experts and academics
from across the country and the two States gathered in sambalpur to build an
Inter-State Cooperation Framework for the resolution of the Mahanadi river
water dispute.
 Mahanadi, the sixth largest river in India, originates from Chhattisgarh and
enters the Bay of Bengal travelling 851 km, of which 357 km lies in
Chhattisgarh and 494 km in Odisha. Odisha has been grumbling that the
Mahanadi is witnessing an 80% reduction of water flow in non-monsoon
months while Chhattisgarh says it is only storing river water.
 controversy over the proposed integrated refinery and petrochemical complex
Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) in Maharashtra
 Last year’s notification converted land required for the refinery to ‘industrial
zone’ under Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation Act, 1961. It
paved the way for the further land acquisition process in both Ratnagiri and
Sindhudurg districts.
 Two weeks back, the Centre had signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between State-owned IOCL, BPCL and HPCL, and Saudi Aramco to
jointly develop and build RRPCL. The project is expected to cost around ₹3 lakh
crore.
 As per the prescribed procedure to denotify land notified under MIDC Act, the
file is created from the MIDC’s Regional Officer (Konkan) and sent to Joint
CEO of MIDC which goes to the high power committee mentioned by Mr.
Fadnavis. It comprises secretaries from seven different departments, and the
chief secretary. The Industries minister, who heads the MIDC board finally
sanctions the denotification proposal.

 “Despite that, the Chief Minister holds the ultimate right. CM can either

approve or deny the minister’s decision,”

 if implemented, could ruin 14,000 hectares of fertile land besides the thriving
mango and cashew nut cultivation for which the region is famous.
 Disable Welfare Trust of India (DWTI), a school and college for children with
impairments in surat ’s Umra locality
 Kanubhai Hasmukbhai Tailor went on to get a Padma Shri.
 Gujarat University saw merit in Kanubhai’s plea to hold separate sporting
competitions for disabled students.
 Kanubhai spearheaded an agitation seeking a better deal, resulting in
concessions such as a full waiver of travel fares, a 50% discount for escorts and
the earmarking of three seats in railway coaches.
 This landmark achievement pitch-forked the visionary onto the centre-stage of
the campaign for equal opportunities.
 Morarji Desai, the then Prime Minister, designated Kanubhai to attend a UN
conference on disabilities. On his return to India however, Kanubhai could
hardly escape the thinking among his family elders that, given his locomotor
impairment, he should be content with running a ‘paan’ shop.
 Spurning offers of ‘daan’ (charity) for ‘kam’ (work) has been the hallmark of
 Kanubhai’s approach in the decades since.
 During the inauguration of the DWTI by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who
was then Gujarat Chief Minister, Kanubhai made a forceful appeal that a
hospital on the school premises was needed. Industrialist Mukesh Ambani of
Reliance Industries, responded with a big financial grant, but was persuaded
that nothing other than a full-fledged medical facility would satisfy the
recipient.
 To forge a unified stand against what the southern States see as a lopsided Terms of
Reference (ToR) for the 15th Finance Commission, the horizons of the second
edition of the Finance Ministers conclave are being widened to pave the way for the
participation of other States such as Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab and Delhi.
 Tamil Nadu and Telangana, which skipped the first meeting at
Thiruvananthapuram, are also expected to take part in the meeting
 Centre had plans to do away with the revenue deficit grant, a constitutional
right of the States.
 Their fiscal autonomy was a question as the Centre wanted to narrow down
their borrowing limit to 1.7% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from
3% under the Fiscal Responsibility Management (FRBM) Act
 Tamil Nadu would be the worst affected by the Terms of Reference’s
recommendation to use the 2011 census,
 Telangana did not attend with an apprehension that it was a south-north
division.
 Warangal dhurries are known for their geometrically repetitive patterns and zigzag
motifs.
 Geographical Indication certificate given on March 28 by the Chennai-based GI
Registry for Warangal dhurries.
 had to do all our business through the handloom society. But now, with the GI
tag, we will be able to market our products on our own, leading to better profits
 Kothawada in Warangal, a crafts-centred location in the city.
 Only last year, some of the carpet sellers here began using online platforms to
sell their products. The shatranji carpets and jainamaaz prayer mats made in
Warangal range in size from the smallest 2 feet by 3 feet to a massive 60 feet by
90 feet, examples of which are seen in some museums.
 Bright colours, geometrically repetitive patterns and interlocking zigzag motifs
in cotton and jute are the signature styles of the carpets.
 One of the newest innovations by the weavers here is an adaptation of tie-dyed
 ikat techniques and hand-painted or block-printed kalamkari designs for the
dhurries to save time and energy.
 weave a plain carpet and send it to Machilipatnam and Pedana [famous for the
kalamkari style] for colouring based on the design given by us
 uses pit looms to weave the carpets.
 for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, two carpets woven in silk were sent
from Warangal.
 They held a place of pride among over one lakh exhibits, which included the
fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond.
 Today, the bright red and yellow carpets are housed in London’s Victoria and
Albert Museum.
 Thrissur Pooram festivities in kerala
 Elaborate arrangements are already in place for the neelakurinji season, which is
set to begin from July-end.
 key locations where extensive flowering takes place in the Munnar Wildlife
Sanctuary are the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), Lakkam and Vaguvarai
top.
 ENP, also the natural habitat of Nilgiri tahr
 National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) has already
prepared an action plan for a hassle-free visit.
 cleared the encroachments on the Old Munnar-Munnar town stretch of the
Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway.
 poisonous fruit Cerbera odollam (othalanga)
 IPC Section 304 A (causing death due to negligence)
 A sugar cess, a production subsidy for cane farmers and a reduction of the Goods
and Services Tax on ethanol are three suggestions that a Group of Ministers will
present to the Union Cabinet in an effort to resolve the crisis arising from sugar
mills defaulting on payments to farmers, with dues now likely to have crossed
₹20,000 crore.
 GoM discussed the three formulas for paying sugarcane farmers. A note
presenting all the proposals will soon be prepared to present to the Cabinet
 proposal is to reduce the GST from 18% to 5%
 government was looking for ways to incentivise value-added products,
including molasses and ethanol, which could utilise the surplus harvest of
sugarcane, and which would reduce the burden on the mills.
 Last month, the Food Ministry told Parliament that sugar mills had pending
 dues worth ₹13, 899 crore as on March 21. Industry lobbyist Indian Sugar Mills
Association estimates that figure has now crossed ₹20,000 crore.
 Sugar production has hit record highs this year, crossing domestic consumption
estimates and resulting in a crash in prices. According to ISMA data, sugar
production up to April 15 stood at 299.8 lakh tonnes. That’s already 50 lakh
tonnes more than the government’s estimated sugar consumption for the whole
season, and 227 mills are still crushing cane. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra
had each produced almost 105 lakh tonnes by April 15.
 Haryana: power tariff will be reduced for small and medium enterprises having
connection below 20 kilowatt.
 Mughal Road, connecting the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region
with South Kashmir’s Shopian district, was reopened for traffic after a 4-day long
closure due to landslides and snowfall in high altitude areas.
 Rumal Dam in Madhya Pradesh
 Dowry has a “chilling effect” on marriage, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said,
agreeing to decide whether a July 2017 order of the top court, which bans the
immediate arrest of accused persons and allows grant of bail to them on the same
day, dilutes anti-dowry harassment law.
 A three-judge Bench, led by the Chief Justice, reserved for judgment a bunch of
writ petitions, filed challenging the July 27 order by another Bench of Justices
A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit.
 The order had said that women were filing frivolous dowry complaint against
husbands and in-laws. Among a series of directions, Justice Goel’s Bench said
there should be no arrest of accused until the local Family Welfare Committees,
set up by the National Legal Services Authority, composed of social workers,
homemakers, retired persons, etc., vet the complaint.
 July 27 order said that criminal proceedings in dowry harassment cases can be
settled and the accused can get bail. Even the recovery of dowry articles should
not be a deterrent for grant of bail. The order was passed by invoking the
extraordinary powers of the Supreme Court to administer complete justice
under Article 142 of the Constitution.
 Chief Justice Misra said his Bench is not sitting in appeal over the order
passed by Justice Goel’s Bench. “We will only see whether the order was passed
to fill gaps in the law; whether such an order was permissible under Article
142; and whether that order takes out the spirit of Section 498A,”
 Centre said the order was not “practical”. He said the States had written back
 to the Centre, saying that setting of family welfare committees and monitoring
them were not “implementable”.
 court should lay down directions only if there was a vacuum in law.
 Section 498A (dowry harassment) of IPC protects gender justice and rights.
There should not be any kind of cruel treatment of women... But the liberty of
husbands is also a factor... Whether both can be juxtaposed or reconciled?
 order bars the issuance of Red Corner Notice
 investigation of a crime is the police’s job and not that of a family welfare
committee composed of non-legal persons.
 July 27 order blunted the purpose of Section 498A as an effective law to protect
human rights of married woman who live in torture.
 poor conviction rate of 24% for cases under the POCSO Act and a high pendency of
89.6%
 provision of fast track courts in the Ordinance is misleading as there are not
enough judges. Without investing in more judges it will be impossible to finish
trials in two months, as laid down in the Ordinance
 Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Drug Controller General and the
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
 Expressing concern over the lack of measures to tackle the stray dog menace, the
Kerala High Court has observed that the life of a human being is more valuable
than that of a stray dog.
 menace of stray dogs was on the increase in the State.
 Faced with these situations, people took certain measures that they believed
was necessary to protect innocent persons.
 Foreign tourists, except those from Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, would now be
allowed to visit some of the most pristine locations of the country which, so far, were
out of bounds for them without a special permit.
 Home Ministry has decided to relax the Protected Area Permit regime from
Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur from April 1.
 At the First Round Table Conference in 1930, B.R. Ambedkar reminded his
audience: “The men who fought with Clive in the battle of Plassey were the Dusads,
and the Dusads are Untouchables. The men who fought in the battle of Koregaon
were the Mahars, and the Mahars are Untouchables. Thus in the first battle and
the last battle (1757-1818) it was the Untouchables who fought on the side of the
British and helped them conquer India.”
 battle of Koregaon was fought on January 1, 1818, between the upper caste
 army of the Peshwa empire of the Marathas on one side, and the East India
Company’s army manned by Mahars and their British officers on the other.
 result is viewed with mixed emotions in today’s India. It is easy to say that an
Indian empire lost to the British company. But it is difficult to not acknowledge
that probably the Indian empire lost because of its insistence on treating fellow
Indians as untouchables.
 In pre-independent India, as part of his movement on behalf of the depressed
classes, Ambedkar used to commemorate the victory of the battle of Koregaon,
and often visited the site of the battle itself. That tradition of celebrating the
rare triumph of broken men, over the twice-born, has been followed without
interruption even after Independence.
 Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra, which is often called the
new Peshwai, seemed to have done enough on New Year’s Day to justify that
label.
 Subba Rao resigned as the CJI in 1967 to contest the presidential elections. The
move was widely criticised by eminent jurist M.C. Setalvad. This was in the wake of
his judgment in the Golaknath case.
 Then came the judgment of the Supreme Court in the ADM Jabalpurcase
where it upheld the proclamation of Emergency by the executive arm of the
state.
 Ironically, in his historic dissent in this case, Justice H.R. Khanna could not
ascend to the post of CJI. One also has the Second Judges case which
underlined that the appointment of judges was a prerogative of the Supreme
Court
 All these cases and more have collectively contributed to the erosion of the
credibility of the institution and constitutional values.
 Turkey’s membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and long-standing
ambition to join the European Union — are well-known.
 Populist leaders like Mr. Modi come to power using three strategies: They present
themselves as outsiders fighting against an elite, they use populism to attract new
and younger voters to the polls, and they continuously rail either against the
establishment or an imagined enemy who stands in the way of the nation achieving
greatness.
 Modi portrayed himself as an outsider and, more importantly, a challenger to
the long-entrenched political hierarchies in Lutyens’ Delhi.
 This populist appeal brought new voters to the polls, and the voter turnout in
 2014 was eight percentage points higher than in 2009. Data from the National
Election Surveys of 2009 and 2014, collected by Lokniti-Centre for the Study of
Developing Societies, show a clear link between the BJP-led National
Democratic Alliance’s performance in 2014 and the increase in turnout.
 If we compare the percentage point increase in turnout at the
constituency-level with the winning party in that constituency, we find that the
BJP and its allies had a higher likelihood of winning seats where the turnout
increase was the greatest.
 Furthermore, in the past, the turnout among young voters (18-25 years) was
low relative to national turnout figures. For example, analysis suggests that
the turnout among this group was 52% in 2004 and 54% in 2009, when the
national turnout was 58%
 However, in 2014, the turnout among young voters was 68% while the national
turnout stood lower at 66%. Similarly, this increase in turnout (compared to
2009) was also higher among the middle classes than the poor. The young and
the middle class were Mr. Modi’s social base. His populist strategy, coupled
with the strong organisational prowess of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,
channelised this aspirational segment to turn up in high numbers to vote for
the BJP.
 Many scholars believe that fossil fuel energy will decline markedly by 2050. Such
conclusions have been challenged by others who say that the earth has enough
resources to quench humankind’s thirst for development for many centuries to come.
Among other energy supplies, shale gas and oil are likely to be abundant and
available.
 Shale gas and oil are unconventional natural resources found at 2,500-5,000 m
below the earth’s surface, as compared to conventional crude oil found at 1,500
m. The process of extracting shale oil and gas requires deep vertical drilling
followed by horizontal drilling. The most common way to extract shale gas is
‘hydraulic fracturing’ (fracking), where high volumes of water mixed with
certain chemicals are pushed down to break the rocks and release the trapped
energy minerals.
 Because of its benefits, shale gas is being perceived by some as a ‘saviour’ of
humanity. Fracking seems an attractive tool, both politically and economically.
To gain such benefits, the government introduced a policy on shale gas and oil
in 2013, permitting national oil companies to engage in fracking.
 Under the first phase, shale gas blocks were identified in Andhra Pradesh,
 Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. However,
environmental groups have strongly criticised this move, which they say will
have adverse environmental impacts. Countries like Germany and France and
subnational governments like Scotland have banned fracking.
 Fracking is bound to have positive economic and political impacts. In the U.S.,
where shale gas has been commercially exploited for two decades, the prices of
fuel and electricity have dropped. Recent negotiations between the Secretary of
the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and American
shale producers to control oil production and prices show that the U.S. has
gained significant political advantage.
 Similarly, if India commercially exploits shale deposits, it could meet its
ever-increasing energy demand, decrease oil and gas imports, and improve the
balance of payments
 fracking is bound to have a detrimental impact on local communities and the
environment. As fracking consumes large amounts of water (average 15,000
m3/well) and relatively larger surface area, it is bound to impact irrigation and
other local requirements.
 In the U.S. experience, out of 260 chemical substances, 58 have been identified
to pose a risk to human life and environment, eight are carcinogens and 17 are
toxic to freshwater organisms. Further, as 25-90% of the fluid is not retrieved
and cracks in the shaft are possible, there is a high risk of pollution to nearby
underground water.
 Instances of groundwater pollution have been reported in the U.S.
(Pennsylvania) and Canada. Fracking has other impacts such as increased air
emissions (including greenhouse gases) and seismic activity. Environmental
impact assessments of the European Union and the U.K. have recognised these
risks.
 Supreme Court of India has ruled that every person has the right to enjoy
pollution-free water and air. It is also an established principle that the state
holds its natural resources in trust for the benefit of the people, and has the
duty to protect these resources from harm. If the risk from fracking to
underground water materialises, courts can hold the state responsible for it,
stop the activity, and order other corrective and preventive measures.
 Another hurdle that fracking might face is the ‘precautionary principle’, which
has been incorporated into law. It dictates that where there is a significant risk
to the environment or human health, precautionary measures must be
 undertaken, irrespective of any scientific uncertainty. Therefore, even though
some scholars might contest the above-mentioned risks posed by fracking, the
government would be obliged to adopt measures to reduce those risks.
 Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection, Regulation and Management of
Groundwater, 2016, sets a priority for use of groundwater — right to water for
life, and water to achieve “food security, supporting sustenance agriculture,
sustainable livelihoods and eco-system needs”. Only after satisfying these
priorities can underground water be used for other purposes. In the light of the
risks involved, the government should impose a moratorium on fracking.
 Osaka G20 summit next year.
 China is the key to a new wave of globalisation, with Asia at its core. But despite its
economic heft, it is not in pole position to command a new Asian hierarchy. The
brewing trade war with the U.S. threatens to undermine its ‘Made in China 2025’
project for achieving advanced digital manufacturing.
 The Human Genome Project, which involved preparing a blueprint of the sequence
of genes that make up humans, opened a new vantage point to appraise our species.
It gave scientists a way to link networks of genes with disease and well-being, as
well as discover unexpected links; for instance, why some women were prone to
breast cancer more than others
 If mining a single species’ genes can yield such benefits — at least $1 trillion to
the U.S. alone, according to a 2013 Nature study — the bounty from preparing
detailed sequences of every species on the earth could be many multiples of
that and could benefit the world and not just the U.S. alone, says a paper
published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
 The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), as envisaged in the paper titled “Earth
BioGenome Project: Sequencing life for the future of life”, proposes a detailed
genome-sequence draft of every eukaryote species (organisms with a defined
nucleus and to which belong all plants and animals).
 There are about eight million eukaryotic species and the authors argue that
being able to create their detailed genetic sequences will reveal unexpected,
evolutionary connections among the genus, orders and families that make up
the so-called Tree of Life. So far, less than 0.2% of eukaryote genomes have
been sequenced and these are at the level of “draft genomes”, meaning that
they are still at the crudest resolution.
 The EBP has a 10-year road map and hopes to sequence about 1.5 million
eukaryote species in three phases. This exercise needs global collaboration and
 can have many benefits. For instance, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has
not only helped Indian physicists but also given a boost to Indian industries, in
that they have designed specialised equipment for the machine
 The EBP will have similar spin-off benefits, the authors say. Sequencing such a
large number of organisms will require innovative computation- and-storage
solutions and the programming acumen of many thousands across the world.
“The greatest legacy of the EBP will be the gift of knowledge — a complete
Digital Library of Life that contains the collective biological intelligence of 3.5
billion years of evolutionary history,”
 PL-480 funds for financing the electricity co-operatives projects
 Weak atheism: Also known as negative or implicit atheism, this refers to the belief
or the philosophical stance that presumes the absence of a supernatural god while
not completely denying its possible existence. It can also be defined as a general
absence of belief in the existence of god as against a strong belief in the absence of
god.
 Weak atheism is different from strong atheism which explicitly denies the
existence of any kind of god. While similar to agnosticism with some
overlapping beliefs, weak atheism is not the same as agnosticism. The term
was coined by English philosopher Antony Flew in his 1984 book “God,
Freedom, and Immortality”.
 agnostic. 1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as
God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed
to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god.
 Centre has announced that it revoked the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act
(AFSPA) from Meghalaya from April 1.
 AFSPA gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed
areas”. They have the authority to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons
in an area, can use force or even open fire after giving due warning if they feel a
person is in contravention of the law. If reasonable suspicion exists, the army
can also arrest a person without a warrant; enter or search a premises without
a warrant; and ban the possession of firearms.
 Any person arrested or taken into custody may be handed over to the officer in
charge of the nearest police station along with a report detailing the
circumstances that led to the arrest.
 A disturbed area is one which is declared by notification under Section 3 of the
AFSPA. An area can be disturbed due to differences or disputes between
 members of different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or
communities.
 Central Government, or the Governor of the State or administrator of the
Union Territory can declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as
a disturbed area. A suitable notification would have to be made in the Official
Gazette. As per Section 3 , it can be invoked in places where “the use of armed
forces in aid of the civil power is necessary”.
 Ministry of Home Affairs would usually enforce this Act where necessary, but
there have been exceptions where the Centre decided to forego its power and
leave the decision to the State governments.
 Act came into force in the context of increasing violence in the Northeastern
States decades ago, which the State governments found difficult to control. The
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Bill was passed by both the Houses of
Parliament and it was approved by the President on September 11, 1958. It
became known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958.
 It is effective in the whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven
assembly constituencies of Imphal) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The
Centre revoked it in Meghalaya on April 1, 2018. Earlier, the AFSPA was
effective in a 20 km area along the Assam-Meghalaya border. In Arunachal
Pradesh, the impact of AFSPA was reduced to eight police stations instead of 16
police stations and in Tirap, Longding and Changlang districts bordering
Assam.
 Tripura withdrew the AFSPA in 2015. Jammu and Kashmir too has a similar
Act.
 It has been a controversial one, with human rights groups opposing it as being
aggressive. Manipur’s Irom Sharmila has been one if its staunchest opponents,
going on a hunger strike in November 2000 and continuing her vigil till August
2016. Her trigger was an incident in the town of Malom in Manipur, where ten
people were killed waiting at a bus stop.
 Former Supreme Court judges and jurists are divided on whether Vice-President
Venkaiah Naidu “pre-determined” the notice of motion to remove Chief Justice of
India Dipak Misra.
 Section 3 (1) (b) of the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968 is silent on whether the
Rajya Sabha Chairman or Lok Sabha Speaker could refuse or admit a motion
on the merits of the charges.
 law trusted the Rajya Sabha Chairman to exercise his discretion judiciously.
  Chairman was only clothed with “substantive procedural power” to see
whether the signatures of a minimum 50 MPs were there, whether they are
genuine, etc. The merits of the charges have to be decided by the Inquiry
Committee.
 Chairman’s order was judicially reviewable. “Every citizen has power to go to
the court under Articles 32 or 226 of the Constitution,”
 power of the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Lok Sabha Speaker to refuse or
admit a notice for motion to remove a judge is derived from Article 124 (4),
which had asked Parliament to make a law — Judges Inquiry Act of 1968 — for
the removal of judges.
 Chairman or the Speaker look at the bona fide of the motion to see if the judge
has prima facie committed alleged acts of mala fide. The Speaker or Chairman
is the Master of his House. His/her order to admit or refuse a motion would be
given after application of mind. This means, basically, an assertion that says
‘nobody can look behind my order. My order is final. I have to manage the
House. You have to trust me’,
 if a plea challenging the Chairman's decision is filed in court, the court has four
options. First, it could dismiss the petition outright on the grounds of
Separation of Powers – Chairman and Speaker are independent
co-constitutional authorities. The motion is a matter between the members of
the House and the Presiding officers.
 Second, the court could agree with the Chairman that no prima facie case has
been made.
 Third, the court could say that members have not proved the alleged mala fides
in the ruling. Finally, it could hear and decide as per the Constitution and the
law.
 chilli-filled PAVA shells used in jammu and Kashmir
 Supreme Court on Monday asked the government to respond to a plea by a hotelier
to strike down the colonial Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises
homosexuality.
 bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra issued notice to the Centre on the
plea by the Lalit Suri hospitality group head Kesav Suri, seeking the ‘Right to
choice of sexual orientation’ to be declared as part of the fundamental right to
life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
 On January 8, the three-judge Bench decided to re-visit a December 2013
verdict of the Supreme Court in Suresh Kumar Kaushal versus Naz
 Foundation, which dismissed the LGBT community as a negligible part of the
population while virtually denying them the right of choice and sexual
orientation.
 The court said a section of people cannot live in fear of a law which atrophies
their right to choice and natural sexual inclinations. It said societal morality
changes with time and the law should change pace with life, adding that the
concept of consensual sex may require more protection.
 While the court noted that Section 377 punishes carnal intercourse against
order of nature, it added that “the determination of order of nature is not a
common phenomenon. Individual autonomy and individual natural inclination
cannot be atrophied unless the restrictions are determined as reasonable”. It
observed that what is natural for one may not be natural for the other, but the
confines of law cannot trample or curtail the inherent rights embedded with an
individual under Article 21 (right to life).
 Last year, the Home Ministry gave up its power and asked the Assam government
to take a decision on continuing AFSPA in the State.
 In Assam, sustained counter-insurgency operations against NDFB (S)
 Foreign tourists, except those from Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, would now be
allowed to visit Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur. The Home Ministry has relaxed
the six-decade-old Protected Area Permit regime in the three States for five years
with effect from April 1.
 Defence Minister left for China on a three-day visit during which the ongoing
efforts at resetting India-China relations would be a major focus.
 visit is to participate in a preparatory meeting for the upcoming summit of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
 eight-member SCO summit is scheduled for June in the Chinese city of
Qingdao. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend it.
 External Affairs Minister and National Security Adviser are among the senior
officials to visit China in recent days, as India and China attempt to reset the
ties damaged by last year’s Doklam standoff and related developments.
 The militaries are also engaged in reviving the friendly engagements they had.
As a major step, the two sides will resume their bilateral exercise
‘Hand-in-Hand’ this year,
 Judges’ [Inquiry] Act, 1968 stipulates that the Chairman should consult the CJI but
since it concerned the Chief Justice himself, he should have consulted members of
the Supreme Court Collegium.
 Karnataka sends 12 members to the Rajya Sabha and 28 to the Lok Sabha. In the
present Lok Sabha, the highest number of Congress MPs, nine out of 44, are from
the State.
 AHINDA (minorities, OBC and Dalit) votes in Karnataka
 Karnataka has not re-elected an incumbent government since 1985.
 A majority would be remarkable, the first for an incumbent government in 33
years.
