Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 02.03.22

Q1. Which of the following countries border with Ukraine?

1. Belarus
2. Poland
3. Romania
4. Hungary

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 3 and 4 only
c. 2, 3 and 4
d. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Q2. Consider the following statements with regard to Nonalignment movement (NAM)

1. It was formally started after the end of cold war
2. India is founding member of the NAM

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

Why is the Question ?

Q3. Which of the following defence equipment/weapons/aircrafts and platforms are being imported by India from Russia?

1. S-400
2. AK-203
3. Apache Helicopter

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Doubts over defence supplies to India
With tensions escalating between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis, India, which has major defence cooperation with Moscow and Kyiv, faces uncertainty over timely deliveries in the near future in addition to the lingering threat of the U.S. sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) over the S-400 deal.

Highlights:
1. In the past, tensions between Russia and Ukraine had considerably delayed the modernisation of the An-32 transport fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
2. It is too early to say at the moment, but there could be delays in deliveries from Russia both due to their own domestic commitments as well the sanctions imposed by the West.
3. The current crisis could also complicate the CAATSA waiver India is looking for from the U.S. administration, two officials independently said. While the S-400 deliveries began in December and are underway, clarity on the timely completion was awaited.
4. With the current offensive, the Russian defence industry may be preoccupied to supply to their own forces, a military officer observed, adding that they hoped it would be able to ensure timely deliveries.
5. Several observers termed the severance of links and economic sanctions by the West on Russia “unprecedented.” In this backdrop, India requires a functioning supply chain relationship with Russia for spares and support, which is critical for its military.
Traditional supplier
1. While Russia has been a traditional military supplier sharing platforms and technologies that others would not,the cooperation has further deepened in recent years. The defence trade between the two countries has crossed $15 billion since 2018.
2. Even today, over 60% of Indian military inventory is of Russian origin, especially with respect to fighter jets, tanks, helicopters and submarines among others, while several deals are in the pipeline.
3. For instance, in December, India and Russia signed a ₹5,000-crore deal for 6.1 lakh AK-203 assault rifles to be manufactured jointly in Uttar Pradesh.
4. In addition, Russia is manufacturing two stealth frigates for the Navy. They are to be delivered next year onwards, while another two are being manufactured by the Goa Shipyard Limited under technology transfer.

Q4. The “Rarest of the rare” doctrine is linked to

a. Crimes against Women
b. Terror offences
c. Financial frauds
d. Death penalty

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

SC enforces a landmark ruling on the death penalty
More than four decades after a landmark ruling on death sentence cases, a bench in the Supreme Court has made the psychological evaluation of the condemned prisoner mandatory, along with seeking a report on the inmate’s conduct at the time of examining whether the gallows remains the only fitting punishment.

Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab (1980)
1. The measure has been adopted by a bench, headed by Justice Uday U Lalit, which took recourse to the spirit of the Supreme Court’s verdict in Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab (1980).
2. This verdict established the doctrine of “rarest of rare” crime in handing down capital punishment while mandating a comparative analysis of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in connection to the accused.
3. Taking a cue from the Bachan Singh verdict, justice Lalit, in a series of death sentences cases, has recently held that “complete assistance” to the court in such matters would necessitate the production of not just the evidence in the case but also the latest state of the mental health of the prisoner.
4. The Bachan Singh case laid down that a court must scrutinise both the crime as well as the criminal, and then decide whether the death penalty is the only suitable punishment in the facts of the case.
5. Emphasis is to be also laid on the aggravating and mitigating factors which are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of the case, it held.
The aggravating and mitigating factors:
1. In Machi Singh vs State of Punjab (1983), the Supreme Court elucidated the doctrine of “rarest of rare” and set down some guiding principles in the death sentences cases.
2. The aggravating circumstances included the manner in which the crime was committed, the motive for committing the crime, the severity of the crime, and the victim of the crime. The mitigating circumstances comprised of the possibility of reformation and rehabilitation of an accused, his mental health and his antecedents.
3. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that unexplained delay in execution was a ground for commutation of the death penalty, and an inmate, his or her kin, or even a publicspirited citizen, could file a writ petition seeking such commutation.
4. It held that prolonging the execution of the death sentence has a “dehumanising effect” on condemned prisoners who have to face the agony of waiting for years under the shadow of death during the pendency of their mercy plea.

5. In the same year, a Constitution bench also held that a review petition by a death-row convict will be heard by a three-judge bench in open court. Such cases were earlier being considered by two-judge benches in the judges’ chamber without any oral arguments.