CURRENT AFFAIRS - 09.12.2023

 

1. Expelled from LS, what next for Mahua Moitra? The expulsion Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled on Friday from the Lok Sabha. The House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest. After a heated debate over the panel report during which Moitra was not allowed to speak, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to expel the Trinamool member for "unethical conduct", which was adopted by a voice vote. 'A kangaroo court' Reacting to her expulsion, Moitra said she was "hanged by a kangaroo court". She alleged the parliamentary panel was being weaponised by the government to force the Opposition into submission. Moitra said she had been found guilty of breaching a code of ethics that did not exist and that there was no evidence of cash or gift given to her. The report The Ethics Committee report found Moitra guilty of "unethical conduct" and contempt of the House by sharing her Lok Sabha credentials — User ID and Password of Lok Sabha Member's Portal, with unauthorised persons which had an irrepressible impact on national security. This emerges from the complaint that BJP's Nishikant Dubey had filed with Speaker Om Birla, based on the claims made by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, whom Moitra described as a "jilted ex". What next? The CBI has filed a case against Moitra in the alleged bribes-for-query scandal involving businessman Darshan Hiranandani. But Moitra can challenge the decision in the court on three primary grounds — that she was denied natural justice; that there was gross illegality in the process; and that her fundamental right was violated. She can argue that her request for cross-examining those leveling charges was not accepted — denial of natural justice. She can challenge the punishment as disproportionate to the offence under Article 20 of the Constitution — a fundamental right that says the punishment should be proportionate to the guilt or offence. Moitra can also challenge the decision citing the vagueness of rules. Experts say the Lok Sabha rules or the IT Act provisions don't explicitly prohibit members from sharing their passwords. More here

2. 'Can't keep people in jail for long without trial' What The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to liquor giant Pernod Ricard's executive Benoy Babu in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti noted that the accused has been in custody for more than 13 months and the trial against him has still not commenced in the case. The case is being probed by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Quote from the court "You can't keep people behind bars before trial for long. This is not proper. We still don't know how this will go. There seems to be some contradiction between what the CBI is alleging and the ED is alleging in the case," the bench told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the agency. "It's nothing but long pre-trial detention. In CBI's case, he is a prosecution witness but in ED's case he has been named as an accused," the bench said, while directing Babu to be released on bail. The argument Earlier, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Babu, called the case that is being probed by ED a completely 'bogus case' against his client. "As per the ED's case, Babu met Vijay Nair [Aam Aadmi Party's communication in-charge and accused in the Delhi excise policy case] on March 27, 2021, but the draft excise policy was already announced on March 22, 2021," Salve said. The case The Delhi government had implemented the excise policy in November 2021 but scrapped it in September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. The ED arrested Babu and Nair in November 2022. In July this year, the Delhi High Court denied bail to Babu, saying there was sufficient material on the record to support the ED's claim. Babu challenged the HC order in the top court. The ED has also arrested top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh in this case.

3. Why SC pulled up Calcutta HC for 'advice' on sexual urges 'Don't preach' Judges are not expected to express their personal views or preach, the Supreme Court remarked on Friday, strongly criticising a Calcutta High Court judgment that advised young girls to "control sexual urges" and adolescent boys to train themselves to respect women. Terming the high court observations as "highly objectionable and unwarranted", the Supreme Court said the observations are completely in violation of the rights of adolescents under Article 21 of the Constitution. A question of 'control' In its October 18 judgment, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court said that adolescent girls should "control sexual urges" and "not give into two minutes of pleasure". Following an order of the Chief Justice of India, a suo-motu (on its own) writ petition was initiated in the Supreme Court due to "sweeping observations/findings" recorded by the high court. "Prima facie, we are of the view that the judges are not expected to express personal views or preach," the Supreme Court said on Friday while issuing notice to the West Bengal government and other parties in the case. When court defined 'duties' The High Court made the observations while hearing an appeal by a boy who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the offence of sexual assault. It acquitted the boy stating that this was a case of a "non-exploitative consensual sexual relationship" between two adults. The High Court said it is the duty of every female adolescent to "protect her right to integrity of her body; protect her dignity and self-worth; thrive for overall development of her self transcending gender barriers; control sexual urge/urges as in the eyes of the society she is the loser when she gives in to enjoy the sexual pleasure of hardly two minutes; protect her right to autonomy of her body and her privacy". It also said: "It is the duty of a male adolescent to respect the aforesaid duties of a young girl or woman and he should train his mind to respect a woman, her self-worth, her dignity and privacy, and her right to autonomy of her body."

4. A history date for Mizo women What Pi Lalrinpuii (61), elected from Lunglei East assembly constituency in Mizoram on a Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) ticket in the recently-held polls, is the first Mizo woman to be inducted as a cabinet minister. She is, however, the third woman to be sworn in as a minister in Mizoram. The other two were ministers of state (junior ministers who assist cabinet ministers). She was allotted health & family welfare, social welfare & tribal affairs, women and child development, and tourism departments. Also This is the first time that three women have been elected to the Mizoram Assembly. Besides Lalrinpuii, the other two are ZPM's Baryl Vanneihsangi from the Aizawl South-3 seat and Pravo Chakma of the MNF from the West Tuipui seat. Who is Lalrinpuii? Lalrinpuii is the president of Lunglei Southern Headquarters of ZPM, the only ZPM district chief across Mizoram. She had contested the Mizoram Assembly election in 2018 but lost by 72 votes to the Mizo National Front (MNF) nominee Lawmawma Tochhawng. Lalrinpuii is known for her communication skills, both in English and Hindi. She was in Bengaluru due to her husband Sapthanga Khawlhring's posting. In Bengaluru, she ran a hostel for students from the northeast. She had even worked as a public relations officer at a university there. Why she matters A strictly patriarchal society, Mizoram has seen only a few women in active politics. The first woman minister of state was Lalhlimpuii Hmar — inducted into the first MNF ministry headed by Laldenga in 1987. Hmar was followed by Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu — elected in 2013 and made minister in 2017. And, a little history... When Mizoram was a district council under Assam and also when it was a Union Territory after 1972, women were given nominated seats. The first woman to be elected to the legislature was L Thanmawii of the People's Conference (PC), led by former CM Brig. T Sailo, from Serchhip constituency in 1978. The second woman elected to the assembly was K Thansiami of the PC party in 1984.

NEWS IN CLUES 5. Identify this Indian state Clue 1: It hosts the largest public library in India Clue 2: It was ruled by the Left Front for 34 consecutive years Clue 3: Its capital served as the capital of British India until 1911 Scroll below for answer

6. How soon can BJP break the CM impasse in 3 states? What The BJP on Friday appointed senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Manohar Lal Khattar and Arjun Munda as central observers for electing the leader of the legislative party in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh respectively. Additional support Besides Singh, party leaders Saroj Pandey and Vinod Tawde are also being sent to Rajasthan as central observers. Similarly, besides Khattar, party leaders K Laxman and Asha Lakra are being sent to Madhya Pradesh. For Chhattisgarh, besides Munda, another Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and party leader Dushwant Kumar Gautam are being sent as central observers. Why The observers will help in the appointment of CMs in the three states, which has been a difficult task to execute for the party's central leadership in the wake of the victory margin, the influence of regional leaders, lobbies behind them and the party's own plans to bring new lines of leadership in all three states. BJP's parliamentary board, which is the party's top decision-making body, held a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, following which the decision to appoint observers was taken. The buzz is that they have been primarily tasked with negotiating with leaders who are in the CM race, especially the "old guards", which BJP would need for the 2024 general election campaign in their regions of influence. The party cannot afford disgruntled factions and infightings at this juncture. Probable candidates Union ministers Narendra Tomar and Pralhad Patel are reportedly in contention for being a potential replacement for incumbent CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh. Baba Balaknath, who resigned from Parliament, met Shah on Thursday, triggering speculation that he could be an alternative to former CM Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan. In Chhattisgarh, state BJP president Arun Sao, an OBC, Union minister Gomati Sai and Lata Usendi (both ST) are seen as top three contenders if the party looks beyond former CM Raman Singh.

7. Policy rates unchanged but... Another pause The Reserve Bank of India on Friday decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 6.5% for the fifth time in a row as it maintains a tight vigil on inflation. After raising interest rates in six consecutive hikes, totalling 250 basis points since May 2022, the RBI paused the rate increase cycle in April, adopting a cautious stance by taking into consideration the impact of previous hikes. Inflation concerns Despite a recent easing of inflation toward the 4% target, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das raised concerns about rising food prices, a significant component of the consumer basket. The projection for consumer inflation in 2023-24 stands at 5.4%, with uncertain food prices posing concerns. Pre-election measures Considering the impending election, the government is actively taking steps to control food prices, particularly for staples like onions, rice and sugar. The government banned onion exports until March, having earlier in October sold buffer stock at Rs 25 per kg to stabilize retail prices. Additionally, the use of sugarcane juice for ethanol production is now prohibited, driven by concerns about potential sugar production declines due to erratic weather. Growth projections raised The RBI raised its growth projection for the current financial year from 6.5% to 7%, surpassing most economists' predictions indicating confidence in the economic recovery and resilience amid global uncertainties. Also To enhance flexibility, the RBI in a major decision announced to enable banks to reverse transactions through liquidity windows on holidays, while also raising the UPI transaction limit for hospitals and educational institutions from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per transaction.

8. Is Putin set for another term amid Ukraine war? Putin in the race again Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said he would run again for president in March, seeking to maintain his hold on power until at least 2030. Russia's parliament has formally set next year's presidential election date for March 17. Economic growth Russia's success in evading a Western oil price cap is helping drive a recovery in economic growth as Putin prepares to run for re-election, despite the problems caused by labour shortages, inflation and high interest rates. Riding the sanction wave Russia's export-focused, $2.2 trillion economy has ridden the sanctions wave better than either Moscow or the West anticipated when those opposed to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine sought to punish and isolate Putin's Russia. Crucially, the West has been unable to effectively curb Russia's oil revenues. Russia has redirected exports to destinations such as China and India and used the opaque ownership of so-called shadow fleets of ships to circumvent the West's oil price cap. The challenges Russia's military mobilisation last year and hundreds of thousands of people emigrating since Russia invaded Ukraine have aggravated labour shortages, particularly in high-skilled areas like IT, pushing unemployment to a record low 2.9%. Gross domestic product is set to grow 3.5% this year, up from a 2.1% contraction in 2022. In the longer term, forecasts envisage Russia's growth potential easing. Analysts polled by Reuters expect GDP growth to slow to 1.2% in 2024. Price rises are a sensitive issue for consumers and the central bank's key area of concern. Already forced into 750 basis points of monetary tightening since July, the bank is widely expected to hike again, to 16%, on December 15. Inflation is due to end the year at around 7.5%, following a double-digit rise in 2022, still well above the bank's 4% target.

9. Another Chinese balloon mystery What Taiwan's defense ministry reported the detection of a Chinese balloon crossing the sensitive median line in the Taiwan Strait, while initially considered a weather balloon, the incident raised questions about potential surveillance activities, adding complexity to the security landscape. The incident follows reports of 12 Chinese aircraft crossing the median line the previous day, engaging in joint combat patrol with Chinese vessels. Timing The incidents came just over a month before Taiwan is to hold elections for president and the legislature and raises questions about possible Chinese efforts to influence the vote. High alert Taiwan remains on high alert for Chinese interference, both politically and militarily, with Beijing's efforts to influence the ballot and shape election results being a major concern. Vice President Lai Ching-te and running mate Hsiao Bi-khim, affiliated with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, lead in the polls. China views them as separatists and has rejected Lai's offers of talks, framing them as an "independence double act." Chinese interference Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Friday accused China's Taiwan Affairs Office of "blatant" interference in the election, citing negative language directed at Vice President Lai and Hsiao Bi-khim. Global alarm The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue in February when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon but which China said was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray.

10. You share your b'day with... Source: Various COURTESY : TIMES TOP 10