Category: Polity Current Affairs

Governor-State Relations:   Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blocked Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Twitter. She said she was “forced” to do so because of his “unethical and unconstitutional” statements and accused him of treating government officials like “his servants”. Although envisaged as an apolitical head who must act on the advice of […]

SC On Death Penalty: The Supreme Court (SC) commuted the death sentence of a man, convicted of the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, to life imprisonment. The judgment may become a significant precedent to the anti-death penalty cause. SC commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, with the rider that he shall not […]

MPs Right To Question:   Congress Whip Jairam Ramesh has raised the issue of Cabinet ministers not responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha claiming it to be first such incident in 70 years. In both Houses, elected members enjoy the right to seek information from various ministries and departments in the form of starred […]

Detention Centres For Foreigners:   The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently informed the Rajya Sabha that it does not maintain a centralised data on the total number of detention centres in the country, as powers have been delegated to the State governments “to make necessary arrangements for detention centres/camps as per their requirement.” Detention […]

Haryana Prevention Of Unlawful Conversion Of Religion Bill, 2022.:   The Haryana Cabinet approved the draft of the Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2022. It seeks to prohibit religious conversion effected through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage or for marriage, by making it […]

What Is Section 498A IPC?   The Supreme Court in a recent judgement highlighted the growing misuse of Section 498A IPC, with friction rising in marriages. The incorporation of section 498A was aimed at preventing cruelty committed upon a woman by her husband and her in-laws by facilitating rapid state intervention. The court held that […]

Freedom Of religion And Attire:   Six students were banned from entering a college in Karnataka’s Udupi district for wearing a hijab. The issue throws up legal questions on reading the freedom of religion and whether the right to wear a hijab is constitutionally protected or not. Article 25(1) of the Constitution guarantees the freedom […]

Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999:   The Kerala governor has signed the ordinance proposing amendments to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999, that makes the agency’s orders not binding on the government. Amendments to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999: The government can “either accept or reject the verdict of the Lokayukta, after giving an […]

What Is ‘One Nation, One Election?   The Centre has clarified that it is not planning on amending the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to enable a common electoral roll and simultaneous elections to all electoral bodies in the country. This is because many concerns have been expressed against them and there has been […]

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act:   The Supreme Court has pulled up the Tripura Police and the government for repeated notices under UAPA sent to journalists, activists, and people who tweeted the articles on alleged violence in the state. Towards the end of October 2021, a mosque, some shops and houses belonging to the minority Muslim […]