Category: Featured Editorials

Context: The Supreme Court has ordered a nationwide inquiry into how many child sex abusers had actually been punished. Introduction: The apex court gave the High Courts four weeks to submit the data to the Supreme Court Registry. The Apex courts order came as an eight-month –old rape survivor from Delhi battles for her life… Continue reading Child sexual abuse: An overview

Context: The Supreme Court recognised and upheld Ms. Hadiya’s freedom “to pursue her future endeavours according to law” which means that Ms. Hadiya is free to leave her college hostel at Salem and join her husband Mr. Shafin Jahan. Background: 1st petition: January, 2016: On 6 January, 2016, Akhila went missing from a house in… Continue reading The Supreme Court ends unjustified restrictions on Hadiya’s personal freedom

Context: A five judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, in a landmark judgment legalised the right to die and approved ‘living will’ made by terminally-ill patients for passive euthanasia. Court’s judgment in this regard: The Supreme Court allowed passive euthanasia in India and the rights of persons,… Continue reading Apex court allows ‘living will’ for terminally ill

Context: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency for ten days to rein in the spread of communal violence between majority Sinhala and minority Muslims in Kandy district that left two persons dead and left a trail of destruction. The state of emergency is not a result of a day’s incident, instead communal differences… Continue reading Srilanka’s state of emergency: not a result of a day’s incident

Context: Child marriages decline in India. Why in news? According to UNICEF India has seen a sharp decline in child marriages over the last ten years with 27% of girls getting married before their 18th birthday as against 47%, a decade ago. Reasons for decline in child marriage: UNICEF has credited better health and educational… Continue reading Child marriages decline in India

Context: Congress president Rahul Gandhi assured that the party will grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh if voted to power in 2019. Background: Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the state lost a large volume of its revenue due to Hyderabad remaining the capital of Telangana. 2014: Thus, ‘Special Category Status’ (SCS) was promised to the state by the… Continue reading ‘Special Category Status’ (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh: public continue protest

Context: A recent report from the NITI Aayog highlighted that sex ratio at birth (SRB) nationwide had dropped. What is sex ratio? The sex ratio is the number of females per 1000 males in a particular area at a given time. Highlights from the report: A recent report from the NITI Aayog highlighted sex ratio… Continue reading Declining sex ratio in India

Context: After the Nirav Modi–PNB fraud worth more than ₹12,000 crore, the Union Cabinet has approved the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2017. Background: 2017: The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2017 was first mentioned by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech in 2017-18. It came against the backdrop of bringing back Vijay Mallya, who… Continue reading Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2017: all you need to know

Context: In a ruling that will benefit hapless claimants, Delhi high court recently said that companies cannot deny health insurance to those suffering from genetic disorders. What is genetic disorder? A genetic disorderis a genetic problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome, especially a condition that is present from birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person… Continue reading Genetic disorders need umbrella under insurance policies

Context: Even though the Supreme Court has come up with a verdict that serves the cause of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and has given peace a chance, there are still a few grey areas which need to be attended. Background: The judgment was passed on a batch of appeals by the states of Karnataka,… Continue reading Verdict on Cauvery: fair enough?