Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 22.06.22

Q1. Consider the following statements   

1. The High Court judges now retire at 65 and the Supreme Court judges at 67   

2. CJI can request a retired judge of the SC or retired judge of the  HC to act as a judge of the SC for a temporary period   

Which of the above statements is/are correct?   

a. 1 only 

b. 2 only 

c. Both 1 and 2  

d. Neither 1 nor 2   

Answer (b)

Explanation:   

• The age of retirement of Supreme Court of India judges is to be increased to 67 years   

• It is high time that we did away with the disparity between the retirement ages of High Court and Supreme Court judges; High Court judges now retire at 62 and Supreme Court judges at 65.   

The need for age parity between the High court and the Supreme court judges:   

• The obvious negative fallout of a differential retirement age simply is intense pressure and competition to make it to the top court and thus get three more years.    

• If this is done away with, several judges of mettle would prefer to be Chief Justices and senior judges in the High Courts exercising wide power of influence rather than being a junior judge on a Bench of the Supreme Court.    

• There is good work to be done in the High Courts, and we need good men there.    Ad hoc Judges:   

• CJI can request a retired judge of the SC or retired judge of the HC to act as a judge of the SC for a temporary period.   

• He can take this step after getting consent from the President of India and also of the person to be so appointed.   

Q2. Which of the following state does not border Myanmar?   

a. Mizoram 

b. Manipur 

c. Arunachal Pradesh 

d. Tripura   

Answer (d)

Explanation:     

Q3.  Consider the following statements   

1. The Indian President is elected through an electoral college system, wherein the votes are cast by national and State-level lawmakers.   

2. The elections are conducted and overseen by the Election Commission (EC) of India.   

3. The electoral college is made up of all the elected and nominated members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament and the elected Members of the Legislative  Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs)   

Which of the above statements is/are correct?   

a. 1 and 2 only 

b. 1 and 3 only 

c. 2 only 

d. 1, 2 and 3   

Answer (a)

Explanation   

• The Indian President is elected through an electoral college system, wherein the votes are cast by national and State-level lawmakers.   

• The elections are conducted and overseen by the Election Commission (EC) of India.   

• The electoral college is made up of all the elected members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs), and the elected Members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs).   

Tribal woman leader is NDA pick for President        

• Droupadi Murmu, the former governor of Jharkhand, will be the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) nominee for the July 18 presidential election, and most likely be the next President of the Republic.    

• By picking Murmu, a woman and a tribal, the BJP has yet again walked the talk on inclusion and empowerment.   

• Murmu’s nomination is in line with the BJP’s efforts to establish itself with tribal communities. It also fits with the party’s strategy of focussing on women who have emerged as loyal and important vote banks.   

• The party’s recent victory in a clutch of state elections and in the 2019 general election is attributed to the support it gained from women, SCs, STs and the OBCs.   

• The need to keep women-centric issues at the core of the government’s decision-making was underlined by Modi after the BJP won the assembly elections held in February-March 2022 in Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand, where women voters were said to have voted decisively for the party.   

Q4. Which of the following are alternative dispute resolution methods?   

1. Mediation  

2. Conciliation 

3. Arbitration   

Select the correct answer from the codes given below   

a. 1 and 2 only 

b. 1 and 3 only 

c. 2 only 

d. 1, 2 and 3   

Answer (d)

Explanation   

Indian courts pro-arbitration: CJI   

• Indian courts not only have a pro-arbitration stance but also possess absolute independence and the constitutional strength to treat all parties, including foreign entities, equally and equitably, Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana said.   

• The CJI highlighted the role of arbitration in resolving disputes, pointing out that every investor looks forward to a destination which is socially and economically stable, along with a strong legal framework, to protect investments and resolve disputes   

• In the past two decades, India has followed the path of actively encouraging arbitration, mediation and other modes of alternative dispute resolution, justice Ramana said.       

Skewed access to arbitration:   

• International arbitration has some clear benefits over traditional litigation mechanisms since the latter provides a greater degree of autonomy to the parties, uniform laws, flexibility of procedure and lower cost.   

• The CJI regretted that international arbitration is presently mostly concentrated around the business centres of the developed world, such as Singapore, London, Paris and Stockholm.    

•This is despite the fact that most disputes are generated in the developing world. Due to a severe lack of resources and infrastructure, even parties from developing countries choose to resolve their disputes in these established resolution centres at severe cost to them.    

• One way to ensure such a balance, justice Ramana highlighted, is to establish modern institutional arbitration centres in other parts of the globe too. 

Q5. Consider the following statements    

1. The Guptas were the first to start the construction of temples in the entire Indian history   

2. They introduced the Nagara style of architecture   

Which of the above is/are correct?   

a. 1 only 

b. 2 only 

c. Both 1 and 2 

d. Neither 1 nor 2   

Answer (b)

Explanation:   

The Guptas were the first to start the construction of temples in North India. The Ikshvaku dynasty was the first to construct temples in the entire Indian history.    Guptas introduced the Nagara style of architecture. The Gupta temples are found at Gaya, Varanasi, Paharpur, Mathura and Deogarh. In the field of sculpture, the royal Boar (Rajavaraha) was the best specimen of Gupta sculpture found in Gupta temples.  Guptas continued the Ajanta cave painting tradition at Bagh caves (M.P).   

Q6. Consider the following statements    

1. European astronomy was unknown to Indian Astronomers till the end of the 6th century AD   

2. Aryabhatta said that the earth is spherical and calculated its radius   

Which of the above is/are incorrect?   

a. 1 only 

b. 2 only 

c. Both 1 and 2 

d. Neither 1 nor 2   

Answer (a)

Explanation:   

Varahamihirs Romaka Siddhanta and Pancha Siddhantika show his knowledge of European astronomy. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.   

Mathematics was particularly advanced, probably more so than anywhere in the world at the time. Indian numerals were later borrowed by the Arabs and introduced to Europe as Arabic numerals. The use of the cypher and the decimal system is confirmed by inscriptions. With advances in mathematics, there was comparable progress in astronomy. Aryabhata, writing in 499, calculated π (pi) to 3.1416 and the solar year to 365.3586… days and stated that the Earth was spherical and rotated on its axis. That European astronomy was also known is suggested by the 6thcentury astronomer Varahamihira, who mentions the Romaka Siddhanta (“School of Rome”) among the five major schools of astronomy.       

Aryabhatta   

Aryabhatta was the greatest astronomer and mathematician of the time. He was the first to measure the radius of the Earth, explain the shape of the Earth and also the formation of solar and lunar eclipses. He wrote the famous Surya Siddhanta and Aryabhatiyam.   

Varahamihira   

Varamihira was another great astronomer who introduced Romaka Siddhanta which became the basis for the lunar calendar. He also wrote the famous Brihatsamhita, Brihatjataka and  Panchasiddhanta.   

Varahamihira, also called Varaha or Mihira, (born 505, Ujjain, India—died 587, Ujjain), Indian philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, author of the Pancha-siddhantika (“Five Treatises”), a compendium of Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Indian astronomy.   

Varahamihira’s knowledge of Western astronomy was thorough. In five sections, his monumental work progresses through native Indian astronomy and culminates in two treatises on Western astronomy, showing calculations based on Greek and Alexandrian reckoning and even giving complete Ptolemaic mathematical charts and tables. But his greatest interest lay in astrology. He repeatedly emphasized its importance and wrote many treatises on shakuna (“augury”) as well as the Brihaj-jataka (“Great Birth”) and the Laghu-Jataka (“Short Birth”), two works on the casting of horoscopes.