Prolawctor Daily Current Affairs Insights | 09 December 2020

PROLAWCTOR DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS INSIGHTS

LEGAL NEWS

1. Supreme Court upheld the Madras High court in eight lane expressway case

• The Supreme Court upheld the notification Centre’s notification in the sensational Chennai-Salem eight lane expressway project
• The court also quashed the land acquisition notification for the farmers and directs new notification which also gives instructions for acquisition.
• A protest break in Salem against the verdict.
• The people expressed that they don’t want to give their farmland for eight lane project.

2. Supreme Court distinguish hate speech and free speech:

• In the case of Amish Devgan vs. Union of India where the journalist defame the Sufi saint by Moinnuddin Chisthi as attacker.
• On delivering the judgement, the clarification was given that the hate speech was intended to cause humiliation and alienation of the targeted group which attack the pluralism of India.
• Further, the hate speech has three elements such as  content-based element, intent-based element and harm-based element (or impact-based element).

3. Acceptance of gift can be implied says Supreme Court

• In the light of the case Daulat Singh Lrs vs. State of Rajasthan, where the question raised the gift deed of father to son without the acceptance of gift is valid in the eye of law.
• The supreme court explains the section 122 and section 123 of transfer of property act and held that acceptance of it was a transfer between a father and a son and there was a valid acceptance of the gift when the donee­son started living separately.
• Further, the bench added since the deed is registered, bears the signature of the donor and has been attested by two witnesses it is a valid gift under property act.

4. No proceeding against Maharashtra governor for non-payment of rent

• The Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was alleged for not paying market rent while his stay in government property which was given to him in his capacity as chief minister.
• It was contended that there was no legal authority determining the market rent and the high court was not even apply judicial mind in issuing the order.
• Underlying Article 361 and its immunity to the governor, Supreme Court stays the proceedings against him.

5. 10 lacs compensation for medical aspirant for denying admission

• The petitioner was not allowed to meet the chairman for medical admission missed the chance of admission in PG from concerned medical college.
• The aggrieved student seeks justice in high court and they direct to admit her immediately.
• Against this order, the defendant approached the apex court where they even fined with damage of 10 lacs to the student.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. Indian-origin Anil Soni appointed as first CEO of WHO Foundation

• WHO Foundation is an independent grant-making agency headquartered in Geneva.
• It was launched in May 2020 to function alongside WHO and the global health community to address the “most pressing global health challenges”.
• Soni joined the foundation from Viatris, a healthcare company.

2. Biden picks retired Army general Lloyd Austin to run Pentagon

• US President-elect Biden is set to name General Lloyd Austin as his defence secretary.
• Austin would become the first African-American to run the Pentagon.
• 67-year old Austin would need a congressional waiver as it has been less than seven years since he retired.

3. Maduro’s party wins legislative polls in Venezuela

• Nicolás Maduro consolidated his grip on power, with candidates favouring his rule declared to have won the National Assembly –– the only bastion that had so far remained out of his Socialist Party’s control.
• Pro-Maduro candidates had won 67.6 per cent of 52 lakhs votes cast, – which most opposition parties had boycotted, calling them rigged.

4. Brazil will offer free Covid-19 vaccinations to public

• Brazil is the third-worst corona virus hit country in the world with over 66 lakh cases.
• Covid-19 vaccines would be free to all its residents once it is approved by the national health regulator ANVISA.
• President Bolsonaro said that Economy Ministry has assured him that there would be sufficient resources for everyone to get vaccinated.

NATIONAL NEWS

1. Decision taken for the creation of task force for investment in India

• It was decided by India and Qatar to set up a special task force.
• PM Modi,  spoke on the telephone with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh.

2. Allegations made by Sisodia, for not allowing public to meet CM

• Delhi Police clarified their side, says, that entry to CM’s house will be provided after consulting with the CM.
• Sisodia says,  that the entry is denied by the CM.

3. 3 million dollars to be donated to complete Palestine-India Techno Park

• The work to complete the construction of Indo-Palestine techno park has been started after India made the final donation of 3 million dollars.
• The completion of the project would be over by February or March of next year.

4. Scheme to be made for Kharif paddy procurement : Bengal

• The government of West Bengal has come up with a scheme to make Kharif paddy more effectively distributed for public purpose.
• The scheme will be launched soon.
• Under the scheme, 30 Lakh farmers would be enrolled.

5. Mehbooba, Illegally detained and house locked up

• Mehbooba Mufti, Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, on Tuesday said she was locked up inside her Srinagar residence and disallowed to visit the “evicted families” in central Kashmir’s Budgam.
• The government was accused by her of continuing with the “inflicting oppression on the people of J&K without any questions asked”.

6. Social media handles officially launched by BJP in J&K

• Official social media handles of the party’s unit were launched by BJP general secretary and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh on Tuesday.
• Mr. Chugh said the BJP has been for the last several years engaging aggressively with the leaders of the Union Territory to convey that the party wants nothing more than a stable, prosperous and peaceful Jammu and Kashmir.

7. Chief Electoral Officer was not able to caste vote

• Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena was not able to cast his vote for the local body polls, on Tuesday as his name was not listed in the electoral rolls updated by the State Election Commission.
• The list used by State commission was the one prepared in 2015 as the basis for updating the electoral rolls for the local body polls and not the one updated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 2019.
• Mr. Meena said he had no plans to file a complaint officially, but would nonetheless take up the matter of electoral roll update with the State Commission.

8. Method to harvest water from air developed by IIT- Guwahati

• A pitcher plant-inspired inexpensive method for harvesting water from humid air has been developed by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G).
• The method, developed by spraying a sponge-like porous polymeric material on a simple A4 printer paper, can also use in underwater hulls of ships and submarines to prevent bio-fouling as well as to prevent icing on aircraft windows.

9. Attention drawn on India’s huge skilled workforce after Covid-19 by PM Modi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India was in an advantageous position with its huge pool of skilled workforce
• After observing that overcoming challenges in the post COVID-19 world and keeping up with the emerging trends is crucial for businesses.
• The PM said the nation was marching ahead with its resolute resolve to build a strong and self-resilient India that encapsulates the vision of world welfare and full integration.
• The intellect and intent of the youth powers the country’s transformation trajectory that has witnessed unprecedented pace and scale in the last few years.

BUSINESS NEWS

1. The company’s open offers fell 39% to Rs 9,000 crore in April-October

• Listed companies made open offers worth close to Rs 9,000 crore to public shareholders in the first seven months of the current fiscal, a drop of 39 per cent from the year-ago period.
• According to SEBI’s latest monthly report, a total of 30 open offers for shares worth Rs 8,973 crore were made by the companies during the April-October this financial year (2020-21).

2. RIL’s share of the 5G launch plan grew by more than 2% in late 2021

• Reliance Industries share rose over 2% today after chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said Reliance Jio has plans to launch 5G services in the second half of 2021.
•  RIL share gained 2.87% to Rs 2,014 against previous close of Rs 1,958 on BSE.

3. Employees told the government that BSNL could not survive for more than 2 years without affordable 4G equipment.

• The All Unions and Association of BSNL (AUAB) in the letter wrote that in the absence of 4G, BSNL cannot survive in the industry beyond two years.
• BSNL employees union has further asked the government to let them procure equipment if it is not indigenous.

4. The factory fire caused Sony, Nikon and other manufacturers to cut off camera supplies

• On October 20, a fire broke out at an AKM semiconductor audio chip factory in Japan.
• This caused the entire factory to collapse and it would take six months to recover.
• This may be a coincidence, but the fire incident has really hit the camera companies.
• But, in recent news, Sony Japan has apologized for the lack of a supply chain.

5. Adani Green sees 565% stock rally: A $23 bn firm not protected by analysts

• Shares of Adani Green rose 565% in 2020, with the National Stock Exchange’s Nifty 100 index rising only 10%.

• The rally helped the company to win entry in the MSCI India Index recently.

SPORTS NEWS

1. Dennis Ralston, Hall of Fame tennis player, dies at 78

• One of the initial players signed to the professional World Championship Tennis tour in the 1960s died, he was 78 year old.
• He was also the member of the sport’s Hall of Fame, Dennis Ralston, a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion died.

2. I-League’s new season to begin with Mohammedan-Sudeva Delhi on 9 January 2021

• The upcoming season of the I-League will be played at three venues — Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Stadium, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, and Kishore Bharati Krirangan — in Kolkata.
• Debutants Sudeva Delhi FC will take on Mohammedan SC to kick off the Hero I-League on January 9 in Kolkata, according to fixtures released by the All India Football Federation on Tuesday.
• The entire league will be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19pandemic.

3. Bala Devi Becomes First Indian Woman Footballer To Score In Europe

• Bala Devi scored in the 85th minute to open her account for Rangers FC.as they defeated Motherwell 9-0 on Sunday.
• She is a forward for the Indian Women’s Team.
• She has also won three SAFF Titles.

4. Lukashenko threatens legal action against IOC over ban from Olympic events

• Olympic chiefs on Monday cracked down on the Belarus National Olympic Committee, headed by Lukashenko, for discriminating against its athletes for their political views.
• Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday threatened to take the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to court for banning him from Olympic events over athlete discrimination.
• A number of prominent Belarusian athletes have supported Lukashenko’s critics and demanded an end to the crackdown.

5. Hero Motorsports ‘excited’ for 2021 Dakar Rally following win at BAJA Portalegre

• The team will go to Dakar with the 2020 FIM Cross-Country BAJAs World Cup winner Sebastian Buhler, 2019 Pan Africa Rally winner Joaquim Rodrigues and ace Indian rider CS Santosh.
• Close on the heels of an exciting win at the BAJA Portalegre, Hero MotoSports Rally, the team representing the two-wheeler manufacturing giant, on Tuesday unveiled its plans for the 2021 Dakar Rally.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE AND DEFENCE

1. Mumbai: 53rd Submarine Day is observed by the Indian Navy

• On the former INS Kalvari at Riga, Latvia, the release said the 53rd Submarine Day commemorates the maiden unfurling of the naval ensign.
• It has been mentioned that Submarine Day is observed to remember and honour submariners who made supreme sacrifices in their service.
• The Vice Admiral was joined by Rear Admiral V Srinivas, currently posted in Mumbai as the senior-most submariner.

2. China believes it is collaborating with India to further de-escalate the Ladakh border standoff

• On November 6, the Chinese and Indian armies conducted the 8th Corps Commander-level meeting to resolve the border standoff that erupted in early May.
• Speaker Hua Chunying of the Chinese Foreign Ministry told a media briefing here that “China and India have been in touch about the border problem through diplomatic and military channels and we are working to further de-escalate the border situation.”

3. India’s digital finance strategy is named a global model by Bill Gates

• Booming mobile use and wireless data speeds have supported the Unified Payments Interface, or UPI,
• India has constructed ambitious universal identification and digital payments platforms. Gates said the expense and friction were significantly reduced by those policies.
• India allows businesses to use its UPI platform so that payments can be transmitted easily between all providers.

4. Vaccine for Covid-19: First citizen receives Pfizer jab in the UK

• As part of a mass vaccination campaign, a UK grandmother has been the first person in the world to be offered the Pfizer Covid-19 jab.
• First of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/Bio N Tech.
• Health Minister Matt Hancock called ‘Tuesday vaccine day’ Tuesday V-day.

5. Breast cancer: Norwich MP Chloe Smith ‘Thank you’ to the NHS

• Since 2009, Chloe Smith, 38, has occupied the Norwich North seat for the Conservatives. In September, Ms Smith, a mother of two, said she found a lump.
• The MP says she has been given “good news” after her initial diagnosis that her cancer has not spread. She faces a “marathon” of up to seven months of surgery and chemotherapy treatment.