GS-II

‘Microstars’ is a show that mixes sport, circus and collective catharsis in what Mexicans call “fights” He is just 90 centimetres (less than three feet) tall, but he packs muscles, power and swagger in a little frame: meet Microman, the smallest star in Mexican professional wrestling. Mexico’s “lucha libre,” a …

Pakistan blames India for ‘blocking regional integration’ Terrorism remains the single largest threat to peace and stability in South Asia, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told an informal meeting of her counterparts from the region on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Ms. Swaraj left the meeting after …

Prime Minister asks Pakistanis to crowdfund $14 billion to build dams It’s a far cry from those sponsored Facebook posts asking you to invest in a start-up’s new digital watch or an unbreakable phone case. But Prime Minister Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to crowdfund a whopping $14 billion for desperately …

But Foreign Minister says they do not want to challenge America’s pre-eminence China on Friday denounced “blackmail” by President Donald Trump over trade but insisted it had no plan to challenge U.S. pre-eminence, as relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorate. Days after Mr. Trump slapped $200 billion in …

They will get Rs. 4,335 crore in Central grants The financial powers of the panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir are being enhanced 10 times from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. The panchayat polls in the State would pave the way for …

A deity in a temple does not have constitutional rights, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud wrote in his separate opinion. Fundamental rights are meant for individuals, not deities or idols. Justice Chandrachud was countering arguments that the right to preserve the celibacy of the deity in the Sabarimala temple is a “protected …

The Supreme Court dismissed the argument that the prohibition was an essential part of religion. The Chief Justice said the inclusion of women, rather than their exclusion, is the essential part of the Hindu religion. ‘Nature not changed’ “By allowing women to enter Sabarimala temple for offering prayers, it cannot …

Rationality can’t be invoked in this: Justice Indu Malhotra Judges should not impose their personal views, morality or rationality with respect to the form of worship of a deity, Justice Indu Malhotra on Friday wrote in her judgment, dissenting with the majority verdict to open up the Sabarimala temple for …

67-year-oldHC judgment isno longer valid The unchallenged 67-year reign of a Bombay High Court judgment that personal law, religious customs, usages and beliefs are outside the ambit of fundamental rights of equality, life and dignity came to an end on Friday. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in his separate opinion, held that …

Rejects SIT probe into activists’ arrest The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion on Friday, held that the pan-India crackdown and arrests of five activists in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case on August 28 was not an attempt to silence dissent. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar …

This time in adultery law verdict This is the second time Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has contradicted the verdict of his father, former Chief Justice of India Y.V. Chandrachud. Thirty-three years after his father upheld the validity of adultery law, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud ruled on Thursday that the earlier view cannot …

The Commission has drawn on legal backing for the directive from Supreme Court’s observation in the landmark S.R. Bommai and Others Vs. Union of India and Others (1994) judgment that the caretaker government should merely carry on day-to-day work and desist from taking any major policy decision. The provisions of …

The rail route to Herat, if extended to Kabul, will also link India’s air corridor India will be invited to help with a key rail link in Afghanistan, during the visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev early next week, a presidential aide told The Hindu . The rail link of …

It will be headed by former SC judge Ranjana Prakash Desai After a long delay, the Centre on Thursday constituted an eight-member search committee, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. The Lokpal and …

‘She can makeher ownsexual choices’ Justice D.Y. Chandrachud held that a married woman can make her own sexual choices. By marrying, she has not consented to refrain from sexual relations outside marriage without the permission of her husband. A husband is not the owner of his wife’s sexuality. To be …

It will be tantamount to State entering into a ‘real private realm’, says SC Treating adultery as an offence is tantamount to the State entering into a “real private realm,” Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra wrote in his main opinion for the Constitution Bench on Thursday. If Parliament, as …

Centre’s nod for increase follows abduction, killing of SPO, policemen last week The Union Home Ministry’s decision to increase the salaries of Special Police Officers in Jammu and Kashmir came after the State Chief Secretary wrote to the Centre highlighting the threat to their lives. On Wednesday the Ministry enhanced …

Plea to refer issue to larger Bench rejectedNew three-judge Bench to be constitutedHasty decision, says dissenting judgment A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, in a majority opinion of 3:1 on Thursday, declined to refer the question if a “mosque as a place of prayer is an essential part of …

Russia’s Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s amendments to a deeply unpopular pension reform plan that has led to a rare outburst of public anger in the country. Parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, approved Mr. Putin’s proposal to soften the reform, raising the state pension age for …

Sri Lanka does not want any foreign power exerting influence, President Maithripala Sirisena has said, while appealing to the international community for “room to resolve” the country’s problems. Mr. Sirisena made the remarks while addressing the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “As an independent …