Daily Current Affairs- 22nd March 2025

Daily Current Affairs 22nd March 2025

Supreme Court confirms cash found at Delhi HC Judge Yashwant Varma’s residence during fire

In the News: On March 14, 2025, a fire broke out at the official residence of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma, leading to the discovery of semi-burnt stacks of cash. Firefighters found these wads of currency in plastic bags while extinguishing the blaze. 

Supreme Court's Actions:

• Public Disclosure: The Supreme Court released an internal inquiry report by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, accompanied by videos and photographs showing the burnt cash.
• Inquiry Committee Formation: Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to investigate the incident, comprising:
  • Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court
  • Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court
  • Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the Karnataka High Court
  • Judicial Duties: Justice Varma has been temporarily relieved from judicial responsibilities pending the investigation's outcome.
  • Justice Varma's Response: Justice Varma has denied any connection to the cash found, suggesting a possible conspiracy against him. He highlighted that the storeroom where the cash was discovered is separate from his family's living quarters and accessible to staff and maintenance personnel.
  • Ongoing Investigation: The Supreme Court's inquiry committee is actively investigating the incident to determine the origin of the cash and the circumstances surrounding its discovery. Justice Varma has been instructed to preserve all relevant data, including call logs and messages, to assist in the investigation. 

DMK Hosts Multi-State Meeting to Oppose Population-Based Delimitation

In the News: On March 22, 2025, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin hosted the first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting in Chennai to address concerns over the impending parliamentary delimitation exercise, which could potentially reduce representation for states that have successfully implemented population control measures.

• Participants: Chief Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala), A. Revanth Reddy (Telangana), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar attended the meeting. Representatives from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were also present.
• Resolutions Adopted: The JAC called for a 25-year extension of the current freeze on delimitation to prevent penalizing states that have effectively controlled their populations.
• A demand for greater transparency in the delimitation process, ensuring that all stakeholders, including state governments and political parties, can participate in discussions.
• Concerns Raised: Leaders expressed fears that the proposed delimitation, based on the 2011 census, could disproportionately favour states with higher population growth, undermining the principles of federalism and equitable representation.
• Opposition's Stance: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the meeting as a diversion from pressing governance issues. Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai labelled it a "political drama" aimed at diverting attention from corruption and inter-state disputes.
• Future Actions: The JAC plans to submit a joint representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the current Parliament session, advocating for fair delimitation practices.

 Extension of the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) Scheme till March 2026

In the News: The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) Scheme until March 31, 2026, aiming to expedite the judicial process for cases related to rape and offenses under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

• Scheme Overview: Launched on October 2, 2019, the FTSCs are centrally sponsored courts established to ensure swift justice in cases of sexual offenses.
• Financial Allocation: The extension involves a financial outlay of ₹1,952.23 crore, with ₹1,207.24 crore as the central share, sourced from the Nirbhaya Fund.
• Operational Status: As of December 31, 2024, 747 FTSCs, including 406 exclusive POCSO courts, are functional across 30 States and Union Territories. These courts have collectively disposed of approximately 3,00,000 cases of rape and POCSO Act offenses.
• Funding Pattern:
• The scheme operates on a cost-sharing basis:
  • 60:40 ratio between the Central and State governments.
  • 90:10 ratio for Northeastern and hilly states.
  • Union Territories with legislatures follow a 60:40 ratio, while those without legislatures receive full central funding.
• Challenges: Despite the target to establish 1,023 FTSCs by March 2021, only 747 are currently operational, indicating a shortfall due to factors like lack of interest from states and shortage of judges.
• Impact: FTSCs have achieved a disposal rate of 96.28%, significantly reducing the backlog of sexual offense cases and ensuring timely justice for survivors

Point Action Plan for Addressing Issues with IBC

In the News: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by BJP MP Jayant Sinha, has submitted a report recommending significant reforms to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. The aim is to make the IBC framework faster, more efficient, and better aligned with evolving financial markets and creditor interests.

• Identified Challenges: Conflicts of interest among stakeholders, Lack of transparency in resolution processes, Delays in case resolutions, Weak monitoring of resolution professionals, Limited representation of operational creditors in the Committee of Creditors (CoC). 
• Proposed Four-Point Action Plan:
  • Direct Submission System: Establish a central online portal for submitting resolution plans to ensure confidentiality and fairness.
  • Enhancing Resolution Professionals' Role: Implement rigorous certification, specialized training, and independent performance reviews for resolution professionals to ensure accountability.
  • Transparent Monitoring of Timelines: Introduce a structured mechanism to track the duration of insolvency cases, aiding in identifying delays and inefficiencies.
  • Review of CoC Structure: Reassess the CoC's composition to enhance operational creditors' representation, ensuring a more equitable resolution process.

 West Bengal OBC List Controversy

In the News: The West Bengal government has informed the Supreme Court of its plan to conduct a fresh survey to reassess the inclusion of communities in the state's Other Backward Classes (OBC) list. 

Background:

• 2010 Inclusion: Between 2010 and 2012, the West Bengal government added 77 communities to its OBC list, 75 of which were Muslim communities.
• Legal Challenge: This inclusion faced criticism and legal challenges, with allegations of political appeasement and improper criteria for OBC classification.
• Calcutta High Court Ruling: The Calcutta High Court in May 2024 struck down the OBC status of several castes, stating that "religion indeed appears to have been the sole criterion for declaring these communities as OBCs."
• Cancellation of Certificates: The court invalidated all OBC certificates issued since 2010, affecting approximately 5 lakh certificates.
• Supreme Court Proceedings: The West Bengal government appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision.
• Fresh Survey Commitment: On March 18, 2025, the state informed the Supreme Court of its intention to conduct a fresh survey to reassess community backwardness for OBC categorization and reservation, aiming to complete it within three months.

Current Status: The state government is set to initiate the fresh survey to identify genuine OBC communities, ensuring compliance with constitutional principles and addressing concerns raised by the judiciary. 

2030 Global Forest Vision Report

In the News: The "2030 Global Forest Vision: Priority Actions for Governments in 2025" report was released on March 19, 2025, by the Forest Declaration Assessment, ahead of World Forest Day (March 21).

• Global Forest Loss: In 2023, the world lost approximately 6.37 million hectares of forests, posing significant threats to global climate and biodiversity goals.

Priority Actions for Governments:

• Integrate Forest Goals: Incorporate forest conservation and restoration targets into national climate plans and policies.
• Strengthen Trade Policies: Implement regulations to ban imports of products linked to deforestation, following examples like the European Union's Deforestation Regulation.
• Enhance International Cooperation: Expand deforestation-free trade policies to major economies, including China and India, and provide financial and technical assistance to developing nations for sustainable practices.
• Invest in Monitoring Systems: Develop advanced systems to track supply chains and reduce deforestation effectively.
• Financial System Reforms: The report emphasizes the need for major reforms in the global financial system to stop incentivizing forest destruction and to recognize the economic costs of forest loss.
• International Pledges: Despite commitments by over 140 countries to end deforestation by 2030, recent data indicates that deforestation rates have surged, highlighting the urgency for actionable measures. 

Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla becomes first from Chhattisgarh to win ‘Jnanpith Award’

In the News: Eminent Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla has been selected for the 59th Jnanpith Award, becoming the first author from Chhattisgarh to receive this prestigious literary honor.

• Award Significance: The Jnanpith Award is India's highest literary accolade, presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to authors for their outstanding contributions to literature.
• It includes a cash prize of ₹11 lakh, a bronze statue of Saraswati (the Hindu goddess of learning), and a citation.
• Vinod Kumar Shukla's Profile: Born on January 1, 1937, in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, Shukla is renowned for his poetry, short stories, and novels.
• His notable works include:
  • Naukar Ki Kameez (The Servant's Shirt)
  • Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi (A Window Lived in a Wall), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999.
• Selection Committee's Statement: The award recognizes Shukla's outstanding contribution to Hindi literature, his creativity, and distinctive writing style.