Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 01 October 2016

:: National ::

Finely balancing societal interest with concerns about individual liberty, the Supreme Court ordered former RJD MP Mohd Shahabud-din to be sent back to prison 20 days after he came out on bail.
The Supreme Court however ordered the Bihar government and the trial court to complete the trial as early as possible. In a “judicious” decision taken after pouring through evidence, a Bench of Justice P.C. Ghose and Amitava Roy said Shahabuddin should be “forthwith” taken back into custody.
The Supreme Court observed that the High Court erred in granting Shahabuddin bail as a “matter of course” without taking into consideration “the overall facts”.
It noted that several cases against him are pending in various stages of trial and appeal in various courts of Bihar and in the Patna High Court.
The Bench made it clear that it has taken serious notice of Shahabuddin's repeated contention that there was a “conscious delay” in the conduct of his trial by directing that “all steps as contemplated in law to dispose of the case, as early as possible”.
The order quashing the High Court decision to free Shahabuddin came despite the Bench flaying the lacklustre performance of the Bihar government on the prosecution side.
The Bench had castigated the State for its 17-month delay in conducting the trial and the almost zero interest it showed to pre-vent Shahabuddin's bail.

The Patna High Court set aside the amended Bihar Prohibition and Excise Bill, 2016, which had banned the sale and consumption of liquor in the State.
A division bench of the court, comprising Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh, quashed the April 5 notification of the government.
It said, “Section 19(4) of the Bihar Excise Act 1915 as amended with effect from 01.04.2016, (passed by the legislature on 31.03.2016) is ultra vires the Constitution and unenforceable.”
The Bench, in its 142-page order, went on to say, “The impugned notification, issued by the State under Section 19(4) of the said amended Act is also ultravires the Constitution, and, consequently unenforceable.”

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of jihadists, which she said was “a threatening scenario,” according to a media report.
“Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India,” the former Secretary of State told a close door fundraiser in Virginia in February, The New York Times reported.
Such remarks from the former secretary of state gains significance in view of an interview of Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif to the local TV channel in which he threatened to unleash nukes against India.

Blaming India for derailing the SAARC Summit, Pakistan announced that the summit in Islamabad will now be held on an alternative date, even as Sri Lanka joined others in opposing the summit under the “prevailing environment”.
Nepal subsequently issued an official statement seeking an indefinite postponement of the summit.
Sri Lanka joined India, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh in demanding the summit should not be held.
Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding, “Sri Lanka condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and stresses in this regard the need to deal with the issue of terrorism in a decisive manner”.
Addressing the media in Delhi, Afghan envoy Shaida M. Abdali demanded that SAARC should focus on counter-terror initiatives.
Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, ‘We note Pakistan’s decision 2 postpone SAARC Summit. They’ve been compelled 2 recognise the regional sentiment against terrorism.’

India may examine a proposal from Iran to develop the airport at its strategic Chabahar port as part of comprehensive infrastructure development that includes rail-road connectivity to the port.
The Chabahar port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nation’s southern coast lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from India’s western coast bypassing Pakistan.
Apart from discussions on expanding scope of cooperation to cover development of the entire Chabahar port, it was discussed that air transport could be of much significance.
Chabahar has an operational airport and the Iranian minister enquired whether India would be willing to modernise it.
Chabahar project will open a new gateway for development of India, Iran and Afghanistan by boosting connectivity and trade.
A “milestone” pact on the strategic Chabahar port in southern Iran that will provide India access to Afghanistan and Europe by passing Pakistan was signed by India and Iran in May this year.