Current Affairs 01,02.11.2022

Current Affairs 01,02.11.2022

1. Uttar Pradesh has the fourth tiger reserve and the 53rd tiger reserve in India. The area of ​​the Tiger Reserve is 529.36 sq. km. Of these, the core area is 230.32 sq km and the buffer area is 299.05 sq km. Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav confirmed this. Durgavati Tiger Reserve has been approved by the Wildlife Board as a new Tiger Reserve

Ranipur Tiger Reserve in UP has become the 53rd Tiger Reserve in India. Uttar Pradesh has three tiger reserves namely Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Amangarh along with Ranipur.

The Uttar Pradesh government on 28 September 2022 approved the development of the state's first tiger reserve in the Bundelkhand region.UP Government has also passed notification of Ranipur Wildlife Preservation Act 1973.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also decided to set up the Ranipur Tiger Conservation Foundation along with the necessary posts.

Ranipur Tiger Reserve is covered with north tropical dry deciduous forests and is home to megafauna tiger, leopard, bear, spotted deer, sambar and chinkara.

According to the state government, the creation of a tiger reserve in Ranipur will open up eco-tourism in the region and create enormous employment opportunities.

2. The Supreme Court on October 31 reaffirmed the ban on the two-finger test in rape cases. It warned that people using such tests could be considered guilty of malpractice. A bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli lamented the use of such a method of testing even today, saying the test was based on a patriarchal mindset that sexually active women should not be raped.

This court has repeatedly rejected the use of the two-finger test in rape and sexual assault cases. There is no scientific basis for this. It instead re-victimizes and re-traumatizes women. Two finger test should not be conducted. The test was based on the false assumption that a sexually active woman should not be raped. The bench directed the Union Health Ministry to ensure that survivors of sexual harassment and rape are not subjected to the two-finger test.

The apex court made these comments while deciding on an appeal filed against the judgment of the Telangana High Court quashing the sentence recorded by the trial court in the rape case.

What is two finger test:

Each vaginal or two-finger exam is clearly an inappropriate physical exam. In this a doctor inserts two fingers inside the rape victim's vagina to check if the hymen is intact. It examines the weakness of the vaginal muscles to determine whether the woman is engaged in sexual intercourse. This is proof of virginity. In some cases this is done by checking the size of the vaginal opening and for tears in the hymen.

Previous judgment of SC:

In May 2013, the Supreme Court banned the two-finger test, saying it violated the right to privacy of rape victims. The court asked the government to provide better medical procedures to diagnose sexual harassment.

In 2018, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, UN Women and the World Health Organization called for a ban on the two-finger test to eliminate violence against women. They declared it a medically unnecessary often painful, humiliating and painful practice.

However, the two-finger test continues to be practiced in some cases. In 2018, an Indian Air Force officer at the Coimbatore Air Force Administrative College accused her of raping her batchmate and allegedly subjected her to the banned two-finger test to confirm sexual harassment.

3. State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi has announced that the Cabinet has decided to set up a committee for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state as Gujarat goes to the assembly polls and awaits the release of the election schedule.

After Uttarakhand, Gujarat is the BJP-ruled state to set up an expert committee on UCC. The Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh and Assam also supported the UCC proposal.

Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala said that since the days of our youth we have been demanding for Ram Janmabhoomi. Demanding UCC for abrogation of Article 370. I congratulate and thank Chief Minister Bhupendra Pate. He took the next step towards fulfilling the BJP's old demand. Like Ram Mandir and Kashmir this issue was approved by UCC Gujarat Government in Cabinet. Soon a committee will be set up and based on the report of the committee the way will be opened in the state of Gujarat to implement this Act.

A committee will be formed headed by a retired judge of the High Court. The Cabinet has given the right to constitute the committee to the Chief Minister and it will consist of three to four members. Its scope of work is also determined.

Family and succession laws fall under the joint jurisdiction of the Center and the states so the state government can bring in a state law. Earlier this month, the Center had told the Supreme Court that the matter will now be taken up before the 22nd Law Commission.

Responding to petitions seeking uniformity in laws governing matters such as divorce, inheritance, adoption and guardianship, the Center asserted in an affidavit that the Constitution binds the state to have a uniform civil code for citizens. It said that citizens belonging to different religions and tribes follow different property and marriage laws as an affront to the unity of the country.

The government also told the Supreme Court that it cannot issue any directive to the legislature to enact a specific law. Its affidavit said it is for the Legislature to make a law or not.

Article 44 of the Constitution in Part IV dealing with Directive Principles of State Policy states that the State endeavors to provide a uniform civil code to the citizens throughout the territory of India.

Goa is the only state in India with a uniform civil code irrespective of religion, gender and caste. A former Portuguese colony it inherited the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, which is still applicable in the state even after its accession to the Indian Union in 1961.

Different personal laws apply to different religious communities in other parts of the country.

The Hindu Marriage Act 1955 relating to Hindus,Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. The Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act 1936 relating to Parsis. The Indian Christian Marriage Act 1872 applies to Christians and the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1937 applies to Muslims in personal matters.