SC raised concern regarding the feasibility of setting up Gram Nyayalayas (village courts), as mandated by the Gram Nyayalayas Act of 2008.

• Gram Nyayalayas ensures that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of social, economic or other disabilities. 

Key Concern raised by SC

• Establishment of Gram Nyayalayas by States/UTs is mandatory or not: Section 3 of the Act provides that governments "may" constitute Gram Nyayalayas.
• Resource Crunch: State governments, already facing limited resources for regular courts, find it challenging to fund additional gram nyayalayas.
• Rising Burden: They may end up burdening high courts with appeals and writ petitions.

Key Features of Gram Nyayalayas  

• Seat: Establish at intermediate level Panchayat or a group of contiguous Panchayats. 
  • State government appoints 'Nyayadhikari' for each Gram Nyayalaya in consultation with the high court. 
• Jurisdiction: Shall be a mobile court, with both civil and criminal jurisdiction.
• Dispute Process: Disputes are to be preferably settled with the help of conciliation. 
  • Social workers may be appointed as Conciliators.
  • They are not bound by the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam) but by Principles of Natural Justice. 

Constitution bench of Supreme Court (SC) upheld the validity of Section 6A of Citizenship Act.

• Section 6A is a special provision added through Citizenship Amendment Act, 1985 in furtherance of a Memorandum of Settlement called the ‘Assam Accord’ between then central government and leaders of the Assam Movement.
• It conferred citizenship to those who migrated from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to Assam from January 1, 1966, until 24 March 1971 upon completion of ten years from the date of detection as a foreigner.

About SC judgment

• On legislative competence of Parliament to enact Section 6A: Law is enacted in exercise of power under Article 246 read with Entry 17 of List I (Union list)

• Entry 17 deals with Citizenship, naturalization and aliens.

• Article 14 (Equality): Assam’s special citizenship law does not violate equality because the migrant situation in Assam was unique compared to rest of India.

• Impact on Culture (Article 29 (1)): No evidence that migrants harmed cultural rights of Assamese.
• On the cutoff date of 24 March 1971: It is reasonable because Pakistani Army launched Operation SearchLight to curb Bangladeshi nationalist movement in East Pakistan on 26 March 1971.
  • Migrants after this date were considered to be migrants of war and not partitions.

Department of Posts, India has released commemorative postage stamps to mark the 150^th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union.

• India Post, world’s largest postal network is also observing 170 years of its formation. 

Universal Postal Union (UPU)

• Established as General Postal Union on October 9, 1874, through Treaty of Bern.
  • Second oldest international organization after International Telecommunication Union (ITU), formed in 1865.
  • World Post Day is celebrated on anniversary of establishment of UPU. 
• HQ: Bern, Switzerland.
• Members: 192 countries. India is one it’s oldest and most active members.
• UPU is a United Nations specialized agency.

ITU’s World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 held in New Delhi. 

• WTSA is the governing conference for the standardization work of the ITU, organized every four years.
• It is for the first time that the ITU-WTSA is being hosted in India and the Asia-Pacific.

About ITU

• Genesis: In 1865, the first International Telegraph Convention signed in Paris established International Telegraph Union (the first incarnation of ITU).
• Role:  
  • UN’s specialized agency for digital technology
  • Harnessing innovation and connecting everyone to ensure a better future for all ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• Members: 193 Member States (including India)
• Headquarters: Geneva (Switzerland)