Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: January 25 is celebrated annually as National Voters’ Day to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which was founded on January 25, 1950.

Background: –

• This year we are celebrating the 15th National Voters’ Day with the theme “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure” emphasising the importance of participation in the electoral process, and encouraging voters to take pride in exercising their franchise.

Key things to know about elections

• In democracies, voting is seen as a basic exercise that shows people’s faith in the political process. Voting is a crucial part of exercising one’s citizenship.
• In 2013, the Indian Supreme Court allowed for the option ‘None of the Above’ to be introduced in Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assembly elections to allow such views to be expressed.
• “Not allowing a person to cast a vote negatively defeats the very freedom of expression and the right ensured in Article 21, i.e. the right to liberty… a provision of negative voting would be in the interest of promoting democracy as it would send clear signals to political parties and their candidates as to what the electorate think about them. The mechanism of negative voting, thus, serves a very fundamental and essential part of a vibrant democracy,” the court said at the time.

Postal Ballots

• ‘Postal ballot’ allows voters who cannot be physically present in polling stations to vote remotely, as specified in Section 60 of the RPA. As per Rule 18 of The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, the following classes of persons are entitled to vote by postal ballot:
  • Special voters: Individuals holding declared office under Section 20(4) of RPA, including the President, Vice President, Governors, Cabinet Ministers, other high-ranking dignitaries, etc. and their spouses.
  • Service voters: Members of the Indian armed forces, paramilitary forces, an armed state police member serving outside their state, or a government employee stationed abroad and their spouses residing with them.
  • Voters on election duty: This includes all Commission’s observers, presiding officers, polling officers and agents, police personnel, and public servants assigned official tasks on polling day. Private individuals and non-government staff, such as videographers, control room staff, drivers, conductors, cleaners, helpline staff, etc., are also covered.
  • Electors subjected to preventive detention
  • Absentee voters under Section 60 (c) of RPA, 1951: In 2019, the Election Commission created the ‘Absentee Voters’ category. This includes senior citizens aged 85+, persons with disabilities having at least 40% disability, Covid-19 suspect or affected persons, and persons employed in essential services.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – POLITY

Context: Observing that use of loudspeakers is not essential part of any religion, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to have an in-built mechanism to control decibel levels in loudspeakers, public address system (PAS) or any other sound-emitting gadgets used at places of worship, or institutions, irrespective of religion.

Background: –

• The court passed these directives on a plea alleging failure to take action against use of loudspeakers and amplifiers by religious places beyond prohibited hours and permissible decibel limits.

Key takeaways

• The court referred to the 2016 HC judgement that issued several directives for the strict implementation of Noise Pollution (Regulations and Control) Rules, 2000. 
• The HC in 2016 observed that “use of loudspeakers is not an essential part of any religion and therefore protection under Article 25 (freedom of religion) of constitution is not available” to violating institutions.
• The doctrine of “essentiality” was invented by a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the ‘Shirur Mutt’ case in 1954. The court held that the term “religion” will cover all rituals and practices “integral” to a religion, and took upon itself the responsibility of determining the essential and non-essential practices of a religion.
• The ‘essentiality doctrine’ of the Supreme Court has been criticised by several constitutional experts.
• Scholars of constitutional law have argued that the essentiality/integrality doctrine has tended to lead the court into an area that is beyond its competence, and given judges the power to decide purely religious questions.
• As a result, over the years, courts have been inconsistent on this question — in some cases they have relied on religious texts to determine essentiality, in others on the empirical behaviour of followers, and in yet others, based on whether the practice existed at the time the religion originated.
• Freedom of religion was meant to guarantee freedom to practice one’s beliefs based on the concept of “inward association” of man with God. The apex court in ‘Ratilal Panachand Gandhi vs The State of Bombay and Ors’ (March 18, 1954) acknowledged that “every person has a fundamental right to entertain such religious beliefs as may be approved by his judgment or conscience”.
• Scholars have argued that the essentiality test impinges on this autonomy. The apex court has itself emphasised autonomy and choice in its Privacy (2017), 377 (2018), and Adultery (2018) judgments.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – POLITY

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court suggested temporarily appointing retired judges on an ad hoc (as required) basis to address the growing backlog of pending criminal cases before several High Courts.

Background:

• In 2021, the SC noted there have only been three recorded instances of ad hoc judges being appointed under Article 224A, calling it a “dormant provision”.

Key takeaways

• Article 224A of the Indian Constitution allows the Chief Justice of a High Court to request retired HC judges to perform the duties of a judge again, with the permission of the President of India. 
• Such appointees are entitled to allowances as determined by the President’s order and have all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of a Judge of that High Court. However, they cannot be “deemed” as such. Further, both the retired judge and the President of India are required to consent to the appointment.
• The detailed procedure can be found in the 1998 Memorandum of Procedure (MOP) for the appointment of High Court judges, prepared following the creation of the collegium system for appointing judges.
• The MOP states that after the retired judge has consented to the appointment, the Chief Justice must forward name and details on the duration of the appointment to the state’s Chief Minister. The CM will pass this recommendation to the Union Law Minister, who will consult the Chief Justice of India before forwarding the recommendation and the CJI’s advice to the Prime Minister of India. The PM will advise the President on whether to give her approval.
• However, in the case of Lok Prahari Through Its General Secretary S.N. Shukla IAS (Retd.) v. Union of India (2021), the SC held that this recommendation “has to be routed through the collegium of the Supreme Court”. This collegium includes the CJI and the two seniormost judges of the Supreme Court.

When can an ad hoc judge be appointed?

• The SC, in Lok Prahari, was considering measures to address pending cases before the courts and the vacancies in posts for HC judges. SC expressed concerns that Article 224A would encourage “inaction in making recommendations” for regular judge appointments. 
• The court thus passed directions on when the appointment process under Article 224A could be initiated.
• Most importantly, the court held ad hoc judges can only be appointed when recommendations have not been made for less than 20% of the vacancies. This is so that Article 224A can be “resorted to only on the process having being initiated for filling up of the regular vacancies and awaiting their appointments.”
• The court also held that there has to be a “Trigger Point” for appointing judges under Article 224A, such as if the HC has vacancies of more than 20% of the sanctioned strength (excluding any proposals for appointment) and if more than 10% of the backlog of pending cases is over 5 years.
• It further recommended that each Chief Justice should create a “panel” of retired and soon-to-retire judges for possible ad hoc appointments. Such judges should generally be appointed for 2-3 years, with two to five ad hoc judges in a HC.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Yala glacier is expected to vanish by 2040s.

Background: –

• It is the only glacier in the entire Himalayas to be included in the Global Glacier Casualty List, a project launched in 2024 through a collaboration between Rice University, University of Iceland, Iceland Glaciological Society, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Glacier Monitoring Service, and UNESCO. It is categorised as “critically endangered”.

Key takeaways

• Yala Glacier is situated in the Langtang region of the Himalayas, in Nepal, near the Nepal-Tibet border.
• Retreat: The glacier has retreated by 680 meters between 1974 and 2021.
• Area Reduction: It has experienced a 36% reduction in area during the same period

Additional Information

• The United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, to emphasise the importance of glaciers and provide essential hydrological, meteorological and climate services to those dependent on them or affected by cryospheric processes.
• Additionally, starting in 2025, March 21 will be observed annually as the World Day for Glaciers.
• Another glacier in Asia which made it to the “critically endangered” category of the Global Glacier Casualty List is is Dagu glacier in China, which is expected to disappear by 2030.

Source: Times of India

Syllabus:

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Scientists who discovered mysterious ‘dark oxygen’ on the ocean floor last year is planning a new expedition to study further about it.

Background: –

• The discovery of “dark oxygen” was a big deal, prompting scientists to reconsider their long-held beliefs about how complex life might have evolved on Earth.

Key takeaways

• Dark oxygen refers to the production of molecular oxygen (O₂) through processes that do not involve photosynthesis or light. Traditionally, it was believed that significant oxygen generation required light-driven photosynthesis.
• A notable discovery in 2024 revealed that polymetallic nodules on the abyssal seafloor might facilitate oxygen production through seawater electrolysis. 
• These nodules, composed of metals like manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt, exhibit electrical potentials on their surfaces. It’s proposed that these potentials could split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, even in the absence of light. This phenomenon, termed “dark oxygen production,” suggests that oxygen might be generated in deep-sea environments previously thought to be anoxic.

Source: Smithsonian

Q1.) Yala Glacier, often mentioned in the context of climate change, is located in which of the following mountain ranges?

1. Karakoram
2. Himalayas
3. Andes
4. Alps

Q2.) The term “dark oxygen” refers to the production of oxygen through:

1. Photosynthesis in deep-sea plants
2. Artificial splitting of water molecules in laboratories
3. Biotic and abiotic processes generating oxygen in the absence of light
4. The natural photolysis of ozone in the atmosphere

Options:
A) 1 and 4 only
B) 3 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 3, and 4

Q3.) Which of the following statements regarding ad hoc judges in High Courts under Article 224A is/are correct?

1. Ad hoc judges can only be appointed if the vacancies in a High Court exceed 80% of its sanctioned strength.
2. The consent of the Chief Justice of the High Court and the President of India is mandatory for the appointment.
3. Ad hoc judges have the same jurisdiction, powers, and privileges as regular High Court judges but are not considered permanent judges.

Options:
A) 1 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) – b

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – a