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A virtual meeting of the Quad was held recently, during which the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment towards ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The meeting took place in the backdrop of rising global concerns over China's aggressive military behaviour in the Indo-Pacific South China Sea, and along the line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. But what is Quad and why was it formed? Let's find out.

The Quad grouping

The Quad or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is an informal grouping of four democracies, namely Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., committed to keeping the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence. The idea to set up the Quad was mooted by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe way back in 2007 amid the growing assertiveness of China in Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the South China Sea.

The Malabar naval drills

The discussion on the Quad cannot be complete without touching upon the joint naval drills called "Exercise Malabar". This exercise has been conducted over the years in the Philippine Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea. What started as a bilateral exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992 became trilateral with Japan's inclusion in 2015. With the addition of Australia in 2020, it has now become a quadrilateral exercise of these, the Malabar drill of 2007 was significant as it was held for the first time in the Bay of Bengal and was expanded to include Japan, Australia, and Singapore in the naval exercise as well. This irked China which protested against the strategic coming together of the countries. Following this, Australia backed out of the drill, and the Quad idea was also shelved. Finally after a decade long gap, the Quadrilateral coalition took shape in Manila on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in November 2017. The Quad has seen its revival ever since. The foreign ministers of India, the U.S. Japan, and Australia held their first meeting under the Quad framework in New York in September 2019.

The Quad countries have all faced pressure from China one way or the other. If India witnesses constant border confrontations with China, Australia which is highly dependent on China for trade is slapped with punitive tariffs. China's expansionism in the South and East China Seas poses a security threat to Japan and a challenge to the U.S. The U.S. has been in favour of formalising the Quad and making it a security architecture.

STRATEGICALLY VITAL REGION

The South China Sea and the East China Sea are said to be rich in oil and other natural resources, and are vital to global trade. China stakes a claim to almost all of the disputed SCS, though countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam claim parts of it China has also built islands and military installations in the Sea. The US has challenged China's growing territorial claims over the SCS by deploying warships and fighter jets to patrol and assert freedom of navigation in the region.

QUICK FACTS

• The first-ever Leaders Summit of the Quad took place on March 12, 2021, to discuss the global and regional issues of mutual interest.


• Earlier on February 18, the third ministerial meeting of Quad member countries was held virtually. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attended the meeting.


• The ministers discussed a host of issues, including the recent developments in Myanmar, coronavirus pandemic climate change and furthering cooperation in areas such as maritime security, supply chain resilience and counter-terrorism.

 

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Disha Ravi, a 21-year-old climate activist from Bengaluru, was arrested recently on charges of sedition for allegedly editing and sharing a social media document, or toolkit, about the ongoing farmer protest against the Farm Bills. She was later granted bail by a Delhi court which found no evidence of acts of sedition.

A number of politicians, activists, authors, journalists, and students have been arrested under the sedition law in the past in the country. And critics have been demanding the scrapping of the colonial-era law due to its repeated misuse. What is the sedition law all about?

What is sedition?

The Oxford Dictionary defines sedition as the use of words or actions that are intended to encourage people to oppose a government. An act is considered seditious when it incites people to rebel against the authority of a state, sometimes resorting to violence.

What is sedition law?

Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code lays down the rules of sedition law. It states sedition as an offence committed when "any person by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India".

What is the punishment for sedition under the law?

Under Section 124A, sedition is a non-bailable offence, punishable with jail from three years to a life term. Besides, a person charged under this section is barred from a government job, deprived of a passport and required to appear in court as and when required.

When was the law introduced?

Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was introduced by the British Raj in 1870. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, during the British rule, the law was mainly used against freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Annie Besant and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It was one of the many draconian laws enacted to stifle any voice of dissent at that time.

In 1962, the Supreme Court imposed limits on the use of the law, by making incitement to violence a necessary condition. (The British, which introduced the sedition law in India, abolished it in their country during the Gordon Brown Labour government in 2009, as the law was considered to be against freedom of expression.)

Why has there been a demand to scrap the sedition law in India?

Section 124A helps the government combat anti-national and terrorist elements. The law is essential to protect national integrity and the elected government from coup attempts (overthrow of an elected government through violent and illegal means).

The law becomes problematic only when its provisions are misused. Critics say the law is increasingly being exploited to silence criticism against the government. According to them, Section 124A is being used to stifle freedom of speech and expression of citizens and the colonial-era law goes against the essence of democracy because it is often used against people who question and criticise the policies of the government. Hence, there has been a growing demand to repeal the law. In fact, in 2018, the Law Commission of India published a consultation paper recommending that it is time to re-think or repeal Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code that deals with sedition.

How has the law been used in recent times?

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, between 2016 and 2019, the number of cases filed under Section 124A went up by 160%, while the rate of conviction dropped to 3.3% in 2019 from 33.39% in 2016. Some of the past cases are: in 2012 and 2013, about 23.000 people protesting against a nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu were held for sedition. In 2014, 60 students in Kashmir were charged under Sec 124A for cheering the Pakistan cricket team.

In 2015, a singer was arrested for criticising the Tamil Nadu government's liquor policy in his songs.

In 2016, actor Divya Spandana was charged for praising the people of Pakistan.

Students who refused to stand up during the national anthem a man who clicked like on a Facebook post 1 Like Pakistan, and a number of people who took part in the anti-CAA and NRC protest were all charged with sedition.

 

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On February 1, 2021, people of Myanmar woke up to the news that the country’s military has seized power from the elected government in a coup. The country’s President Win Myint, State Counsellor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and numerous members of her party National League for Democracy (NLD) were detained. In a television address, the army announced that power had been handed over to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing, and that it was declaring a national state of emergency for one year. People also fear that there could be wider clampdown under the military rule. Let’s take a look at what led to a coup Myanmar in this Five Ws and One H..

A coup (pronounced koo) is when power is illegally and unconstitutionally seized from the government of country, by a political faction or the military. Violence is part of many coups. In other words, a coup is the forcible overthrow of ruler or government. The word coup is short for the French term “coup detat,” which translates as “stroke of state.”

Coup is often the result of displeasure with how the country is run by the elected government or ruler. A military coup, as in the case of Myanmar, is when the military takes control of governance by staging a coup.

What are the different types of coup?

The world has witnessed different kinds of coup and political scientists categorise them into various types. Some of them are military coup, civil society coup, parliamentary coup, presidential coup, breakthrough coup, silent coup, democratic coup and the guardian coup.

Why did the military stage a coup in Myanmar?

A crisis has been brewing in Myanmar since the November 2020 parliamentary election, in which Suu Kyi’s NLD party won in a landslide against the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party. The latter won just 33 out of 476 seat. But the military refused to accept the results, claiming widespread irregularities in the election and demanded a new military-supervised election. However, the election commission refused, saying there was no evidence to support its claims of fraudulence.

Citing a provision in the Constitution it had drafted (in 2008), the military warned that it could launch a coup if it felt a threat to the nation’s sovereignty.

And on February 1, which was supposed to be the first day of a new session of parliament since the November election, the military staged a coup.

What is the background?

Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948 and Sao Shwe Thaik became its first president and U Nu became its first prime minister. In 1962, the Tatmadaw, as the country’s military is formally known, staged a coup and took over power. Since then, Myanmar has switched between military rule and civilian leadership.

Myanmar was ruled by the armed forces from 1962 to 2011, when pressure from the international community forced the military to cede power and a new government ushered in a return to civilian rule. But the Constitution the military had drafted ahead of this cessation gave it at least 25% of the seats in the Legislature. According to the Constitution, any amendment is possible only if over 75% of lawmakers vote for it. So, in effect, the military holds the power to veto any attempt by the government that could be seen as a threat to its authority.

In 2015, Suu Kyi’s NLD won a sweeping victory in the general elections. However, the military retained significant power under the Constitution that also barred her from the presidency, as her two sons are citizens and ran the government as a de facto leader (a leader in fact, whether or not constitutionally binding).

The election in November 2020 was only Myanmar’s second-ever election since the end of the military rule in 2011. Post election, Suu Kyi proposed to make amendments to Myanmar’s Constitution and Strip the military of many of its authorities. This move received major support from people, but ruffled the feathers of the military.

How has the international community reacted?

World leaders condemn the coup and detainment of Suu Kyi. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was a “serious blow to democratic reforms”, while the U.S. President Joe Biden has threatened to reinstate sanctions. Meanwhile, people of Myanmar resorted to non-violent means to register their protest against the coup.

What are some of the coups in the recent times?

Many coups (pronounced kooz) have been staged in the past. Here, we are listing some of the recent ones.

1999 Pakistan coup: The the military leader Parvez Musharraf overthrew the Pakistani government under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on October 12, 1999. It was a bloodless coup as Musharraf declared an emergency and took control of the entire country.

2013 Egyptian Coup: On July 3, 2013, Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led a coalition to remove the President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, from power and suspended the Egyptian constitution.

2016 Turkish failed coup attempt: On July 15, 2016, the Turkish military attempted a coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but could not succeed in overthrowing the government. Hundreds were killed in the violence that ensued and thousands were detained subsequently.

2019 Sudanese coup: On April 11, 2019, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, after nearly 30 years in office, was overthrown by the Sudanese army after popular protest demanded his departure.

 

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Recently, thousands of Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US. Capitol, and interrupted the Congress where lawmakers were about to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win in the November 3 election. Subsequently, Trump was charged with inciting violence against the government of the United States". There were calls from Democrats to impeach President Trump, a Republican, in his final week in power. What is impeachment? Who can be impeached from office? How is it done? Here's a primer.

What it means

Impeachment is a proceeding that is initiated by a legislative body against a top government official for serious misconduct. The charges are put forth, and the official is tried, while still in office. Different countries have their own impeachment processes.

Origin

The first recognised case of impeachment was in 1376 during the reign of Edward III in England. The process was sparingly used till the 17th Century, when it was revived to eliminate unpopular subjects of the Crown. However, after the unsuccessful impeachment trials of Warren Hastings (1788-95) and Lord Melville (1806), it fell out of use in Britain.

The U.S. process

In the U.S., the power to impeach a President rests with Congress (that includes the House of Representatives and the Senate). According to the US, Constitution, a President shall be removed from office impeachment for, and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours". This also applies to the Vice President and all civil officers of the US.

The Indian president

In India, impeachment is raised in either House of Parliament. A President can face Impeachment for ‘violation of the Constitution’. There has to be a majority of no less than two-thirds of the total membership of both houses of Parliament.

Article 61 lays down that when a President is to be either impeached the charge shall be preferred by House of Parliament The other House will investigate or cause the charge to be investigated. The President has the right to appear or to be represented at such investigations

Similarly, Parliament can introduce a motion seeking the removal of judges, including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and High Courts. However, though the process that ensures checks against misconduct is quite similar the word impeachment does not figure in the Constitution in the context of judges (Article 124-4).

Why is impeachment necessary?

Without impeachment there will be no system of checks and balances to ensure that the person who is legally considered to be the most important functionary in the political system does not abuse his office.

Past notable impeachments

The first U. S. President to face impeachment was Andrew Johnson (1868). Other notable impeachments include those against Presidents Richard Nixon (1973), Bill Clinton (1998) and Donald Trump (2019). If the process is taken up, Trump with be the first president to face impeachment twice.

In India, no President has faced impeachment so far.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building in New Delhi. Do you know where it's going to come up, when it will be completed and what its proposed features are?

The new building will be constructed close to the existing Parliament building in the Parliament House Estate, under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project. It is expected to be completed by 2022 in time for the commemoration of the 75th year of India's Independence. The landmark project, which was announced in 2019, involves constructing a Parliament building, a common central secretariat and revamping of the three-km long stretch from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate known as the Central Vista. According to PM Modi, the Central Vista Project will be "a symbol of a new, self reliant India".

The triangular-shaped Parliament building is designed by architect Bimal Patel of Ahmedabad-based HCP Design, Planning and Management. Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new Parliament building with an area of 64,500 square metres at an estimated cost of 3971 crore.

Highlights

The new triangular building will have four storeys, and the national emblem will crown the edifice. Its interiors will be inspired by the national flower lotus and the national bird peacock. In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have a seating capacity for 1,224 members, while the Rajya Sabha will have 384 seats. At present, the Lok Sabha has strength of 543 members and Rajya Sabha 245. The new building will also have a Central Constitution Hall to showcase the country's democratic heritage, a library, committee rooms and dining areas.

The existing circular Parliament House building will be refurbished for use along with the new one. The North and South blocks will be converted into museums.

Why is the revamp needed?

According to the Government, the existing Parliament building built by the British in the 1920s is structurally unsafe. Most of the buildings along the Central Vista have outlived their structural lives. Inadequate infrastructure, lack of safety features and offices spread over different locations are also cited as the reasons for the revamp. It is said that the proposed Secretariat buildings, which will bring all offices in one place, will help improve the functioning of the government.

Criticism against the project

The Central Vista redevelopment project is criticised for having been initiated when the country is reeling under the coronavirus pandemic. Some experts have raised concerns about the project's environmental impact. Several petitions challenging the project were filed before the Supreme Court. However, the apex court has given the green signal to the project, upholding the environment clearance and permission for change in land use for the project. The government has clarified that it will be sensitive to environmental concerns during construction.

 

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Many people work in tall skyscrapers, small office buildings, or tiny shops. And people who run governments often work in places that are works of art that look powerful or grand. The buildings in which they work might be gleaming while mansions, majestic palaces, or buildings tucked behind the walls of a fortress. Here are some famous government buildings around the world.

The government of Andorra, one of the world’s smallest countries, meets in the House of Valleys.

The White House, in Washington, D.C., is the home and the office of the president of the U.S.A.

Both houses of the Indian parliament meet in the Parliament House in New Delhi.

The Kremlin, in Moscow, is an old fort. It contains many of Russia’s government buildings.

The British government meets in the Houses of Parliament in London, England.

 

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The U.K. has to negotiate its future relationship with Europe. Formal negotiations for this will begin on March 3, 2020.

The bulk of these negotiations will focus on the U.K. – EU’s future trading relationship. The U.K. is leaving the EU customs union an common market, so the two sides have two work out a trade agreement, ideally with no tariffs and with minimal barriers.

The two sides also have to discuss

• Security and law enforcement cooperation


• Access to fishing waters


• Banking


• Aviation standards and safety


• Supplies of electricity and gas


• Licensing and regulation of medicines


• Data and intelligence sharing


• Manufacturing and a whole lot more.


• The border between Ireland (which is part of the EU) and Northern Ireland (which is a part of UK and leaving the EU) will remain open. But how to implement customs checks on this border will need to be worked out. 

 

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A transition period has begun immediately after Brexit day and is due to end on December 31, 2020. During this 11-month period, the U.K. will continue to follow EU rules. Britain’s trading relationship will remain the same and it will continue to pay into the EU budget. People travelling to EU member states will not be affected during the transition period. But the UK will no longer have any say in EU policies nor will it be able to attend any meeting of EU leaders.

The transition period is meant to give both sides some breathing space while a new free trade agreement is negotiated.

This is needed because the UK will leave the single market and customs union at the end of the transition. A free trade agreement will allow goods to move around the EU without checks or extra charges.

If a new one cannot be agreed in time, then the UK faces the prospect of having to trade with no deal in place. That would mean tariffs (taxes) on UK goods travelling to the EU and other trade barriers.

 

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David Cameron was the Prime Minister of the U.K. when the referendum took place. Personally, he supported staying within the EU. As the votes turned against his campaign, he stepped down as PM.

As leader of the Conservative Party, Theresa May took over from David Cameron in 2016. May promised to put Brexit into action. However, Brexit hit a roadblock for various reasons. Unable to get a Brexit divorce deal passed on Parliament, May stepped down on June 7, 2019, after a turbulent 3-year period as prime minister.

On July 23, 2019, Brexit hardliner Boris Johnson, former Mayor of London and British Foreign Minister, was elected Prime Minister. Johnson was keen on delivering Brexit by the October 31, 2019 deadline. However, Johnson needed a Brexit extension of his own after MPs failed to get the revised deal passed into law. This led to the new deadline of January 31, 2020.

 

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People in support of Brexit view the EU as exercising too much control over Britain, thereby halting its growth. One of the main areas of contention is immigration. They are against the EU’s main principle of ‘Free Movement’ within member states. ‘Leave’ supporters want more autonomy from the EU to control Britain’s border and to sign trade deals with any country without the interference of the EU. They also don’t want to come under the ambit of the EU court of justice.

Those who campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU argued that the immigrants would only boost economic growth. They were of the view that the EU membership would ensure security for the nation in times of crisis. Exports feel that remaining in the EU would have conferred several advantages on Britain such as free trade opportunities and easy mobility of goods and services among the EU member countries.

 

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The European Union (EU) is a group of 28 countries in the continent of Europe. (After Brexit, the membership now stands at 27). After World War II, some European countries came together to form a group to foster economic, social and political cooperation. They saw this as a means to stay united and not go to war with each other.

With France and Germany taking the initiative, four other nations namely Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, signed up to form the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957. It was also called the common market.

The EU has its own currency (euro), own parliament, council and court of justice. It became a single market, allowing goods and people to move around as if they are one nation. The currency euro is being used by 19 member states.

 

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Brexit is now official: On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. But not completely yet. The U.K. has entered into an 11-month transition period which will last till at least December 31, 2020. During this time, the U.K. and the EU will hold discussions and decide what their future relationship will be like.

The term is an portmanteau of the words ‘Britain’ and ‘exit.’ Britain had been a member of the EU since 1973 (The Union was then called the European Economic Community). But on June 23, 2016, the U.K. made a historic decision to withdraw its membership following a referendum. Of the total 33 million votes, 52% chose to leave the EU, while 48% wanted to stay on. (The U.K. Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is to be noted that the majority of the voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland chose to remain. However the whole of U.K. has left the EU.)

The exit did not happen immediately after the voting. It was a long journey from there – it took three-and-a-half years, three prime ministers and endless votes in Parliament before Britain finally became the first-ever country to leave the EU last month.

 

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In the U.S. presidential election of 2000, there was chaos in the state of Florida where votes had to be recounted by hand due to a glitch in the voting machines. The voting machines used cards which had to be punched through for a vote to be registered. A mechanical problem meant that a huge number of cards were incompletely punched out, leaving the bits of paper called chads, ‘hanging’. Some cards had ‘dimpled’ or ‘pregnant’ chads meaning there was only a barely visible indentation!

Chads are the small pieces of paper produced when holes are punched out in a sheet. The bits punched out of tape, plastic, textile or thin metal are also called chads. Punch cards were once widely used in computer programming and the word ‘chad’ probably originated during that time. However, the earliest use of a punch card was in a fully automated weaving loom invented by Joseph Jacquard in 1801.

A number of manufacturing industries generate chads as waste. Since they are small and weigh almost nothing, managing chads is quite bothersome. Paper manufacturers have chad collectors under the punching table to collect the chads which are later recycled and made into new paper.

There are also ‘chad-less’ punching systems available which make slits in the paper instead of holes.

 

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Agni-V

On April 19, 2012, India successfully test-fired 5000 km range Agni-V Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, developed by DRDO. Part of the Agni series of missiles, Agni V has been developed as a nuclear deterrent against China. The missile is expected to be inducted into service soon.

Dhanush

On Feb. 23, 2018, the nuclear-capable ‘Dhanush’ ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km was successfully test-fired from a naval ship off Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface missile is a naval variant of the indigenously-developed ‘Prithvi 3’ missile.

Mission Shakti

On March 27, 2019, India conducted Mission Shakti, a high precision anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. The significance of the test carried out by the DRDO is that India has successfully demonstrated its capability to intercept a satellite in outer space. With this test, the country joins an exclusive group of space-faring nations comprising the U.S., Russia and China.

 

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Triple Talaq: 2017

On Aug.22, 2017, the SC ruled that the traditional method of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering “talaq” thrice was “unconstitutional” and “arbitrary”. Under the court’s instruction, the Lok Sabha on Dec. 27, 2018, passed the Muslim Women Bill (Triple Talaq) 2018, criminalizing the practice. The offence now attracts a fine and a jail term up to three years for the husband.

Section 377: 2018

In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court on September 6 decriminalized homosexuality with a prayer to the LGBTQ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community to forgive history for their “brutal” suppression. A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, further stated that sexual orientation is natural and choice of partner is part of the fundamental right to privacy.

Sabarimala: 2018

On September 28, 2018, the SC lifted the ban that prevented women and girls in the 10-50 age group from entering the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. It held that this centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional. Subsequently on Nov 14, 2019, the SC referred the Sabarimala issues to a larger, seven-member bench after hearing pleas seeking a review of its decision to allow women of all ages into the temple.

Ayodhya: 2019

On Nov. 9, 2019, the decades-old sensitive Ayodhya land title case came to an end with the SC handling over possession of the disputed 2.77 acre site to the deity Ram Lalla, one of the three litigants in the case, and directed that a Ram temple be built on the site which many Hindus believe was the birth place of Ram. It directed that a trust be formed by the Central government within three months to manage the property and oversee the temple construction. The apex court also directed that 5 acres of land on an alternative site in Ayodhya be provided to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque. It dismissed the plea of Nirmohi Akara seeking control of the entire disputed land. The court also ruled that the demolition of the Babri Masjid which stood at the disputed site in 1992 by kar sevaks was in violation of law.

 

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