Enemy Property

Context: Recently , the Madhya Pradesh High Court reversed the 1999 ruling declaring Saif Ali Khan and his family sole heirs to Bhopal properties.

About the Saif Ali Khan Property Dispute

• Inheritance and Dispute: Saif Ali Khan inherited Bhopal properties through his grandmother Sajida Begum, but in 1999, extended royal family members challenged this under the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937.
• Enemy Property Designation: In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property classified these assets worth over ₹15,000 crore, as enemy property due to Abida Begum’s 1950 migration to Pakistan.
• Legal Developments: The Madhya Pradesh High Court, in January 2025, advised Saif to approach the Appellate Authority.
  • Currently  it overturned the 1999 trial ruling and  now remanded the matter back to the trial court for fresh proceedings.

What is Enemy Property?

• Definition: Enemy property refers to assets (movable and immovable) left in India by individuals who migrated to enemy nations of Pakistan and China.
• Following the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the Indian government assumed control of properties and businesses owned by those who adopted the nationality of Pakistan or China.

Legal Provisions

• Enemy Property Act, 1968: Vests such properties permanently with the Custodian of Enemy Property for India under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2017:
  • Expanded “enemy subject” to include even Indian citizen heirs of enemy nationals.
  • Bars inheritance or transfer, even if the legal heir is not an enemy citizen.
  • Custodians retain ownership regardless of the enemy subject’s death or change in nationality.

Judicial Precedence

• Union of India vs. Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan (2005): The SC ruled in favor of an Indian heir of a Pakistani national (Raja of Mahmudabad), recognizing his inheritance rights.
  • However, the 2017 amendment nullified such interpretations for future cases.

Sheesh Mahal of Delhi

Context: Recently the restored Mughal-era Sheesh Mahal in Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh was reopened to the public.

About Sheesh Mahal

• Built by: Sheesh Mahal was constructed in 1653 , commissioned by Izz-un-Nissa Begum under the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
• Architectural Style: It reflects classic Mughal architecture with symmetrical planning, intricate ornamentation, and integration of water features, in line with Shah Jahan’s grand design sensibilities.
• Unique Features: The palace’s name, “Sheesh Mahal” (Palace of Mirrors), refers to its embellished interiors with mirror-work, though much of it has deteriorated over time.
• Cultural Significance: It is historically significant as the site of Aurangzeb’s first coronation in 1658.
  • Shalimar Bagh was originally called Aizzabad Garden, built in memory of Aizzun-Nisha Begum. 
  • The name “Shalimar” derived from ‘Shala’ and ‘Mara,’ means “abode of pleasure,” a term reportedly given by Shah Jahan himself.
• The surrounding Char Bagh-style garden (a four-part paradise garden)  divided by water channels was recreated by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to reflect the original layout.
• Use of Traditional Materials: Restoration involved traditional Mughal materials such as lime surkhi, lakhauri bricks, and organic binders like gud, belgiri, and urad dal ensuring historical authenticity.

Sierra Leone

Context: Nyangai Island in Sierra Leone’s Turtle Islands has lost two-thirds of its land in under a decade due to rising Atlantic sea levels.

About Sierra Leone

• Geographic Location: Sierra Leone with its capital at Freetown  is located in West Africa, bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
  • It lies in the Northern and Western Hemispheres of the Earth.
• Territorial Extent and Terrain: It spans 71,740 sq. km and features diverse landscapes including wooded hills, coastal mangrove swamps, river plains, and interior mountains like Mount Bintumani.
• Rivers: Major rivers such as the Rokel, Sewa, and Moa crisscross the country.
• Climate Vulnerability: Sierra Leone is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially sea level rise and coastal erosion, threatening over two million coastal residents.
• Cultural and Economic Importance of Islands: The Turtle and Plantain Islands have deep cultural significance and are centers for fishing, trade, and historical tourism, but now face imminent submersion.

Dark Web

Context: A Kerala-based engineer has been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for allegedly running a major drug operation through the dark web. 

• He was reportedly a “level-four darknet vendor”, and in possession of LSD blotters, ketamine, and cryptocurrency worth around ₹1 crore.

What is the Dark Web ? 

• A part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines and requires special software (like Tor) to access.
• Designed to keep online activity anonymous and private, which can serve both legal and illegal purposes.

Origin of the Dark Web

• The concept began in the 1990s, when the US Naval Research Laboratory developed The Onion Routing (Tor) to secure government communications.
• Tor works by encrypting internet traffic in multiple layers, similar to an onion, to hide user identity.

Legal and Ethical Use Cases

• Whistleblowers use it to share sensitive information without revealing their identity.
• Victims of abuse, political dissidents, and activists rely on it for secure communication.
• Journalists and human rights defenders use it to protect sources and ensure privacy.
• Citizens accessing uncensored information in authoritarian countries

Illegal Use Cases

• Trade in drugs, weapons, stolen data, pornographic material, and other illicit goods.
• Often used by cybercriminals due to its anonymous nature.

What is a Level-Four Vendor?

• Darknet marketplaces often use a reputation-based tier system to rate sellers.
• The grading of the vendor depends upon the potency of the drugs sold and “the customer service” offered.

Deep Web: Refers to all web content that is not indexed by search engines but accessible with a regular browser if the URL or login credentials are known.

Battery Passport

Context: India is set to introduce a “Battery Passport” system to enhance EV safety, ensure quality, and support global exports through traceable digital battery data.

What is a Battery Passport?

• Digital Identity for Batteries: A battery passport is a unique digital record embedded in a QR code, providing detailed data on a battery’s origin, composition, and performance.
• Lifecycle and Supply Chain Transparency: It offers end-to-end traceability of the battery lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to recycling helping verify the manufacturing year and vintage of cells.
• Global Best Practice Alignment: Similar to the European Unions’s Battery Regulation, battery passports aim to align India’s EV ecosystem with global quality, safety, and carbon reporting standards.

Significance of Battery Passport

• Ensures Safety and Quality: Following fire incidents in EVs, the passport system will help eliminate unsafe practices like mixing cells of different manufacturing years in a single battery.
• Boosts Consumer Trust and Informed Choices: Buyers can access real-time data about battery health, expected lifespan, and performance by scanning a QR code—enhancing consumer confidence in EV technology.
• Supports Battery Swapping and Recycling: Battery passports will be crucial to the upcoming battery swapping policy, enabling tracking, refurbishment, and safe disposal or reuse of EV batteries.
• Enhances EV Export Potential: With traceable, certified battery systems, Indian-made EVs will be more compliant with international standards, opening up greater opportunities in the global market.
• Encourages Accountability Across Stakeholders:  The system will involve data sharing by battery manufacturers, miners, recyclers, and automakers, promoting sustainable and transparent supply chains.

National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) Scheme

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment withheld provisional award letters for 66 NOS candidates due to fund constraints and sought additional allocation.

About National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) Scheme

• The scheme is a flagship initiative to promote social empowerment and economic inclusion by enabling students from marginalized communities in India to pursue postgraduate and doctoral studies at prestigious foreign universities.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Eligible Beneficiaries: The scheme benefits students from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Denotified Tribes, Semi-Nomadic and Nomadic Tribes, landless agricultural labourers, and traditional artisan families.
  • 30% of the awards for each year are earmarked for women candidates.
• Types of Courses Funded: The NOS scheme supports Master’s and Ph.D. programs in accredited foreign institutions across disciplines, including engineering, management, social sciences, and pure sciences.

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