Today's class recording - youtu.be/p_Z6G4uGKEM

Important for Mains - GS 3 (Inclusive Development, Poverty), Essay

👉 India is now the fourth ‘most equal’ country globally, says World Bank report.
✅ Key findings:
🔹Inequality in India has significantly reduced between 2011-12 and 2022-23.
🔹India’s Gini Index score is 25.5, ranking it fourth globally for equality after Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Belarus.
🔹Extreme poverty in India dropped from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23.

📌 What is Santhara / Sallekhana?

- An age-old Jain religious practice where a person voluntarily undertakes gradual fasting unto death to purge karma and attain spiritual purity.
- It is considered a ritual of renunciation.
- The ritual can only be performed under the guidance of a monk and after a process called Sallekhana (certification).

📌 Legal challenges

In 2015, the Rajasthan High Court declared Santhara illegal:
- Ruled it a form of suicide and thus punishable under Section 309 IPC (attempt to commit suicide) and Section 306 IPC (abetment of suicide).
- Later, the Supreme Court stayed the Rajasthan High Court judgment (important judicial development).
Now, a petition in Madhya Pradesh High Court seeks:
- A ban on Santhara for minors.
- Legal action against those aiding the practice in minors.

Santhara / Sallekhana Debate

📌 Arguments in favour
- Santhara is not suicide but spiritual self-purification.
- It is seen as part of the Jain principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and non-attachment.
- Community members view attempts to ban Santhara as an attack on religious freedom (Article 25 of Constitution).

📌 Opposing arguments
- Santhara, especially in the case of minors, amounts to child abuse or forced suicide.
- The practice may be misused under the guise of religion.

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Return period & Frequency of occurrence
Relevance - Disaster Management (GS 3)

👉 A return period, also known as a recurrence interval or repeat interval, is an average time or an estimated average time between events such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, or river discharge flows to occur. The reciprocal value of return period is called the frequency of occurrence.

One Page Mains Notes -
19. Anoop Baranwal v Union of India case
20. Challenge of China-Pakistan Collusion
21. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): A Strategic Challenge for India

Meghalaya - Social Audit Success Story For GS 2

For more success stories, mains mnemonics , short notes - https://amzn.to/40Ie0n9

🏛️ M.S. Gill Case (1977)

📌 Background:
In 1977, violence broke out during elections in Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab.
- The Election Commission (EC) cancelled the election and ordered a fresh poll.
- This decision was challenged in the Supreme Court.

🔍 What the Supreme Court said:
1. Election Commission is powerful, but not above the law
- The Constitution (Article 324) gives EC the power to manage elections.
- But the EC cannot do whatever it wants.
- It is not a law by itself.

2. Court can stop EC if it misuses power
- If the EC uses its power unfairly or wrongly, the Supreme Court can cancel that action.

3. EC must be fair and follow rules
- The EC must work with honesty, fairness, and responsibility.
- It cannot take random or unfair decisions.

4. Free and fair elections are a must
- Every Indian has the right to vote in fair elections.
- EC must ensure that this basic right is protected.

5. EC's powers explained
- Article 324 allows EC to supervise, direct, and control the entire election process.
- But these powers should not turn the EC into a dictator.

6. Broad terms need limits
Words like “conduct of elections” and “control” are broad.
- EC can’t use these words to justify any action it wants.
- Judges warned against misuse of such powers.

✅ Why this Case is Important:
- It sets limits on EC’s power.
- It says EC must always be fair, legal, and accountable.
- It helps protect the right to vote for all citizens.

I am conducting the next session of Manthan Mains Answer Writing tomorrow morning at 10 AM.
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Internal Security Topics List & PYQs Analysis