P-8I Aircraft

• P-8I Poseidon is a long-range, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft being manufactured by Boeing (a U.S. aerospace company) for the Indian Navy. 
• It replaced the ageing fleet of the Indian Navy’s Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft.
• The P-8I Poseidon flown by the Indian Navy is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon used by the United States Navy.
• Its advanced sensors, weapons systems, and long-range capabilities enable it to detect and respond to a wide range of threats, from submarines and surface vessels to environmental challenges. 
• It can conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (AsuW), intelligence, maritime patrol, and surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

P-8I Aircraft Features

• The aircraft has a length of 39.47 m, wingspan of 37.64 m and height of 12.83.
• The maximum take-off gross weight of the P-8I is 85,139 kg.
• The P-8I is manned by nine crew members.
• It can fly at a maximum speed of 789 km/h and can reach a maximum altitude of 12,496 m. 
• It has a maximum range of over 2,222 kilometres with a time on station of four hours. 

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Arab League

• The Arab League rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza relocation plan recently, saying it is unacceptable.

• The Arab League, or League of Arab States, is a voluntary association of countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic-speaking or where Arabic is an official language.
• It is a regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East and parts of Africa.

Formation: 

• • It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, with Yemen joining on 5 May 1945.
  • The league was chartered in response to concerns about postwar colonial divisions of territory as well as strong opposition to the emergence of a Jewish state on Palestinian territory.
  • The main aims of the League are to strengthen relations and to coordinate collaboration between member states, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to provide collective consideration of the affairs and interests of the member states.
• Headquarters: Cairo, Egypt.
• Official language: Arabic
• Members: It currently has 22 member states: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
• There are four nations that were conferred observer status by the League: Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Venezuela.

Arab League Organisation Structure

• The highest body of the League is the Council, which is composed of representatives of each state. 
• Each member state has one vote, irrespective of size. 
• The League makes decisions on a majority basis. The decisions are binding only on states that voted for them. 
• The General Secretariat, the administrative and executive body of the League, runs the League on a daily basis. 
• It is headed by a Secretary-General appointed by the Arab League Council every five years.

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Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

Recently Transparency International released the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2024.

Focus of the Index in 2024: “Corruption hinders the fight against climate change”

• India is ranked 96th out of 180 countries
• Its score is 38 in 2024, down from 39 in 2023 and 40 in 2022.
• India was ranked 93rd out of 180 countries in 2023.
• India was ranked 85th in 2022.

Neighbouring countries:

• Pakistan: 135th
• Sri Lanka: 121st
• Bangladesh: 149th
• China: 76th

Top-3 countries:

1. Denmark

2. Finland

3. Singapore

Last ranked countries:

• South Sudan: 180
• Somalia: 179
• Venezuela: 178

About Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI):

• Released by: Transparency International, a Berlin, Germany-based non-governmental organization
• First conducted: 1995
• Countries: 180
• Basis: Public sector corruption

About Transparency International:

• It is an international non-governmental organization.
• It was founded in 1993 in Berlin (Germany).

Primary objectives:

• Address global corruption through civil society anti-corruption measures
• Take action to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption

Notable publications:

• Global Corruption Barometer
• Corruption Perceptions Index

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Tulsi Gabbard appointed as US intelligence chief

Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as US intelligence chief, overseeing the 18-agency intelligence community

• The Senate voted 52-48, mostly on party lines, with Republicans supporting her and Democrats opposing her.

 • Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 and became an independent.

• She supported Trump and joined the Republican Party in 2024. National

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Women's Day: February 13 February 13, 2025

• Born on February 13, 1879, Sarojini Naidu was a renowned poet, activist and the first woman governor of India.

 • She is known by the name 'Bharat Kokila' given to her by Mahatma Gandhi.

• She contributed to the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Salt Satyagraha.

• Her poems beautifully depict India's culture, freedom struggle and the fight for women's rights.

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Oldest Jurassic bird fossil found in China

• Fossil of a 150-million-year-old short-tailed bird, Baminornis zhengheensis, was discovered in China's Fujian province.

• The fossil's pygostyle, a bone unique to modern birds, suggests that bird-like anatomy emerged 20 million years earlier than thought.

• The discovery provides new insights into the evolution of birds during the Late Jurassic period.

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Shoheli Akhtar becomes first female cricketer banned by ICC for corruption

• Shoheli Akhtar has become the first female cricketer to be banned by the ICC for corruption.

• She had attempted to fix matches during the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup.

• The off-spinner had offered a bribe of 2 million Bangladeshi Taka to a player during Bangladesh's match against Australia.

• Akhtar accepted a 5-year ban effective from February 10, 2025 after admitting to breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

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Criminalisation of politics: Life ban for MPs/MLAs

• Supreme Court seeks response from Centre and Election Commission on lifetime ban for convicted MPs/MLAs. The PIL challenges the constitutional validity of Sections 8 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which bar convicted felons from re-entering politics.
• A person convicted of a criminal offence under the Representation of the People Act is sentenced to imprisonment for a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 6 years after release.
• Criminalisation of politics Criminalisation of politics refers to the increasing involvement of persons with criminal background in the political system. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 251 (46%) of the 543 MPs elected in 2024 have criminal cases registered against them. 171 (31%) have serious criminal charges including rape, murder, kidnapping, etc. A candidate with a criminal background has a 15.4% chance of winning, while a candidate with a clean background has a mere 4.4% chance of winning.

 Impacts

• Economic: Use of black money in elections and indirect promotion of crony capitalism.

• Social: Focus on maximising financial and muscle power subverts the objective of social welfare, promoting a culture of violence and social disharmony.

• Political: It promotes freebies (rewri culture), vote bribery and undermines the principles of free and fair elections and good governance.

Related Supreme Court Judgments

• Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) case (2002): Mandates disclosure of criminal records of all candidates contesting elections.

• Lily Thomas case (2013): A sitting MLA is disqualified immediately after conviction.

• Public Interest Foundation vs Union of India (2019): Political parties publish criminal records of their candidates on their website, social media and local newspapers.

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Shankari Prasad case and First Amendment Act

The Shankari Prasad Singh Deo v. Union of India, 1951 case was a watershed moment in Indian constitutional law, challenging the First Amendment Act, 1951, which restricted the right to property.

What was the First Amendment Act, 1951?

Key provisions:

• Ninth Schedule: The Ninth Schedule to the Indian Constitution, introduced by the First Amendment Act, 1951, lists laws that cannot be challenged in courts or subjected to judicial review, including specifically land reform laws. Originally 13 laws were added to the schedule.
• Protection of land reforms: Articles 31A and 31B were added to the Constitution, providing protection from judicial review to land reform laws, particularly those relating to estate acquisition.
• Article 31A: Provides that no law relating to land reform can be struck down for violating fundamental rights, especially the right to property (Article 31).
• Article 31B: Ensures that laws specified in the Ninth Schedule, even if they conflict with fundamental rights, remain valid and enforceable.
• Other changes: Restrictions on freedom of speech and expression provided under Article 19. Caste-based reservation was strengthened by allowing legislation for social and educational upliftment.
• Need for independence land reform efforts aimed at limiting the power of large landowners (zamindars) and redistributing land to peasants.

What was the Shankari Prasad Singh Deo vs Union of India case, 1951?

Background of the case: Shankari Prasad Singh Deo, a landlord from West Bengal, challenged the First Amendment Act, 1951, which restricted the right to property.

• The First Amendment gave the government the right to acquire land without compensation, which was contrary to the Fundamental Rights {Article 19(1)(f) and Article 31} provided in the original Constitution.

Supreme Court Judgment: A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the government, upholding the First Amendment.

• The Court distinguished between ordinary law (which cannot violate Fundamental Rights) and Constitutional Amendment (which can change Fundamental Rights).
• According to Article 13(2), Fundamental Rights cannot be taken away by any “law”. The Court ruled that Constitutional Amendments are not ordinary “law” and are therefore exempt from this restriction.

Significance: The Supreme Court judgment removed legal barriers to land reform, allowing states to abolish zamindari.

Implications:

• Continuation of legal challenges: In Sajjan Singh v State of Rajasthan, 1964, the Court upheld the Shankari Prasad judgment but two judges questioned the amendability of Fundamental Rights.
• In I.C. Golaknath v State of Punjab, 1967, the Supreme Court changed its stance and held that Parliament cannot amend Fundamental Rights.
• In Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala, 1973, a bench of two judges overruled the Shankari Prasad judgment and introduced the basic structure doctrine.
• The judgment clarified that Parliament could amend the Constitution, but it could not alter its “basic structure”, including Fundamental Rights.
• However, the right to property was not considered part of the basic structure, thereby upholding the validity of land reforms.
• Right to Property as a Legal Right: Right to Property was removed from the list of Fundamental Rights by repealing Article 19(1)(f) and Article 31 through the 44th Amendment Act of 1978.

• Subsequently, Right to Property was made a legal right under Article 300A (Persons not to be deprived of property without authority of law) of the Constitution.

What was the Zamindari System?

Introduction: Zamindari system was institutionalised under British rule through the Permanent Settlement by Lord Cornwallis in 1793, which gave zamindars control over land and the right to collect rent from peasants.

• Through constitutional practices, the British made zamindari an exploitative system through provisions such as rack-renting, leading to growing economic inequality.
• The share of land revenue was fixed, in which 10/11th of the share went to the government and the remaining share to the landlords, which increased the poverty of the peasant class.

Reasons for abolition: This system led to the ownership of land by a limited number of people, due to which a large section of the peasants became landless. The purpose of abolition of this practice was to redistribute land to the peasants and reduce feudal exploitation.

• Article 39 (B) and (C) of the Constitution emphasize on equitable distribution of resources. This abolition was in line with the goal of making India a socialist economy.
• Dividing large estates into smaller land holdings was expected to improve productivity.

Partial success: Apart from a few states like West Bengal and Kerala, the zamindari abolition failed to end the feudal land monopoly due to the loophole of allowing benami transactions.

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