Title: The Jallikattu Challenge
(Any effort at securing animal welfare will have to be grounded in our own rights as human beings)
What must the Supreme Court do when a community’s right to cultural freedom comes into conflict with values of the animal.
A group of cases which the Supreme Court referred on February 2 to a Constitution Bench for final determination shows us that resolving this perceived clash is far from straightforward.
• The issue before the Supreme Court arises out of Tamil Nadu’s amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA Act) made early last year amidst vociferous protests in the State.
• The amendment discharges the practice of jallikattu, which it defines with a sloppy lack of precision as “an event involving bulls conducted with a view to follow tradition and culture”, from the various rigours of the PCA Act.
• Part III of the Constitution, which lists the various fundamental rights, provides to persons different manners of guarantees, including in Article 14 a right to equality, and in Article 21 a right to life. These enumerated rights, however, do not explicitly recognise animals as persons.
• In 1960 the Union government brought into force the PCA Act, which criminalised several different types of actions resulting in cruelty to animals. But, far-reaching as the statute was for its time, it also defined a set of unpalatable exceptions.
• Given that the subject of preventing animal cruelty falls in the concurrent list of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, State governments possess an equal authority to determine what actions constitute cruelty to animals within their respective territories.
• It was on the basis of this power that the Tamil Nadu government legitimised jallikattu, by amending the PCA Act, and by exempting the practice entirely from the statute’s demands.
Way forward
The court can do one of two things:
• It can simply follow its decision in A. Nagaraja, and hold that animals too possess a right to live with dignity, and, therefore, enjoy a right to life under Article 21.
• Or, it could hold that this right under Article 21 includes within its ambit a larger freedom to live in a society free of animal cruelty.
• Title: Expanding horizons
• (India’s West Asia engagement must focus on strengthening its presence as an economic and security partner)
• While much focus is often given to India’s ‘Act East’ policy, India’s ‘Look West’ policy too is evolving rapidly. This is Mr. Modi’s fifth visit to West Asia in the last three and a half years and sustained high-level engagements have ensured that India’s voice is becoming an important one in a region that is witnessing major power rivalries playing out.
India - Palestine
• India signed six agreements worth around $50 million with the Palestinian Authority that include setting up of a super speciality hospital in Beit Sahur, a centre for empowering women, procurement of equipment and machinery for the National Printing Press and significant investment in the education section.
• Mr. Abbas also conferred the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’ on Mr. Modi in recognition of his key contribution in promoting ties between India and Palestine.
India - UAE
• Trade and economic ties are becoming central to the India-UAE relationship. A landmark pact awarding a consortium of Indian oil companies a 10% stake in offshore oil concession will be the first Indian investment in the UAE’s upstream oil sector.
• There was also an MoU aimed at institutionalising the collaborative administration of contractual employment of Indian workers.
• There is also growing convergence between the two countries on tackling terrorism.
India – Oman
• With the Indian Ocean becoming a priority focus area for New Delhi, Oman’s significance is likely to grow.
• India is likely to step up its military presence in Oman.
• Enhancing cooperation in the field of health, tourism and peaceful uses of outer space.
State of the day: TRIPURA
• Chief Minister = Manik Sarkar
• Folk Dance = Gharia , Hoza giri, Bizu
• State Flower = Nageshwar
• Rivers = Longai , Juri, Deo, etc
• State Bird = Green Imperial pigeon
• Literacy rate = With 94.65% literacy rate, Tripura is the most literate state in India
Vocabulary
Vociferous (adj) = Expressing or characterized by forceful opinion (शोरगुल करने वाला)
Sloppy (adj) = Careless, unsystematic, excessively casual
Rigour (noun) = The quality of being extremely thorough and careful, stiffness (कठोरता)
Slew (noun) = A violent or uncontrolled sliding movement
Dilute (verb) = Make thinner or weaker (मन्द करना)
Impinge (verb) = Having an effect, especially a negative one (ठोकर खाना)
Enumerate (verb) = Mention one by one (प्रगणित)
Explicitly (adv) = In a clear and detailed manner (स्पष्ट रूप से)
Vociferous (adj) = Expressing or characterized by forceful opinion (शोरगुल करने वाला)
Sloppy (adj) = Careless, unsystematic, excessively casual
Rigour (noun) = The quality of being extremely thorough and careful, stiffness (कठोरता)
Slew (noun) = A violent or uncontrolled sliding movement
Dilute (verb) = Make thinner or weaker (मन्द करना)
Impinge (verb) = Having an effect, especially a negative one (ठोकर खाना)
Enumerate (verb) = Mention one by one (प्रगणित)
Explicitly (adv) = In a clear and detailed manner (स्पष्ट रूप से)
Unconscionable (adj) = Unethical, immoral (अनुचित)
Beseech (verb) = Implore, beg (प्रार्थना करना)
Statute (noun) = A written law passed by a legislative body (क़ानून)
Purportedly (adv) = As appears or is stated to be true (कथित रूप से)
Unpalatable (adj) = Unappealing, disagreeable (कड़ा)
Sanctity (noun) = Holiness, goodness (पवित्रता)
Palpably (adv) = Noticeably, clearly
Incongruous (adj) = Inappropriate, unsuitable (बेमेल)
Unravel (verb) = Untie, undo (सुलझाना)
Conundrum (noun) = Riddle, puzzle (पहेली)
Implausible (adj) = Unlikely, improbable (अकल्पनीय)
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