Daily Current Affairs October 21, 2024

1. DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 21 October, 2024 Mains - General Studies I - Polity and Governance Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 Context Recently, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. Mains Question 1. Discuss the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, which upheld ion 6A of the Citizenship Act of 1955. Discuss the significance of the judgments and ‘questions’ left unanswered by the court. Approach 1. Introduce briefly the recent judgment and section 6A of the Citizenship Act. 2. Discuss the valid argument provided by the court pertaining to the judgment. 3. Discuss the question of ‘illegal Migrants’ post-1971 and the cutoff date as provided by the court. 4. Conclude with the principle of ‘fraternity’ as underlined in the judgment and its impact on pending cases pertaining to citizenship. About ● The constitution bench of the Supreme Court of India delivered a 4:1 majority judgment upholding the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act which provides for citizenship of migrants from Bangladesh who arrived in India before January 1, 1966. ● The judgment of the Supreme Court is based on the value of ‘Fraternity’ enshrined in the Indian constitution. Section 6A of the Citizenship Act,1955 ● Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, of 1955 traces its roots to the political solution of the Assam Accord of 1985. ● This section permits immigrants from Bangladesh residing in Assam to secure Indian cit- izenship. ● Before 1966: It says that people from Bangladesh who arrived in Assam before January 1, 1966, would be considered Indian citizens. ● Between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971: The migrants who arrived during this 3rd Floor, 36 Pusa Road, Above Kalyan Jewellers, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 +91 96676 61547, +91 96676 68174 www.avadhojhaclasses.com

2. period would be conferred citizenship based on the fulfilment of specific procedures and period would be conferred citizenship based on the fulfilment of specific procedures and conditions. ● After March 1971: Section 6A of the Citizenship Act has barred citizenship to those who entered Assam after March 25, 1971. Supreme Court’s Judgement ● The Supreme Court, while upholding the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, opined that Section 6A was a valid piece of legislation aligned to the preambular value of fraternity. Principle of Fraternity Can’t Be Selective ● The apex court opined that the principle of fraternity cannot be selectively applied to one section living in Assam while another lot is labelled “illegal immigrants”. ● The comment indicated that people (migrants) belonging to different ethnic domains (Bengali and Assamese) reside in Assam. Live and Let Live ● The Supreme Court also opined that fraternity required people of different backgrounds and social circumstances to ‘live and let live’. Do Not Violate Article 29 ● The petitioner argued that Article 29(1) of the Constitution guarantees citizens the fundamental right to conserve the “distinct language, script or culture of its own”. ● People from Bangladesh have a distinct culture. Hence, conferring citizenship to migrants 3rd Floor, 36 Pusa Road, Above Kalyan Jewellers, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 +91 96676 61547, +91 96676 68174 www.avadhojhaclasses.com

3. from Bangladesh increases the Bengali population and affects the “culture of the Assamese from Bangladesh increases the Bengali population and affects the “culture of the Assamese population”. ● The court rejected the claim of the petitioners that Section 6A is violative of Article 29. ● The Court stated that it is bound by the principles of fraternity. Hence, it will not disenfranchise the citizenship of millions to safeguard the endogamous way of life of a particular community. Significance of the Supreme Court’s Judgement Impact On Other Pending Cases ● The judgment will impact other cases such as the challenge to the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act. The Act introduced a new Section 6B in the Citizenship Act of 1955. ● It seeks to grant citizenship to a class of migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities but restricts its scope to the Muslim community who entered India before December 31, 2014, from three neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. ● The principles of ‘Fraternity is not selective’ as opined by the court will be applied here too. ● Further, the CAA has restricted its scope to tribal areas covered in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Question of Cut-Off Date ● The cutoff date in Assam, according to Section 6A of the act, has been kept at March 25, 1971, while Section 6B, as introduced by CAA, 2019, is December 31, 2014. ● Now, the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of section 6A. Hence, the court will have to decide on the citizenship of people who have entered Assam after 1971 and got citizenship through CAA in 2019. Question of Migrants Post 1971 ● Although the apex court approved the cut-off date to be 1971, it still has not decided to clarify the immigrants who entered Assam in the last five decades. Conclusion Although the judgment of the Supreme Court has settled the matter of section 6A of the Indian question, it has further put some important opinions pertaining to the principle of ‘Fraternity’ as enshrined in the constitution which can affect the CAA, 2019 verdicts in future. Further, it has not provided a solution for ‘Illegal Migrants’ who entered Assam after 1971. Sources: The Hindu, The Indian Express 3rd Floor, 36 Pusa Road, Above Kalyan Jewellers, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 +91 96676 61547, +91 96676 68174 www.avadhojhaclasses.com

4. Prelims - General Studies II - International Relations First Ever Rupee denominated Line of Credit under IDEAS Context Recently, India extended the first-ever rupee-denominated Line of Credit under IDEAS. About ● India extended a new Line of Credit for 487.60 crore rupees to the Mauritius government for financing a water pipeline replacement project. ● This financing is the first-ever rupee-denominated Line of Credit which has been extended by India for project financing to any country under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS). ● It envisages the replacement of approximately 100 kilometres of obsolete water pipeline in Mauritius. ● This Line of Credit will be financed by the State Bank of India at concessional terms. What is a ‘Line of Credit’? ● A line of credit (LOC) is a preset borrowing limit which is offered by banks and financial institutions to their personal and business customers. In this context, the line of credit has been backed by a sovereign nation and provided by a bank. ● A borrower can access funds from the LOC at any time as long as they do not exceed the maximum amount (or credit limit) set in the agreement. Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) ● This initiative supports developmental projects in partner countries through concessional loans. ● Nodal Agency: Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance Objective ● To finance developmental projects in countries of Asia (Excluding Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan) Africa, CIS region and Latin American region by providing a ‘Line of Credit’. ● ‘Government to Government’ (G to G) credit lines are provided under the scheme as the credit agreements were signed between GOI and the Government of the recipient country. Sources: All India Radio, Department of Economic Affairs , Invetopedia 3rd Floor, 36 Pusa Road, Above Kalyan Jewellers, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 +91 96676 61547, +91 96676 68174 www.avadhojhaclasses.com