What's New

Preliminary Pointers – 16/10/2023

Deep Water Port

News: First ever ship docks at the deep-water Vizhinjam International Port in Kerala.

• In late August, the cargo vessel ‘Zhen Hua 15,’ which set sail from Shanghai port in China, arrived at Vizhinjam port.

About Vizhinjam International Port Project 

• Started in 2015 by Kerala Government.
• It is India’s first Deep Water Transhipment terminal .
• It will be the only transhipment hub in the Indian subcontinent closest to international shipping routes .
• Development Model : PPP model with Adani Ports Pvt. Limited.
• The proposed port is a Green-field project
• It is the first automated seaport in India.

Need for Vizhinjam international Port

• Vizhinjam is an all-weather port and the international shipping line is just one nautical mile off Vizhinjam coast.
• The proposed site is endowed with a natural depth of 24 m (which is by far the best compared to other ports in the world).
• There is no littoral sedimentation and due to natural depth availability, the site needs no dredging.

Personality in News

News: Former Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill dies after a brief illness.

About Mr. MS Gill

• Tenure as CEC: 1996-2001
• During his tenure Poll Panel became a multi-member body
• He is believed to be the inaugural former CEC to enter the political arena.
• Gill assumed a seat in the Rajya Sabha and was subsequently appointed as the Union Sports Minister in 2008.

About Chief Election Commissioner

• Article 324: Superintendence, direction and control of elections to be vested in an Election Commission.
• Appointment: President appoints both CEC and EC.
• Tenure: 6 years upto 65 years of age.
• Removal:
  • By Resignation
  • Can be removed before expiry of term only by manner similar to a SC Judge.
• Enjoys status similar to SC Judge.
• Retiring EC can be further appointed by the Government.

Right to Privacy

News: Chhattisgarh HC: Recording mobile phone conversations without permission violates right to privacy.

• A woman filed a petition contesting a family court’s decision, which permitted her husband’s application in a long-pending maintenance case since 2019.
• The High Court determined that her husband’s action of secretly recording her phone conversation violated her privacy rights.

 About Right to Privacy  

• Privacy is essential to safeguard personal autonomy, dignity, and freedom.
• Constitutional Basis:
  • The right to privacy is not explicitly mentioned in the Indian Constitution
  • But is upheld as a fundamental right derived from Articles 21 and 19.

• Landmark Case:

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the “Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs. Union of India” case in 2017 affirmed the right to privacy as a fundamental right.

• Balancing Act: Subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of national security, public order, and more.
• The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, aims to regulate data privacy in India and provide a legal framework for data protection.
• Privacy is acknowledged as a fundamental human right under Article 12 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Amur Falcon

News: Manipur to count migratory Amur Falcons

• The Manipur forest department will carry out a census of Amur falcons.
• The first batch of the small-sized birds, numbering around 20-30, arrived in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.

About Amur Falcon

• It’s the longest travelling Raptor in the world.
• Nagaland is the known as “Falcon Capital of World”
• IUCN status : Least Concern.
• Protected under
  • Wildlife Protection Act ,1972.
  • Convention on Migratory Species.

• Amur falcons usually start arriving in mid-October.
• Migratory Route:

Raptors nest in the southeast of Siberia and northern China, migrating in large numbers over India and the Indian Ocean to southern Africa. They then return to Mongolia and Siberia.

• ‘Akhuaipuina’ is the Local name for Amur Falcon.
• Amur Falcon Dance Festival will be held in November.

Women in Judiciary

News: Breaking the glass ceiling: Tribal becomes Manipur High Court’s first woman judge.

• Retired judicial officer Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui became the first woman judge of Manipur High Court.
• While Kabui, a Naga, belongs to the ST community, the two other judges were also appointed who belonged from SC and OBC communities.
• Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui belongs to the Naga tribe.

About Women In Judiciary

• Justice Fathima Beevi was the first Female Judge.
• Out of the sanctioned strength of 1113 there are only 80 Female judges in the Supreme Court and high court i.e 7.9 %.
• There has never been a female chief justice of India.
• India Justice Report 2022:
  • There are more women judges at the district court level than at the High Court level
  • Women judges are 35% of the total number of judges at the district court level and only 13% of judges in the High Courts across the country.
• Uneven Trend:
• • • Goa has the highest Percentage of Women judges- 70%.
    • Followed by Meghalaya and Nagaland at approx 63%.