29 January 2024

• Polity: the Supreme Court constituted a 7-judge bench to settle whether Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) qualifies as a minority institution under Article 30(1).
• Defence: the President announced Gallantry Awards 2024 for Republic Day: 80 personnel honoured, including 6 Kirti Chakra and 16 Shaurya Chakra awards.
• History: the Women's Indian Association (1917) and All India Women's Conference (1927) are studied as precursors to organised women's political rights in India.
• International: South Asian University (SAU) received diplomatic immunity status in Delhi, reinforcing SAARC institutional infrastructure.

GS area: Polity (minority rights, higher education)

The Supreme Court constituted a 7-judge Constitution bench to re-examine whether Aligarh Muslim University qualifies as a minority institution entitled to protections under Article 30(1) of the Constitution.

• Article 30(1): "All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice."
• Background of AMU: founded in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College at Aligarh. Elevated to university status by the AMU Act, 1920.
• Legal question: a 1967 Supreme Court judgment (Aziz Basha case) held that AMU, being established by Parliament (not by a community), could not claim minority character. A 5-judge bench later referred the matter to a larger bench.
• Significance: if AMU is classified as a minority institution, it can reserve up to 50 per cent of seats for Muslim students. If not, it must follow general reservation norms.
• Broader principle: the bench must also define who "establishes" an institution, whether it must be the community's own act or whether parliamentary recognition suffices.

Static linkage: minority rights, Fundamental Rights, higher education.

GS area: Defence, Governance

The President of India announced the Gallantry Awards on the occasion of Republic Day 2024. A total of 80 defence personnel were honoured.

• Kirti Chakra (6 awarded): India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award. Named to honour exceptional bravery. Six personnel received this award; some posthumously.
• Shaurya Chakra (16 awarded): the third-highest peacetime gallantry award. Awarded for conspicuous gallantry.
• Param Vir Chakra vs Kirti Chakra: PVC and Maha Vir Chakra are wartime gallantry awards; Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra are peacetime equivalents.
• Posthumous: 12 of the 80 awards were posthumous, reflecting operations in J&K and the North-East.
• Significance for UPSC: know the hierarchy: Param Vir Chakra (wartime, highest) > Maha Vir Chakra > Vir Chakra; Ashoka Chakra (peacetime, highest) > Kirti Chakra > Shaurya Chakra.

Static linkage: defence awards, security forces.

GS area: Modern Indian History, Polity

Republic Day period coverage highlighted the history of women's political rights in India.

• Women's Indian Association (WIA, 1917): founded in Adyar, Madras, by Annie Besant, Margaret Cousins, and Malathi Patwardhan. First national organisation to demand women's political rights.
• Madras Province, 1921: became the first provincial government in British India to extend voting rights to women who met property qualifications.
• All India Women's Conference (AIWC, 1927): founded in Pune. Initially focused on education reform. Later expanded to demand full voting rights.
• 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992): mandatory 33 per cent reservation for women in elected seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies.
• Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023): enacted in September 2023, providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, to take effect after delimitation.

Static linkage: modern Indian history, constitutional amendments, women empowerment.

GS area: International Relations (SAARC)

South Asian University (SAU) in Delhi, established by SAARC nations, was accorded diplomatic immunity status, protecting it as an international organisation.

• SAU: an international university established by an international agreement among eight SAARC member nations. Located in New Delhi. Inaugurated in 2010.
• SAARC members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
• Status: SAU has international organisation status, which grants immunity from Indian courts, exemption from customs duties on academic imports, and freedom from local regulatory interference.
• Delhi HC judgment: the Delhi High Court upheld that SAU's international organisation status means Indian courts have no jurisdiction over disputes involving it without its consent.
• SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Founded 1985, Dhaka. Headquarters in Kathmandu.

Static linkage: SAARC, international organisations, India's neighbourhood.

GS area: Society (tribal communities, welfare)

The Kutia Kondh tribe of Kandhamal district, Odisha, is classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

• Kutia Kondh: a sub-group of the larger Kondh community. Known for the Kedu ritual (a ceremony marking transitions). Traditional agroforestry practitioners.
• PVTGs: India has 75 PVTGs across 18 states. They are tribal communities with declining or stagnant populations, low literacy, and dependence on subsistence economies. The Centre funds targeted welfare schemes for them.
• Odisha's PVTGs: Odisha has 13 PVTGs, the highest among any state. Others include the Bondas, Juangs, Sauras, and Dongria Kondhs.
• Dongria Kondh: a related PVTG known for the Niyamgiri Hills case in the Supreme Court (2013), which upheld tribal community rights over the Vedanta mining project.

Static linkage: tribal communities, social welfare, Odisha.

• Soda lakes and phosphate: scientists studied soda lakes (highly alkaline, sodium carbonate-rich) as analogues for early Earth environments, reporting that dissolved phosphate concentrations in these lakes are millions of times higher than seawater. Phosphate is essential for DNA, RNA, and ATP, making such environments candidates for the origin of life.
• AMU history (additional): Sir Syed Ahmad Khan also founded the Scientific Society in 1864 to translate Western scientific works into Urdu. He was instrumental in modernising Muslim education during British rule without rejecting British education frameworks.