Category: Polity Current Affairs

Caste Census:   Last month, the Supreme Court upheld the 27% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the All-India Quota seats for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and reiterated that reservations for backward classes were not an exception but an extension of the principle of equality under Article 15(1) of the Constitution. This is seen […]

Vacancies In Tribunals:   The Supreme Court assured lawyers that it will take up the issue of vacancies in key tribunals soon, while indicating that it is a problem that cannot be simplistically resolved by sending those responsible for the appointments to jail for contempt. In September last year, a Special Bench of the Supreme […]

Refugee:   Model laws on asylum and refugees that were drafted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) decades ago but not implemented by the government could be revised by an expert committee, according to Commission member Justice M.M. Kumar’s suggestion at a recent meeting. Though India has not signed the United Nations Refugee Convention, […]

Human Trafficking:   The conviction rate in cases of human trafficking has been on the decline, government data show. Details of cases shared in Parliament earlier this month showed that the conviction rate has been declining over the past four years although the number of anti-human-trafficking units (AHTU) in the country has increased to 696. […]

Public Order:   The Karnataka High Court is hearing a challenge to the constitutionality of the state government’s ban on students wearing a hijab in educational institutions. The judges heard an argument on whether the state can justify the ban on the ground that it violates ‘public order’. Public order is one of the three […]

Anti-Mob Lynching Bills:   Bills passed against mob lynching in the past four years by at least four States have not been implemented with the Union government taking a view that lynching is not defined as a crime under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These states include Jharkhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Manipur. In 2019, […]

Haryana Prevention Of Unlawful Conversion Of Religious Bill, 2022:   The Haryana government is set to enact legislation to prevent unlawful religious conversions. So far Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have enacted legislations to prevent unlawful religious conversions. Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religious Bill, 2022 Aimed at prohibiting religious conversions […]

Uniform Civil Code:   Amid the row over wearing hijab in schools and colleges, Union Minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh has said the Uniform Civil Code is the “need of the hour” and it should be discussed both in Parliament and in society. The Hijab row started in December end when a few students […]

Collegium System For The Appointment Of Judges:   The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended appointing Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari as Chief Justice of Madras High Court. It is the system of appointment and transfer of judges that has evolved through judgments of the Supreme Court (SC), and not by an Act of Parliament or by […]