GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

France has become the first country in the world to explicitly include the right to abortion in its constitution.The constitutional change was prompted by recent developments in the US, where the right to abortion was removed by the Supreme Court in 2022. Individual states are now able to ban the procedure again, ending the right to an abortion for millions of women.

1: Dimension: Arguments in favour of Abortion

• Mothers’ rights supersedes the rights of the foetus: A female is considered a moral person that is entitled to rights, including the right to life. So, abortion is deemed acceptable as the foetus is not a person. The mother, who is a person, has a right to life and it supersedes the rights of the foetus to choose whether or not it remains connected to her body.
• Unwarranted:Also, pregnancy is assumed to be a foreseeable consequence of heterosexual intercourse, that too when there is no intention to ‘have a baby’. So, denying her the right to abort the child when she was not planning for it is unwarranted.
• Self-defence: It may be ethical for a mother to have an abortion to defend herself from the danger to her mental or physical health than continuing with the pregnancy would cause. Abortion is considered in relation to the ‘Doctrine of double effect’. 

2: Dimension: Arguments Against abortion

• ‘Future like ours’ argument:Abortion is wrong because it deprives the foetus of a potential 'future like ours'.It suggests that death is a bad thing because it deprives people of all the experiences, enjoyments, opportunities that would make up their future personal life.
• Moral conduct: Killing an innocent human being is a moral wrong. Those who are against abortions believe that human life begins at conception, and by drawing the same analogy, the foetus is an innocent human being.So, killing the foetus is wrong and abortion is always wrong.

Amid shifting dynamics in the Indian Ocean region, the Maldives and China have inked two military agreements.

1: Dimension: Objectives of the Agreement

• The Maldives, situated in a strategically vital location in the Indian Ocean, plays a crucial role in maritime security and trade routes in the region.
• China has pledged to provide military assistance to the Maldives at no cost.
• Additionally, a parallel agreement was signed concerning the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3, which recently made its presence felt in the Maldives 

2: Dimension: Significance of the move

• Deepening ties: It signifies a deepening of military and strategic ties between the two countries. This agreement could potentially impact maritime research in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), further solidifying their bilateral relations.
• Recalibrating the balance of power:These agreements come at a critical juncture when the Maldives' relationship with India appears to be cooling off. Maldives’ increased engagement with China signals a strategic pivot, possibly recalibrating the balance of power and influence in the region.
• Evolving geopolitical landscape: They are a testament to the evolving geopolitical landscape in the Indian Ocean.

The Supreme Court overruled its 1998 verdict in PV Narasimha Rao-JMM Bribery case and ruled that MPs and MLAs do not enjoy immunity from prosecution for taking bribes to vote or make speech in the Parliament or State legislature. The court said that there is a grave danger of this Court allowing an error to be perpetuated if the decision in PV Narasimha Rao case were not reconsidered.

1: Dimension: Background and Narasimha Rao Verdict:

• In the PV Narasimha Rao-JMM bribery case of 1998, allegations of bribery arose during a no-confidence motion against the Congress government, implicating MPs who voted against it.
• The Supreme Court considered whether MPs enjoy immunity from prosecution for bribery under Article 105 of the Constitution and the scope of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
• The 5-judge bench ruled 3:2, granting immunity to MPs for acts associated with voting but not to those abstaining, stating that parliamentary privilege does not extend to criminal prosecution for bribery.

2: Dimension: Reasons for Overturning Narasimha Rao Verdict:

• Immunity Not Essential for Legislative Duties:The court ruled that immunity from prosecution for bribery is not essential for MPs and MLAs to discharge their legislative duties effectively.
• Bribery Undermines Legislative Integrity:Bribery undermines the integrity of legislative processes and contradicts the intent behind granting privileges to MPs and MLAs.
• Corruption Not Protected by Legislative Privilege:The court clarified that bribery is not shielded under Article 105(2) and Article 194(2) as it constitutes a criminal offense unrelated to the essential functions of voting or speech.
• Distinct Jurisdiction of Courts and Legislature:The jurisdiction of courts to prosecute criminal offenses and the authority of the House to discipline members for breaching legislative norms are separate domains.
• Narasimha Rao Verdict's Paradoxical Outcome:This interpretation contradicts the purpose and text of Articles 105 and 194, as it shields legislators from prosecution even after accepting bribes.

The Supreme Court of India recently acknowledged the ineffectiveness of India’s bail system and its contribution to crisis. Despite repeated guidelines on bail law (such as timelines, separate legislation), things have not changed much on the ground.

1: Dimension: Crisis in India’s criminal justice system

• Large number of undertrials:Over 75% of India’s prison population are undertrials while overcrowding in Indian prisons stands at 118%.
• Marginalised persons bear the brunt: The foundations of the current bail law ensure that it is anti-poor and disproportionately burdens those from marginalised backgrounds.
  • Data from the Fair Trial Programme (FTP) in Yerwada and Nagpur central prisons can be instructive here. Of the undertrials (2,313), 18.50% were migrants, 93.48% did not own any assets, 62.22% did not have any contact with family, and 10% had a history of previous incarceration. 
• Bail rejections with no clear rationale:The power to grant bail rests on court discretion, guided by principles emphasizing release but allowing denial or imposing stringent conditions based on offense severity, accused character, and flight risk, yet often lacking clear rationale for rejection.
• Incompliance: Lack of means to arrange for money/property and local sureties are the most significant reasons accounting for an undertrial’s inability to comply with bail conditions.
• Flawed assumptions:The current bail system operates on flawed assumptions of wealth and social connections, undermining the principle of "bail not jail" for many undertrial individuals, necessitating urgent reform grounded in empirical understanding.

2: Dimension: Required measures

• Presumption of innocence: Crowding jails with undertrial prisoners ignored the principle of ‘presumption of innocence’ and that ‘bail not jail’ should be the norm. However, there is still a need to reflect on why these established principles are honoured more in their breach than observance. 
• Effective bail law:An effective bail law must be based on the correlation of these answers with variables such as the demographics of undertrials, category of offences and timelines for bail, and also address socio-economic and structural barriers.
• Enforcement of safeguards against arbitrary arrest would eliminate the need to seek bail from courts. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the start of fuel loading at the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. Fast breeder reactors form the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme.

1: Dimension: India’s three-stage programmes & Goals

• India has adopted a three-stage nuclear power programme, with the long-term goal of deploying a thorium-based closed nuclear fuel cycle.
  • The first stage involves the use of pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), fuelled by natural uranium, and light water reactors.
  • The second stage involves reprocessing used fuel from the first stage to recover the plutonium to fuel FBRs.
  • In stage 3, Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs) will burn thorium-plutonium fuels and breed fissile uranium-233.
• The PFBR will initially use a core of uranium-plutoniummixed oxide (MOX) fuel, surrounded by a uranium-238 'blanket', with plans to use a blanket of uranium and thorium to "breed" plutonium and U-233 for use as driver fuels for AHWRs.

2: Dimension: Significance

• The growth of the Indian nuclear power program is imperative to meet the twin goals of energy security and sustainable development.
• As a responsible nuclear power with advanced technology, India remains committed to expand peaceful applications of nuclear technology, both in power and non-power sector, while ensuring the security of nuclear and radiological materials.
• Once commissioned, India will be the second country after Russia to have a commercially operating fast breeder reactor.Many countries, including the US, Japan and France, have tried developing fast breeder reactors and have given up due to repeated failure to safely handle liquid sodium.

The Department of Telecommunications launched the Digital Intelligence Platform and Chakshu as part of the Sanchar Saathi portal, which was unveiled in May last year.

Chakshu

• Chakshu can be used by citizens to report suspected fraudulent communication, wherein users can report numbers, messages and phishing attempts.
• Users can log on to the Chakshu window inbuilt on the Sanchar Saathi portal and fill out a form with details pertaining to the medium of the fraud communication, such as SMS, call or WhatsApp.
• Users are then required to define what category the communication fits in, such as sextortion, fake consumer helpline, fake KYC, and impersonation, among others.
• This is followed by screenshots of the communication and any other details to be added.

Digital Intelligence Platform

• The Digital Intelligence Platform is an inter-agency effort to enable the sharing of cybercriminal data between banks, social media platforms, and wallet operators, among other stakeholders.

TheNational Council for Educational and Research Training (NCERT) has introduced a new “holistic” report card that incorporates feedback from parents, classmates, and even self-evaluation by students to track their overall progress regularly.

• PARAKH, a standard-setting body under the NCERT, has devised the Holistic Progress Card (HPC) for foundational stage (Classes 1 and 2), preparatory stage (Classes 3 to 5) and middle stage (Classes 6 to 8) and is currently working on developing one for the secondary stage.
• The HPC is aligned with therecommendations of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE).
• This attempt aims to move away from traditional evaluation methods that rely on marks and grades awarded by school teachers