Background to the Issue 

• October 11 ,2021, the Centre invoked  section 139(1) (i) of the BSF Act, 1968  to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of the existing 15 kms, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
• In Gujarat, which shares a border with Pakistan, the same limit was reduced from 80 km to 50 km, and in Rajasthan, it was kept unchanged at 50 km.
• Section 139 (1) (i) of the BSF Act, 1968 empowers the Central Government  to confer powers and duties on members of the force in respect  of any Central Acts for   the purposes specified therein. 
• According to the Central government it was done for  better and more effective control on trans-border crimes in conjunction and co-operation with the State Police.
•  Later the BSF chief Pankaj Kumar said that the jurisdiction of the BSF was increased in these states to curb illegal infiltration from Bangladesh which was      causing a demographic change in the border district of these States creating a security threat to these states and to India.
• However, Punjab and West Bengal governments have  opposed the move and said that it was an encroachment on state rights by the central government.
• The Punjab legislative Assembly passed a resolution against this move of the center .

Supreme Court’s Original Jurisdiction 

There are certain type of cases which only the Supreme Court of India can hear ,which is called the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court 

Article 131 of the Indian Constitution provides for the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court

Only the Supreme Court shall hear the following cases :

(a)  any dispute between the Government of India and one or more States; or

(b)  dispute between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or

(c) dispute between two or more States, if  the dispute involves any question of law or fact.

Observer Status

Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member parties and international nongovernmental organizations (INGO) that have an interest in the IGO's activities. 

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN.

Responsibilities of UNGA includes:

• preparing the UN budget
• appointing the non-permanent members to the Security Council
• appointing the Secretary-General of the United Nations
• receiving reports from other parts of the UN system
• making recommendations through resolutions.

It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its broad mandate.

Headquarters: New York, United States

President: Abdulla Shahid

Convened: 10 January 1946

India’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, T S Tirumurti.

International Solar Alliance

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 124 countries initiated by India, most of them being the sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. 

The primary objective of the alliance:

• to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• to endorse clean energy, sustainable environment, public transport and climate

Formation: 30 November 2015

Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana, India

Director General: Ajay Mathur

Global Methane Initiative(GMI)

A voluntary Government and an informal international partnership having members from 45 countries including the United States and Canada.

• The forum was created in 2004 to achieve a global reduction in anthropogenic methane emission through a partnership among developed and developing countries having economies in transition.
• India is one of the members since its inception and has taken up Vice-Chairmanship for the first time in the Steering Leadership along with USA.
• The Chairperson of the Steering Leadership is from Canada.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) Yojana

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao is a campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls in India.

• The scheme was launched with an initial funding of ₹100 crore (US$13 million).
• It mainly targets the clusters in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Bihar and Delhi.

Launched on: 22nd January 2015 by PM Narendra Modi

Related Ministries:

Ministry of Women and Child Development

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Ministry of Education

Sedition law  in India 

Section 124 A which defines sedition was introduced by the British in 1870 by amending the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860. 

It defines sedition as :

"Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in [India], shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added."

• The law was used by the British to target the freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi , Bal Gangadhar Tilak etc and to crush the freedom struggle .
• After Independence there was demand to scrap the section as it was against the spirit of democracy and liberty.
•  In 1961 the Punjab  High Court held that the sedition law violated the freedom of speech guaranteed under article 19 and declared it unconstitutional. 
• In the Kedar Nath Vs State of Bihar 1962 supreme court upheld the constitutional validity of the section 124 A.

AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act )1958 

 To deal with the Naga insurgents in the  Naga denominated areas of the state of Assam and the Union Territory of Manipur the Government of India parliament passed a law Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958(AFSPA), which was later extended to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

Under this act President ,Governor of the has the power to declare the whole or a part of the state as a disturbed area. 

It confers special powers to certain officers of the armed forces to:

•  Use force and fire upon people if it is necessary to maintain law and order.
• Arrest any person without warrant any person on which there is a suspicion that he is about to commit a cognizable offence 
• Search any premise or house for recovery of arms and ammunition .
• The arrested person has to be handed over to the nearest police station without delay
• No prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government, against any person in respect of anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred by this Act. 

Similar law has been enacted by the Parliament for other regions of India which are facing insurgency .

The Armed Forces (Punjab and Chandigarh) Special Powers Act, 1983 was enacted to deal with the terrorism in Punjab. It was withdrawn in 1997.

The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 was enacted by the Parliament to give special powers to the armed forces to deal with insurgency and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The wide power given to the Armed force has also given rise to its abuse. In any counter -insurgency operation there is bound to be civilian casualties . The civilian casualties have inflamed the local public opinion against the armed forces .

Committee and Commission report on AFSPA 

• Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee set up by the Government of India in 2004 on AFSPA      recommended the repeal of the law. It was rejected by the Government of India 
• The Second Administrative Reform  Commission headed by Veerappa Moily  also recommended its repeal. 

Why Government is not repealing the act 

 The armed forces operating in the area says that they need the law operate in a very hostile area were the local population is also hostile to the armed forces.

Army officials also cite the need to protect the morale and integrity of the army as reason not to scrutinize allegations against army personnel.

• Currently, AFSPA is in effect in Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal) and parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Summit for Democracy

This is a virtual summit hosted by the United States of America to “renew democracy at home and confront autocracy abroad”.

• 111 nations were invited to join this Summit Virtually.
• Dates : 9-10 December 2021