Bail Jurisprudence

Context: Recently,  the Supreme Court ruled that criminal antecedents alone cannot be a ground to deny bail, especially when the accused have suffered long incarceration as undertrials.

Case Background

• Incident: K.S. Shan, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader, was murdered in 2021.
• Accused: 10 persons were charged; bail was granted in 2022 by the Sessions Court to five of them.
• Kerala High Court Decision (2024):
  • The Kerala HC cancelled the bail granted earlier, citing criminal antecedents and risk of witness intimidation.
• Supreme Court Ruling (2025): The SC restored bail, observing the accused had already been on bail for nearly two years before HC cancellation.

SC’s Observations

• Golden Rule of Bail: The SC reaffirmed Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer’s principle — “Bail is the rule and jail is the exception.”
• Trial Integrity: 
  • Bail can be revoked to prevent interference with witnesses or tampering with evidence.
  • However, mere criminal history cannot automatically justify denial or cancellation of bail.
• Length of Incarceration: Long undertrial detention is a valid consideration for granting bail.

Significance of the Ruling

• Bail Jurisprudence: Strengthens the principle that bail should not be denied solely due to prior criminal record.
• Rights of Undertrials: Protects accused from prolonged incarceration without trial.

Judicial Balance: Emphasises balancing individual liberty with the need to protect witness safety and ensure fair trial.

Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission (TN-SHORE)

Context: Under the Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission (TN-SHORE), the World Bank will fund directly to village mangrove councils to strengthen bioshield protection through mangrove plantations. 

About: Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission (TN-SHORE)

• Approved in September 2025.
• Outlay: ₹1,675 crore (₹1,000 crore from the World Bank; rest from State government).

Objectives

• Restore 30,000 hectares of seascapes.
• Conserve endangered species such as turtles and dugongs.
• Promote eco-tourism and plastic waste management.
• Enhance climate resilience of coastal ecosystems.

Restoration Targets

• Total: 1,000 hectares.
  • 300 hectares of new mangrove plantations.
  • 700 hectares of degraded mangrove restoration.

 About Mangroves

• Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and shrubs found in coastal intertidal zones, where freshwater and seawater mix. 
• They grow in tropical and subtropical climates with high rainfall (1,000–3,000 mm) and temperatures between 26–35°C.
• Characteristics of Mangrove:
  • Vivipary: Seeds sprout while still on the parent tree, helping survival in salty, waterlogged conditions.
  • Aerial roots: These breathing roots (pneumatophores) absorb oxygen from the air.
  • Waxy and succulent leaves: Help reduce water loss and manage salt stress.
• Common species in India:
  • Rhizophora spp. (Red mangrove)
  • Heritiera fomes (Sundari)
  • Avicennia marina (Grey mangrove)
  • Sonneratia apetala (Keora)

Significance of Mangrove Plantation

• Climate Resilience: Mangroves act as bioshields against cyclones, erosion, and rising seas.
• Carbon Storage: Mangroves absorb carbon dioxide and store it in the soil for centuries, making them powerful carbon sinks.
• Livelihood Source: They support local communities through fishing, honey collection, aquaculture, and other eco-based livelihoods.
• Biodiversity Hotspots: Serve as breeding and nursery grounds for fish, birds, and reptiles. Their rich biodiversity supports complex food chains.

‘Cold Start’ Drill

Context: India will hold a mega tri-service drone and counter-drone drill, ‘Cold Start’, in Madhya Pradesh in October 2025.

About the ‘Cold Start’ Drill

• Introduction: The Army, Navy, and Air Force will jointly conduct the ‘Cold Start’ exercise, with participation from industry partners, R&D agencies, academia, and other stakeholders.
• Aim: To evaluate operational readiness against evolving aerial threats, test drone and counter-drone technologies, and identify gaps in India’s current air defence capabilities.

Direct Broadcast Network (DBNet)

Context: India’s NCMRWF and NSIL signed an MoU in September 2025 to establish two DBNet stations under Mission Mausam. 

About Direct Broadcast Network (DBNet)

DBNet is a global operational framework that enables the real-time acquisition of satellite data from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. It plays a critical role in enhancing Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP).

• NWP is a scientific method of forecasting weather by using mathematical models and computational techniques to simulate atmospheric processes and future conditions.

Applications

• DBNet supports weather forecasting, cyclone monitoring, and climate research.
• It contributes to across-scale forecasting, from short-term regional predictions to medium-range climate assessments.

About NCMRWF and NSIL

• National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF): It is an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) responsible for developing advanced weather forecasting systems in India.
• New Space India Limited (NSIL) : NSIL is the commercial arm of the Department of Space (DoS), established to promote and commercially exploit products, services, and technologies developed by ISRO.

What is Mission Mausam?

• Mission Mausam was launched in January 2025 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) 150th Foundation Day.
• Aim: To make India a “weather-ready” and “climate-smart” nation by enhancing weather forecasting and modeling capabilities.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Objective : To enhance India’s ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change. 
• Focus : Improving observations and understanding to deliver highly-accurate and timely weather and climate information across temporal and spatial scales.
• Instruments: MoES will install 60 weather radars, 15 wind profilers and 15 radiosondes.

Mohenjodaro ‘Dancing Girl’

Context: A replica of the Mohenjodaro ‘Dancing Girl’ was recently reported stolen from the National Museum, Delhi.

About Mohenjodaro ‘Dancing Girl’

• It is a 10.5 cm tall  bronze figurine of a dancing girl.
• Technique: Produced using the lost-wax casting method, showcasing the advanced metallurgical skills of the IVC.
  • Lost-wax casting method is a metallurgical process where a wax model is coated with clay, melted out, and replaced by molten metal to create detailed objects.
• Appearance: Depicts a young nude female figure.
  • Features include a necklace, numerous bangles on one arm, and a confident pose with one hand resting on her hip.
  • The figure exudes grace, self-assurance, and poise.
• Cultural Significance: Regarded as a secular artistic creation.
• • Reflects the aesthetic sensibility, artistic realism, and technical innovation of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Importance in Art History

• Considered one of the earliest metal figurines in South Asia.
• Serves as a landmark in Indian art history, demonstrating the cultural sophistication of Harappan society.

About Mohenjodaro and IVC

• Mohenjodaro: A major urban center of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2500 BCE), known for advanced town planning, grid-pattern streets, drainage systems, the Great Bath, and artifacts like the Dancing Girl figurine.
  • It is located in the  present day Sindh province, Pakistan, near the Indus River.
• Indus Valley Civilization (IVC): Flourished between 3300–1300 BCE across present-day India and Pakistan, marked by urban planning, standardized weights, seals, metallurgy, and trade networks, reflecting one of the world’s earliest complex societies.

Oju Hydroelectric Project

Context: Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), MoEFCC Cleared Oju Hydroelectric Project (2,220 MW), on the Subansiri river, in Upper Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh, near the China border.

About Oju Hydroelectric Project (Subansiri Basin)

• Type/Nature: Run-of-the-river + storage hydropower (cascade planning in Subansiri basin).
• Key features:
  • Main plant: 2,100 MW; 
  • Dam-toe plant: 120 MW.
• Benefits: Renewable energy, grid stability, water regulation, border infrastructure.
  • Oju is the largest approved hydropower project in the Subansiri basin; others include Niare, Naba, Nalo, Dengser, Upper & Lower Subansiri.
• Risks: Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), seismic vulnerability, biodiversity loss, displacement of communities, forest diversion.

About Subansiri River

1. It is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra (left bank tributary). 
2. It is also Known as “Gold River” due to gold dust in waters (placer mining).
3. Origin: Trans-Himalayan Antecedent rivers, originates in Tibet, flows through Arunachal Pradesh & Assam, joins Brahmaputra.

Super Typhoon Ragasa

Context: Super Typhoon Ragasa, struck Hong Kong & Guangdong, China, in Sept 2025.

• The storm recorded wind speeds exceeding 200 km/h, prompting the Hong Kong Observatory to issue the No. 10 signal (highest alert), the second such warning in 2025, a phenomenon not seen since 1964.
• Scientists warn that climate change is driving stronger, more frequent, and longer-lasting typhoons, linked to warming Pacific waters (+1.5°C in the past century, UNEP).

Super Typhoon Ragasa 

• It is an intense typhoon originating over western Pacific and making a landfall in southern Guangdong province of China.
• ICategory 5-equivalent super typhoon (≥250 km/h potential wind speeds).
• Formed over ~30°C sea surface temperatures with low wind shear, conditions ideal for rapid growth.
• Underwent eyewall replacement, a process that intensified its strength.
• Current trends:
  • The increasing frequency of Category 5+ storms has led scientists to propose a new Category 6 classification.
  • Historical parallels: Typhoon Hope (1979) and Super Typhoon Haiyan (2013).

Climate Change & Intensification of Typhoons

• Definition: Typhoons are  tropical cyclones in the North West Pacific; heat-driven storms that dissipate ocean heat.
• Climate link:
  • Warmer oceans lead  to more energy and faster intensification into super typhoons.
  • Stalling effect: storms linger near coastlines, causing heavier rainfall & flooding.
  • Eyewall replacement cycles amplify strength.

Scientific Basis

• UNEP Report: Pacific Ocean warmed +1.5°C over the last century.
  • The Paris Agreement threshold of 1.5°C already crossed  increasing storm severity.
• Hansen’s paleoclimate studies: warming of ocean and  ice-sheet melt disturb ocean currents, creating “superstorms” similar to those seen in the last interglacial period.
• Trends in Indian Ocean: Similar risks exist in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, where cyclones like Fani, Amphan, Tauktae, and Biparjoy have intensified rapidly.
• Risks: Coastal flooding, storm surges, urban infrastructure damage, displacement, economic loss.

Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana

Context: The Prime Minister will transfer ₹10,000 each to 75 lakh women in Bihar under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana.

About Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana

• Introduction: It is a Bihar Government state initiative aimed at promoting women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, particularly among rural and economically weaker sections.
• Financial Support: The first instalment of ₹10,000 per woman will be provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
  • Following a six-month performance review, an additional grant of ₹2 lakh will be given to eligible women entrepreneurs.
  • The initial assistance is non-repayable, ensuring financial relief and business start-up support.
• Implementation Agencies
  • Rural Development Department for rural areas.
  • Urban Development Department for Urban Areas
  • Jeevika Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will actively participate at district, block, cluster, and village levels to ensure outreach and monitoring.
• Eligibility Criteria: Women aged 18–60 years, from nuclear families, and not paying income tax.
  • Priority given to economically weaker sections or women without a permanent source of income.
  • All Jeevika SHG members qualify.
  • Unmarried adult women whose parents are deceased are also eligible

Significance

• Encourages women to start businesses of their choice, creating employment opportunities.
• Strengthens economic empowerment, particularly in rural Bihar, and contributes to the state’s overall economy.

Quasi-Moon

Context: Astronomers discovered a tiny quasi-moon, 2025 PN7, orbiting near Earth for roughly 60 years, first observed by Pan-STARRS in 2025 with archival sightings from 2014.

About the Quasi-Moon

• Introduction: A quasi-moon is a small celestial body that orbits the Sun in close synchronization with a planet, appearing to accompany it without being a true moon.
• Features of 2025 PN7
  • It measures about 62 feet (19 meters) in diameter, making it the smallest known quasi-moon near Earth.
  • Its orbit around the Sun closely mirrors Earth’s path, completing a solar orbit in roughly one year.
  • Remains in a temporary, stable quasi-orbit due to gravitational influences of both Earth and the Sun, estimated to last another 60 years.
  • Faint and detectable only through high-powered telescopes, highlighting its rarity and elusiveness

Significance of the Discovery

• Scientific Research : Studying 2025 PN7 improves knowledge of near-Earth objects and their movement in quasi-orbits.
• Planetary Defense : Observations can inform strategies for tracking and mitigating potential asteroid threats.
• Exploration Potential : Its accessibility as a small celestial companion may make quasi-moons viable targets for future space missions and resource studies.

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