Daily Currentaffairs: 07 Oct 2020

Tables of contents

1.Issues of consent and reliability in narco and polygraph tests

2.Referendum in New Caledonia

3. Oussudu Bird Sanctuary

4. Strobilanthes Kunthiana

5.Constellation of Maritime Surveillance Satellites

6.Suchindram Theroor Bird Sanctuary

7.Mystus Keletius

8.Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) System

1.Issues of consent and reliability in narco and polygraph tests

Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has said that the polygraph and narcoanalysis tests would be conducted as part of the investigation into the alleged gangrape and murder of a 19-year old Dalit woman by four men of the Thakur caste in Hathras.

What are polygraph and narcoanalysis tests?

• A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological responses that are triggered when a person is lying are different from what they would be otherwise.

• The instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes are attached to the person, and variables such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions are put to them.

• Narcoanalysis tests involve the injection of a drug, sodium pentothal, which induces a hypnotic or sedated state in which the subject’s imagination is neutralized and they are expected to divulge information that is true.

• The drug, referred to as “truth serum”, was used in larger doses as anesthesia during surgery and is said to have been used during World War II for intelligence operations.

Are Indian investigators allowed to put accused through these tests?

• In ‘Selvi & Ors vs State of Karnataka & Anr’ (2010), a Supreme Court Bench had ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered “except on the basis of consent of the accused”.

• The accused who volunteer to have a lie detector test, must have access to a lawyer and have the physical, emotional, and legal implications of the test explained to them by police and the lawyer.

• The Supreme Court bench had said that the ‘Guidelines for the Administration of Polygraph Test on an Accused’ published by the National Human Rights Commission in 2000, must be strictly followed.

• The results of the tests cannot be considered to be “confessions”, because those in a drugged-induced state cannot exercise a choice in answering questions that are put to them.

• The court has said that any information or material subsequently discovered with the help of such a voluntarily-taken test can be admitted as evidence.

• The Bench took into consideration international norms on human rights i.e. the right to a fair trial and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.

Provisions for polygraph and narcoanalysis tests on witnesses, victims and their families

• The Supreme Court had said in its order that “no individual should be forcibly subjected to any of the techniques in question, whether in the context of investigation in criminal cases or otherwise”.

  • The Supreme Court ruling was expanded to others who can be made to undergo the test only if they consent to it.

• With reference to victims, especially of sexual offences, the Bench said that irrespective of the need to expedite the probe in such cases, a victim of an offence cannot be forced to undergo these tests as it would be “an unjustified intrusion into mental privacy and could lead to further stigma for the victim”.

Source: The Indian Express

2.Referendum in New Caledonia

Recently, the voters in the South Pacific territory of New Caledonia narrowly rejected independence in a referendum.

Key Highlights

• The referendum was part of the Noumea Accord.

  • The Noumea Accord is a decolonization plan set in motion in 1998 to end a deadly conflict between descendants of European settlers and the mostly pro-independence indigenous Kanak population.

• New Caledonia lies between Australia and Fiji.

• New Caledonia became a French colony in 1853 under Napoleon’s nephew, Emperor Napoleon III.

• The island was used as a prison for decades, before becoming an overseas territory after World War II.

Source: The Indian Express

3.Oussudu Bird Sanctuary

Recently, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has started upgradation of infrastructure at the Oussudu bird sanctuary with the migratory bird season all set to begin.

About Oussudu Bird Sanctuary

• Oussudu Bird Sanctuary is located in Tamil Nadu.

• The sanctuary lies near the Osudu Lake.

• The Oussudu Lake is identified as a wetland of national importance under the National Wetland Conservation Programme.

• The Oussudu Lake is located between the Pulicat and Point Calimere wetlands.

• Flamingoes, Oriental Darter, Spot-billed Pelican, Great White Pelican, Painted Stork, Eurasian Spoon Bill and Pallid Harrier are frequent visitors to the lake.

• Ousteri Lake is a man-made lake, which is considered as one of the important wetlands in Asia.

Source: The Hindu

4.Strobilanthes Kunthiana

Recently, the experts have warned that the iconic flora native to the Nilgiris, including more than 30 species of Strobilanthes, could be under threat of being displaced with the continuing advance of invasive flora such as Cestrum aurantiacum and Lantana Camara.

About Strobilanthes Kunthiana

• The mass blooming of the Strobilanthes kunthiana, known commonly as the neelakurinji, gave the Nilgiris (the Blue Mountains) its iconic name.

• It is a rare plant that grows mainly in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats in India.

• Neelakurinji plant was first seen in the vicinity of Kunthi River and hence its scientific name.

• The Kurinjimala Sanctuary was made in Munnar exclusively to protect the Neelakurinji plants.

• The habitat of the Strobilanthes plants in the upper Nilgiris is being eroded by the Cestrum aurantiacum and they are also threatened by other invasive species like Lantana Camara in the lower slopes.

Cestrum aurantiacum

 

It is also known as Orange Cestrum.

 

It is native to North and South America.

 

It is an evergreen, half-climbing shrub reaching 10 ft tall.

 

Lantana camara

 

Lantana camara is a small perennial shrub, which forms extensive, dense and impenetrable thickets.

 

It is a highly variable ornamental shrub, native of the neotropics.

 

It is native to Central and South America but its original distribution is unclear due to the introduction of a number of ornamental varieties.

 

It is an invasive species which was introduced in tropical regions as an ornamental plant (introduced in India in 1807).

 

It is generally deleterious to biodiversity and has been reported as an agricultural weed resulting in large economic losses.

 

Source: The Indian Express

5.Constellation of Maritime Surveillance Satellites

Recently, the constellation of maritime surveillance satellites for the Indian Ocean Region is to be jointly launched by India and France.

Key Highlights

• In 2019, CNES and ISRO committed to developing and building a constellation of satellites carrying telecommunications and radar and optical remote-sensing instruments.

• The agreement between India and France called for constituting the first space-based system in the world capable of tracking ships continuously.

• The constellation of maritime surveillance satellites will be able to trace illegal spillage of oil by ships.

• The monitoring centre for maritime surveillance satellites will be based in India.

• The satellites will be designed with a revisit capability which makes possible to task acquisitions several times a day.

• The satellites will be operated jointly by France and India to monitor ships in the Indian Ocean.

• The system will also cover a wide belt around the globe, benefiting a broad range of French economic interests.

• The parts of the satellites will be built in both the countries and launched from India.

• ‘Trishna’, a highly precise thermal infrared observer, will also be part of the fleet of Indo-French satellites.

Additional Information

 

Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High resolution Natural resource Assessment

 

TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High resolution Natural resource Assessment) will be the latest satellite in the joint Franco-Indian satellite fleet.

 

It is dedicated to climate monitoring and operational applications.

 

TRISHNA observations will enhance the understanding of the water cycle and improve management of the planet’s precious water resources.

 

Source: The Hindu

6.Suchindram Theroor Bird Sanctuary

Recently, the Suchindram Theroor Bird Sanctuary has come under threat with real estate sharks in the process of converting some wetlands into housing plots.

About Suchindram Theroor Bird Sanctuary

• It is a protected area comprising the Suchindram Kulam wetlands and the Theroor Kulam wetlands in Tamil Nadu.

• It is located between Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.

• Being at the extreme southern tip of India, this area underlies the southernmost continental range of the Central Asian Flyway.

• It is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) of India.

• Suchindram is noted for the wide variety of migratory waterbirds.

• In 2015, the southernmost wintering ground of the migratory birds in the country comprising a host of wetlands in Suchindram, Theroor and Manakudi estuary in Kanyakumari district has been declared as a conservation reserve.

Source: The Hindu

7.Mystus Keletius

Recently, a researcher from BJM Government College, Chavara has rediscovered 'Mystus Keletius' from a freshwater body in Puducherry.

About Mystus Keletius

• It is a catfish which was first described by a French zoologist Achille Valenciennes in 1839.

• The fish belonging to the genus Mystus is locally known as ‘Kelethi'.

• It is an edible fish but it is not found in great abundance.

• It is listed as a 'Least Concern (LC)' species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

• It is found in freshwater environment and in the Tropical regions such as India and Sri Lanka.

• It is found in rivers and ponds and commonly in muddy pools and tanks.

• It has identified as a distinct species.

Source: The Hindu

8.Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) System

Recently, India successfully flight tested the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.

About Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) System

• SMART is a missile-assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo system for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range.

• It is indigenously developed system by laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) including Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Ariel Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) and Naval Science and Technology Laboratory (NSTL).

• The mission objectives included missile flight upto the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, the release of Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM).

• SMART, when launched from warship or a truck-based coastal battery, takes off like a regular supersonic missile.

• SMART covers most of its flight in the air at lower altitudes with two-way data link from the warship or an airborne submarine target detection system and provides the exact location of the hostile submarine.

• The missile will eject the torpedo system into the water and the autonomous torpedo will start moving towards its target to take out the submarine

• The flight test of SMART system has been crucial in capacity building of naval platforms to strike beyond the torpedo range.

• The system will be a significant addition to India’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Source: The Indian Express