Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 11.04.22

Q1. The “Rarest of the rare” doctrine is related to the

a. Convicted politicians
b. Terrorism related offences
c. Contradiction between union and concurrent list
d. Capital punishment

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

SC underscores the need for a holistic picture of convicts facing the death penalty
1. A man condemned to death for the brutal gang rape of a seven-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh has turned the spotlight on a question that has haunted trial judges — do they really know the person they send to the gallows?
2. For decades, sentencing hearings have covered only basic details such as the convict’s immediate family structure, educational qualifications and work before the arrest.
3. No effort was made to consider information pivotal for mitigation such as adverse childhood experiences, multigenerational history of physical and mental health issues,exposure to traumatic events and other familial, social and cultural factors crucial to undertaking an individualised sentencing enquiry.

Mitigation investigator
1. However, a Supreme Court Bench, led by Justice U.U. Lalit has taken on record an extensive investigation undertaken by C.P. Shruthi, a “mitigation investigator” at Project 39A of the National Law University, Delhi.
2. Ms Shruthi’s interviews with a cross-section of people from Irfan’s past — from his school teachers, friends and family members — revealed his early exposure to dire poverty, structural exclusion and work in an adult environment at a very young age. Her investigation brought to light the fact that Irfan had witnessed “multiple traumatic events in the immediate family and the community”.
3. These details, which were not examined by the trial judge before sentencing Irfan to death, have led the Supreme Court to consider the role of mitigating investigators, who are professionals qualified in social work, sociology, anthropology, criminology, psychology and other social sciences, in uncovering mitigating circumstances which would help courts determine the punishment
4. “Every circumstance which has the potential of being a mitigating circumstance, while considering whether the death sentence is imposed or not, must necessarily be considered by the court,” Justice Lalit, heading a three-judge Bench, noted in the order.
5. Though death is seen as a fit punishment in only the rarest of rare cases, even in those cases, the courts should be well informed about the person they are considering sentencing to death.
Purpose of mitigating factors:
1. In a separate note to the Supreme Court, the petitioner wrote that mitigatory factors were not meant to justify the offence.
2. Instead, they draw a complete picture of the prisoner, which is not limited to pre-natal details, formative years, developmental history, educational history, occupational history, trauma, access to nutrition, shelter, care, intergenerational history of physical and mental health and so on. It would also encompass the prisoner’s conduct in jail, appreciation of the wrongfulness of his act, cognition, and emotional and psychological state.

Q2. Which of the following states has the longest coastline in India?

a. Gujarat
b. Maharashtra
c. Andhra Pradesh
d. Tamil Nadu

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Bengal coast faces the most erosion
1. The Ministry of Earth Sciences informed the Lok Sabha that of the 6,907.18-km-long coastline of the Indian mainland, about 34% is under varying degrees of erosion, while 26% is of an accretional nature and the remaining 40% is in a stable state.
2. Another organisation under the Ministry, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has prepared and published an atlas of Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) maps for the entire coastline of India.

Policy on displacement

1. The Ministry stated that the 15th Finance Commission had recommended the creation of a National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) comprising a mitigation fund at the national and State levels (NDMF/SDMF), and a response fund at the national and state levels for the award period from 2021-22 to 2022-26.
2. The Commission has also made specific recommendations for ‘Mitigation Measures to Prevent Erosion’ under NDMF and ‘Resettlement of Displaced People Affected by Erosion’ under NDRF,” the response pointed out.

Q3. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?

Select the correct answer using the code given below

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

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Due to the popularity of Buddhism and Jainism, stupas and viharas were constructed on a large scale. However, there are also examples of a few Brahmanical gods in the sculptural representations. It is important to note that the stupas were constructed over the relics of the Buddha at Rajagriha, Vaishali, Vethadipa and Pava in Bihar, Kapilavastu, Allakappa and Ramagrama in Nepal, Kushinagar and Pippalvina in Uttar Pradesh. The textual tradition also mentions the construction of various other stupas on the relics of the Buddha at several places including Avanti and Gandhara which are outside the Gangetic valley.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Afghan ruler Sultan Muhammad Ghori

1. He was defeated by Chahamana ruler Prithviraj III in 1191
2. He entrusted Al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent
3. Al-Biruni wrote a famous Arabic work known as the Kitab ulHind.

Which of the above is/are correct?

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

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

1. In the Ancient/Medieval period rulers also tried to demonstrate their power and resources by building large temples. So, when they attacked one another’s kingdoms, they often chose to target temples, which were sometimes extremely rich.
2. One such ruler is Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, Afghanistan. He ruled from 997 to 1030 and extended control over parts of Central Asia, Iran and the north-western part of the subcontinent. He raided the subcontinent almost every year – his targets were wealthy temples, including that of Somnath, Gujarat. Much of the wealth Mahmud carried away was used in creating a splendid capital city at Ghazni.
3. Sultan Mahmud was also interested in finding out more about the people he conquered and entrusted a scholar named AlBiruni to write an account of the subcontinent. It was Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni who entrusted Al-Biruni to write on Subcontinent, not Sultan Muhammad Ghori. Hence, statement 2 is wrong. This Arabic work, known as the Kitab ulHind, remains an important source for historians. Hence, statement 3 is correct. He consulted Sanskrit scholars to prepare this account.
4. Other kings who engaged in warfare included the Chahamanas, later known as the Chauhans, who ruled over the region around Delhi and Ajmer. They attempted to expand their control to the west and the east, where they were opposed by the Chalukyas of Gujarat and the Gahadavalas of western Uttar Pradesh. The best-known Chahamana ruler was Prithviraj III (1168-1192), who defeated an Afghan ruler named Sultan Muhammad Ghori in 1191, but lost to him the very next year, in 1192. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

Q5. Warfare for wealth was common in the medieval period. Though ruling dynasties were based in a specific region, they tried to control other areas. One particularly prized area was the city of Kanauj in the Ganga valley.
Which of the following dynasties were party to the “tripartite struggle” for the Kanauj between the seventh and twelfth centuries?

1. Gurjara-Pratihara
2. Rashtrakutas
3. Chahamanas
4. Palas
5. Cholas

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 1, 2 and 5
c. 1, 2 and 4
d. 1, 4 and 5

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Warfare for wealth was common in the medieval period. Each of the ruling dynasties was based in a specific region. At the same time, they tried to control other areas. One particularly prized area was the city of Kanauj in the Ganga valley. For centuries, rulers belonging to the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakutas and Palas dynasties fought for control over Kanauj. Because there were three “parties” in this long-drawn conflict, historians often describe it as the “tripartite struggle”.