Topics Covered
- Section 66 A of IT Act
- Sloth Bear
- Demonetisation
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Section 66 A
Context : The Supreme Court ordered States and their police forces to stop prosecuting free speech on social media under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act which was declared unconstitutional by the court in a judgment seven years ago.
About the News
- Court directed “all Directors General of Police as well as Home Secretaries of the States and competent officers in Union Territories to instruct their entire police force in their respective States/Union Territories not to register any complaint of crime with respect to alleged violation of Section 66A”.
- However, the court clarified that this direction would apply only to a charge under Section 66A and not extend to other offences in a case.
About Section 66 A
- Section 66 A gave the government power to arrest and imprison an individual for allegedly “offensive and menacing” online posts.
- Section 66A of the IT Act defines the punishment for sending “offensive” messages through a computer or any other communication device like a mobile phone or a tablet.
- Section 66A empowered police to make arrests over what policemen, in terms of their subjective discretion, could construe as “offensive” or “menacing” or for the purposes of causing annoyance, inconvenience, etc. It prescribed the punishment for sending messages through a computer or any other communication device like a mobile phone or a tablet, and a conviction could fetch a maximum of three years in jail.
Issues with the Law
- The problem was with the vagueness about what is “offensive”. The word having a very wide connotation, was open to distinctive, varied interpretations. It was seen as subjective, and what might have been innocuous for one person, could lead to a complaint from someone else and, consequently, an arrest under Section 66A if the police prima facie accepted the latter person’s view.
Why SC struck down Section 66 A
- About the Petition : The first petition came up in the court following the arrest of two girls in Maharashtra by Thane Police in November 2012 over a Facebook post. The girls had made comments on the shutdown of Mumbai for the funeral of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. The arrests triggered outrage from all quarters over the manner in which the cyber law was used. The petition was filed by Shreya Singhal, then a 21-year-old law student.
- Grounds of Challenge – While the objective behind the 2008 amendment was to prevent the misuse of information technology, particularly through social media, the petitioners argued that Section 66A came with extremely wide parameters, which allowed whimsical interpretations by law enforcement agencies. Most of the terms used in the section had not been specifically defined under the Act, and the petitions argued that the law was a potential tool to gag legitimate free speech online, and to curtail freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution, going far beyond the ambit of “reasonable restrictions” on that freedom.
- Supreme Court Verdict : On March 24, 2015, a bench of Justices J. Chelameswar and R.F. Nariman ruled in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India declared Section 66A unconstitutional for “being violative of Article 19(1)(a) and not saved under Article 19(2).” Article 19(1)(a) gives people the right to speech and expression whereas 19(2) accords the state the power to impose “reasonable restrictions” on the exercise of this right.
2 . Sloth Bear
Context : The first ever World Sloth Bear Day celebrations were held on Wednesday by Wildlife SOS in Agra in collaboration with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UP Forest Department.
About Sloth Bear
- Sloth bear is a unique bear species found in India. It is the least researched bear species and is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
- The appearance of this bear is quite similar to that of the Asiatic Black bear. There are a few differences, though, that one can look out for. While Sloth bears have shaggy fur, Black bears tend to have smoother and shorter fur. Black bears also have more rounded ears (similar to that of Mickey Mouse) while Sloth bears have long, unruly hair on their ears.
- While other bear species may enjoy dining on fruits, fish and other animals, Sloth bears are myrmecophagous, meaning, they find bugs and termites to be their most sought after mealThese bears too are omnivorous and also eat fruits when available, but their dentistry and physiology are perfectly formed to eat termites.
- Another notable fact about Sloth bears is how they use scent trails to communicate. Known as pede-marking, this method of chemical communication happens when the bear uses the pedal glands on its feet to secrete certain scents.
- Unlike other bears that use dens for hibernation, Sloth bears do not actually hibernate.
- The Sloth Bear was assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 and has been listed as ‘Vulnerable’. It is protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Wildlife SOS India involved in sloth bear protection, rescue and rehabilitation for over two decades, in collaboration with IUCN, has declared October 12 as ‘World Sloth Bear Day’ to promote the conservation and protection of this unique bear species.
3 . Demonetisation and Constitution bench
Context: A Constitution Bench questioned whether the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) realised their stated objectives of choking black money, terror financing and fake currency through the policy to demonetise ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes in 2016.
Background of the case
- Petitions were filed challenging the Centre’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and 1,000 notes in 2016. Petition challenged the constitutionality of the scheme and the manner with which it was implemented at the Supreme Court.
- On December 16, 2016, the Bench ordered a stay on all High Court challenges to the demonetisation scheme and asked that all cases be transferred to the apex court, and referred to a five-judge Constitution bench.
- The questions in the reference order included whether the notification dated November 8, 2016 is ultra vires provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, and does the notification contravene the provisions of Article 300 (A) of the Constitution, which says no person shall be deprived of one’s property save by the authority of law.
About Demonetisation
- Demonetisation is a radical monetary step in which a currency unit’s status as a legal tender is declared invalid. This is usually done whenever there is a change of national currency, replacing the old unit with a new one. Such a step, for example, was taken when the European Monetary Union nations decided to adopt Euro as their currency.
- However, the old currencies were allowed to convert into Euros for a period of time in order to ensure a smooth transition through demonetisation. Zimbabwe, Fiji, Singapore and Philippines were other countries to have opted for currency demonetisation.
- In India’s case, the move has been taken to curb the menace of black money and fake notes by reducing the amount of cash available in the system.
- This was not the first time the Government of India has gone for the demonetisation of high-value currency. It was first implemented in 1946 when the Reserve Bank of India demonetised the then circulated Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000 notes. The government then introduced higher denomination banknotes in Rs 1000, Rs 5000 and Rs 10000 in a fresh avatar eight years later in 1954 before the Morarji Desai government demonetised these notes in 1978.
Advantages of Demonetisation
- Often results in decreased tax evasion and increased tax revenue
- Often results in higher long-term GDP due to higher tax revenue being reinvested in the nation
- Fosters innovation by converting currency to digital currency and promoting digital transactions
- Reduces overall crime by enhancing transparency and discouraging the circulation of black money.
Disadvantages of Demonetisation
- Imposes a burden on citizens, especially those who must convert one currency to another
- Likely to stall a nation’s GDP during the conversion process
- Incurs expensive administrative costs including printing, adjusting ATMs, and marketing the changes.
- Negatively impacts and even stops cash-driven sectors
- Introduces new types of currency risk such as cybercrime
4 . Facts for Prelims
Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
- The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is a composite indicator that measures the short-term changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products during a given period with respect to that in a chosen base period.
- In India, the first official attempt to compute the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) was made much earlier than the first recommendation on the subject came at the international level.
- With the inception of the Central Statistical Organization (now known as National Statistics Office (NSO)) in 1951, the responsibility for compilation and publication of IIP was vested with it.
- It is an index that tracks manufacturing activity in different sectors of an economy.
- The IIP number measures the industrial production for the period under review, usually a month, as against the reference period.
- IIP is a key economic indicator of the manufacturing sector of the economy.
- There is a lag of six weeks in the publication of the IIP index data after the reference month ends.
- IIP index is currently calculated using 2011-2012 as the base year.
- IIP Index Components:
- Electricity, crude oil, coal, cement, steel, refinery products, natural gas, and fertilisers are the eight core industries that comprise about 40 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production.
- Mining, manufacturing, and electricity are the three broad sectors in which IIP constituents fall.
Retail inflation
- The CPI tracks the change in retail prices of goods and services which households purchase for their daily consumption.
- To measure inflation, we estimate how much CPI has increased in terms of percentage change over the same period the previous year.
- If prices have fallen, it is known as deflation (negative inflation).
- The Central Bank (RBI) pays close attention to this figure in its role of maintaining price stability in the economy.
- The CPI monitors retail prices at a certain level for a particular commodity; price movement of goods and services at rural, urban and all-India levels.
- The change in the price index over a period of time is referred to as CPI-based inflation, or retail inflation.
Chola empire
- The Cholas are remembered as one of the longest ruling dynasties in the southern regions of India.
- Origin:
- The reign of the Cholas began in the 9th century when they defeated the Pallavas to come into power.
- This rule stretched over for over five long centuries until the 13th century. However, around the 2nd century, the state Andhra has a Chola kingdom that flourished far and wide.
- The Early periods of the Chola rule saw the onset of the Sangam literature.
- Kantaman was one of the prominent rulers of this era.
- The medieval period was the era of absolute power and development for the Cholas. This is when kings like Aditya I and Parantaka I.
- From here Rajaraj Chola and Rajendra Chola further expanded the kingdom into the Tamil region.
- Later Kulothunga Chola took over Kalinga to establish a strong rule. This magnificence lasted until the arrival of the Pandyas in the early 13th century.
- Culture and Roots
- The society and its culture saw massive developments in the reign of the Cholas.
- In this era, the temple was the main centre for all social and religious meetings.
- This also was a secure place in times of warfare and political uproar.
- The societal structure at this time was divided amongst Brahmins and Non-Brahmins.
- Several gods and goddesses were worshipped with Shiva being a popular source of strength for the faithful.
- Art, religion and literature benefited greatly during this period.
- Several Shiva temples were built across the banks of the Kaveri River.
- Eg: Thanjavur, Tajore Brihadeeswara temple.
- Several of these sites have been classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO such as Brihadisvara temple, the Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara temples.
- Sculptures of gods and goddesses like Shiva, Vishnu and Lakshmi have been carved out of bronze and serve as a golden reminder of this period. Literature was another crucial highlight of this period.
- Jain and Buddhist writings also got appreciation and recognition during this phase. The popular Nalayira Divya Prabandham from this period is a compilation of 4000 Tamil verses.
- Administration and Governance
- During the Cholas, the entire southern region was brought under the umbrella of a single governing force.
- The Cholas ruled in a sustained Monarchy.
- The Chola Empire consisted of the current day territories of Tiruchirapalli, Tiruvarur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, Vridhachalam, Pichvaram and Thanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu.
- Here the massive kingdom was divided into provinces which were known as mandalams.
- Separate governors were held in charge for each mandalam.
- These were further divided into districts called Nadus which consisted of tehsils.
- The king remained the central authority who would make the major decisions and carry out the governance.
- Thus, the Cholas and their reign mark a remarkable period of medieval history that saw a massive cultural spurt along with a growth in civilization and its meaning.
- It symbolizes not only a period of rapid advancement but also a magnificent time to look back at and learn from.