GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

Recently, the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on tiger conservation was held. It was organized by Malaysia and Global Tiger Forum (GTF).

• The conference is an important event for reviewing progress towards the Global Tiger Recovery Programme and commitments to tiger conservation.

Global Tiger Forum

• The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) is the only inter- governmental international body established with members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the Tiger.
• Utilizing co-operative policies, common approaches, technical expertise, scientific modules and other appropriate programmes and controls the GTF is focused on saving the remaining 5 sub-species of Tigers distributed over 13 Tiger Range countries of the world.
• The GTF was formed in 1993 on recommendations from an international symposium on Tiger Conservation at New Delhi, India.
• The first meeting of the Tiger Range countries to setup the forum was held in 1994, in which India was elected to the Chair and was asked to form an interim secretariat.
• The GTF has a General Assembly meeting every 3 years and Standing committee meetings at least once a year.
• A Chairperson, usually a Minister from one of the Tiger Range countries heads GTF for a fixed tenure of 3 Years. The Secretariat of GTF is headed by a Secretary General and is located in New Delhi, India.
• The objectives of GTF are:
• Promoting global campaigns to save the Tiger, its prey and its habitat
• Increasing the number of secure habitats for Tigers
• Promoting comprehensive legal frameworks for Tiger conservation
• Providing financial and infrastructural capabilities for Tiger Conservation
• Promoting training and research
• Eliciting support from Governments, Inter- governmental organizations and individuals
• Promoting bilateral co-operation
• Establishing a trust fund to enable the implementation of agreed programmes
• Calling upon Range Countries to prepare and update their National Action Plans for Tiger conservation
• To urge countries to enter into relevant conventions for conservation and elimination of illegal trade

Recently, the government has decided to install a grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary and as part of the year long celebrations.

Subhash Chandra Bose

• Subhash Chandra Bose had always shown a militant streak and reacted violently to any insult of Indians by the Europeans. He passed the Indian Civil Services examination securing fourth position but resigned from the service in 1921 to join the struggle for freedom by becoming a member of the Congress. His political guru was Chittaranjan Das. He became mayor of Calcutta in 1923.
• Bose left Congress after he could not follow Gandhi’s ways. 
• Bose was arrested in July when he protested and tried to launch a Satyagraha against a proposed monument for Holwell in Calcutta. He was released from prison and placed under house arrest in December 1940 after a hunger strike. In January 1941, it was reported that Bose had escaped. On January 26, 1941, he reached Peshawar under the pseudo-name Ziyauddin, helped by Bhagat Ram.
• He was reported to have approached Russia for help in the Indian struggle for freedom from Britain. But, in June 1941, Russia joined the Allies in the war, which disappointed Bose. He then went to Germany.
• Bose met Hitler under the pseudo name, Orlando Mazzotta. With the help of Hitler, the ‘Freedom Army’ (Mukti Sena) was formed which consisted of all the prisoners of war of Indian origin captured by Germany and Italy. Dresden, Germany was made the office of the Freedom Army. Bose came to be called ‘Netaji’ by the people of Germany. He gave the famous slogan, ‘Jai Hind’ from the Free India Centre, Germany. 
• In early 1943, he left Germany and travelled by German and later by Japanese submarines to reach Japan and then Singapore in July of the same year. In July 1943, he got control of the Indian Independence League and the INA.
• In 1942, Gandhi called Bose the “Prince among the Patriots”. When the death of Bose was reported, Gandhi said that Netaji’s “patriotism is second to none. His bravery shines through all his actions. He aimed high and failed. But who has not failed.” On another occasion Gandhi said, “Netaji will remain immortal for all time to come for his service to India.”

The Attorney General recently gave consent to a plea to initiate contempt proceedings against Yati Narsingh Anand, under arrest in the Haridwar hate speech case, over his derogatory remarks against the Constitution and the Supreme Court.

Consent for Contempt

• The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, lays down the law on contempt of court. Section 15 of the legislation describes the procedure on how a case for contempt of court can be initiated.
• In the case of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General or the Solicitor General, and in the case of High Courts, the Advocate General, may bring in a motion before the court for initiating a case of criminal contempt.
• However, if the motion is brought by any other person, the consent in writing of the Attorney General or the Advocate General is required. If the AG denies consent, the matter all but ends.
• The objective behind requiring the consent of the Attorney General before taking cognizance of a complaint is to save the time of the court.
• The AG’s consent is mandatory when a private citizen wants to initiate a case of contempt of court against a person. However, when the court itself initiates a contempt of court case, as it did in the case of Prashant Bhushan recently, the AG’s consent is not required.
• This is because the court is exercising its inherent powers under the Constitution to punish for contempt and such Constitutional powers cannot be restricted because the AG declined to grant consent.

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has recently underlined some green rules for the living root bridges of Meghalaya to get the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag.

Living Root Bridges

• A living root bridge is like a suspension bridge formed by guiding the pliable roots of the rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) across a stream or river and allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time.
• They are common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. Such a bridge is locally called jingkieng jri.
• They are created by human beings.
• Although the Living Root Bridge takes around 10 to 15 years to take its shape, it can last up to 500 years.
• They can be considered as a reference point for future botanical architecture projects in urban contexts. 
• They are among the major points of attraction in Meghalaya and also home varieties of flora and fauna.
• They are ever-evolving and have the potential to hold 50 or more people in one go.
• Found mostly over streams running through the forests, these are grown by trained Khasi and Jaintia tribes.

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that daughters will have equal rights to their father’s property even prior to the enactment of the Hindu Succession Act (HSA) of 1956.

• It ruled that the property of a man who had died without executing a will and is survived only by a daughter will devolve upon the daughter and not others such as his brother.
• Earlier in 2020, the SC has already expanded the Hindu women’s right to be the coparcener (joint legal heir) and inherit ancestral property on terms equal to male heirs.
• The SC referred to ancient texts (smritis), commentaries by various renowned learned persons and even judicial pronouncements which have recognised the rights of several female heirs, the wives and the daughter’s being the foremost of them.

Schools of Hindu Law

• The sources of the concept for Hindu Law are Shruti (words of God), Smriti (text), customs (old practices), commentaries and digests.
• Mitakshara and Dayabhaga are the two important schools of Hindu Law which have given us the required information about the present legislated laws.
• Mitakshara is one of the most important schools of Hindu law. It is a running commentary of the Smriti written by Yajnvalkya. This school is applicable in the whole part of India except in West Bengal and Assam. The Mitakshara has a very wide jurisdiction. However different parts of the country practice law differently because of the different customary rules followed by them.
• Dayabhaga school predominantly prevailed in Assam and West Bengal. This is also one of the most important schools of Hindu laws. It is considered to be a digest for the leading smritis. Its primary focus was to deal with partition, inheritance and joint family.
• Under the Mitakshara school, inheritance is governed by the rule of consanguinity, i.e., blood relationship, whereas under the Dayabhaga school inheritance is governed by the rule of spiritual efficacy.
• In the Mitakshara system the wife cannot demand partition. She, however, has the right to a share in any partition effected between her husband and her sons. Under the Dayabhaga, this right does not exist for the women because the sons cannot demand partition as the father is the absolute owner.
• In both the systems, in any partition among the sons, the mother is entitled to a share equal to that of a son.
• Similarly, when a son dies before partition leaving the mother as his heir, the mother is entitled to a share of her deceased son as well as share in her own right when there is a partition between the remaining sons.
• The Mitakshara system is Conservative. It provides good security in times of difficulties as a member can rely on the joint family. However, sometimes a member can become a parasite. The Dayabhaga system is more liberal.
• Under the modern Hindu Law, the difference between two main schools is no longer reliable. Under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, there is one uniform law of succession for all Hindus.