Daily Current Affairs – 20-06-2025

Tamil Nadu

Madras HC Ruling – Emblems and Names (Prevention of Misuse) Act,

1950

® Madras High Court ruled that awarding titles like Mr. India or Mr. South India in Bodybuildingdoes not violate the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1950. ® Court declined to restrain private individuals/organizations from using such titles. ® Section 3 of the Act prohibits use of the nation’s name or emblem in trade, business, profession, trademarks, patents, or designs without prior permission from the Central Government. ® The Act covers names/emblems listed in its Schedule and colourable imitations thereof.

Supreme Court Restores 3-Year Legal Practice Requirement for

Judicial Service

® The Supreme Court reinstated a minimum of three years’ legal practice as mandatory for entry-level judicial service aspirants. ® Candidates must submit a certificate of legal experience, certified by the Principal Judicial Officer or an advocate with 10+ years’ experience endorsed by the Principal Judicial Officer. ® Experience as a law clerk under any judge or judicial officer will be counted towards the three-year requirement. ® This rule was previously removed in 2002 following the Shetty Commission’s recommendation. ® Under Article 234 of the Constitution, appointments to State judicial services (other than district judges) are made by the Governor.

Revamped OCI Portal Launched

® The Union Home Minister launched a revamped Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal to improve digital access, security, and service delivery for OCI cardholders. ® The OCI card, introduced in August 2005 under Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, provides long-term residency benefits to Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). ® Eligibility: Individuals who were Indian citizens on or after January 26, 1950, or are children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren of such persons. Also includes foreign spouses of Indian citizens or OCI holders (with 2+ years of marriage). ® Not Eligible: Those with ancestral ties to Pakistan or Bangladesh, and serving/retired foreign military personnel.

Supreme Court Reaffirms Doctrine of Presumption of Constitutionality

® The Supreme Court recently refused an urgent hearing on a plea seeking to declare the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) constitutional. ® It stated that any law passed by Parliament enjoys a “presumption of constitutionality” unless proven otherwise. ® This legal doctrine assumes that legislatures create laws aligned with constitutional values. ® Courts interpret laws with the assumption of their validity unless there is clear evidence of constitutional violation. ® In the NDMC v State of Punjab (1996) case, a three-judge Bench discussed the limits of this presumption. ® The principle supports judicial restraint in striking down laws, placing the onus on petitioners to demonstrate constitutional breaches.

PERSONALITIES, AWARDS, AND EVENTS

ISRO Scientist Nellai Su. Muthu

Nellai Su.Muthu, a former scientist of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), passed away recently. He worked as a senior scientist at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. He was the recipient of the Kavi Mamani Award presented by the World Tamil Poets Association of Malaysia. He authored more than 70 books on topics varying from science, children’s literature, poetry, history, and translation. Four of his books were honoured with the Tamil Development Department’s Best Book Award and Best Author Award. His notable works include ‘Vinveli 2057’ (SKY 2057), ‘Arivuttum Vigyaana Vilaiyaatu’, and ‘Einsteinum Andaveliyum’. He worked with the late former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

STATES’ NEWS

Dhanya M Vs State of Kerala & Others

The Supreme Court has held that the extraordinary measure of preventive detention must not be used as a substitute for criminal prosecution or to bypass orders of bail. The judgment underscored the difference between ‘public order’ and ‘law and order’, citing SK. Nazneen v. State of Telangana (2023) and Nenavath Bujji Vs State of Telangana (2024). The SC set aside the preventive detention under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007. Preventive detention is recognised in the Constitution under Article 22(3)(b) as an exception to Article 21, and therefore must be applied only in rare cases with great caution.

Utkal Keshari Parida Case – 2013

The Speaker M. Appavu can entertain a petition by an elector of Bodinayakanur against former Chief Minister and MLA O. Panneerselvam, based on the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Speaker of Orissa Legislative Assembly vs Utkal Keshari Parida, 2013 case. However, this position is not in conformity with the 1986 Rules of the Tamil Nadu Assembly regarding disqualifications, which explicitly states that only an MLA can submit such petitions. The last disqualification of legislators was carried out in September 2017 when Speaker P. Dhanapal took action against 18 AIADMK MLAs on the grounds that they had ‘voluntarily given up’ their membership of the party.

Talliki Vandanam - Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh government has started a new welfare scheme called ‘Talliki Vandanam’. Under this scheme, every student’s mother or guardian will get Rs 15,000 every year. Every student studying in Classes 1 to 12 will be covered under this scheme. The government is calling this the ‘mother of all welfare schemes’.

Jal Ganga Sanvardhan Abhiyan Initiative - Madhya Pradesh

Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan, a campaign was launched on the banks of the Kshipra River on March 30, 2025. It aims to protect and restore the state’s water structures (rivers, ponds, wells, stepwells, and so on). Uncontrolled groundwater extraction had dried up this and other small rivers, affecting agriculture. Through water conservation structures built using the ‘Ridge to Valley’ principle, water has been harvested over a 33km stretch. As a result, the river is once again flowing now.

India’s First Mobile-Based e-Voting System – Bihar

The Bihar State Election Commission has decided to roll out an e-voting system using an Android-based mobile. Bihar will be the country’s first state to adopt this revolutionary change in the voting process. The entire e-voting process will be executed through two mobile apps, namely ‘e-Voting SECBHR’. One app was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and another was by the Bihar State Election Commission. Migrant labourers, migrant voters, divyang voters, pregnant female voters, elderly and senior citizens, and seriously ill electorates will be able to cast their votes using the e-voting process. The e-voting system will also have features like a blockchain platform, liveness detection, face match, live face scan, and face comparison, making the voting tamper-proof.

ENVIRONMENT NEWS

Spartaeus and Sonoita

Researchers have identified a new species of jumping spiders of the Spartaeinae subfamily in southern India. They are known for their intelligent hunting skills and web-invasion tactics. This discovery possibly marks the first time that the genera previously known only from Southeast Asia and Africa, have been found in India. These spiders, part of the Salticidae family, are known for their keen eyesight and unique hunting methods, often deceiving other spiders by mimicking prey. In addition, Sonoita cf. lightfooti, a species previously thought to be confined to Africa, was also identified in Karnataka. More specimens were also discovered in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district. With these findings, India’s spider fauna under the Spartaeinae subfamily has also grown to 15 species across 10 genera.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Barak Magen vs Fattah I Missile

Israel activated its new aerial defence system, ‘Barak Magen’ or ‘Lightning Shield,’ for the first time after Iran’s Fattah-1 missile attack. It is a special version of the Barak MX missile defence system. It is built to protect the navy ships from various aerial threats like drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The system is deployed on advanced Israeli Navy ships called Sa’ar 6 corvettes. Fattah-1 is a medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile. It has been specifically engineered to evade defense systems such as Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow. The missile is capable of reaching the speeds between Mach 13 and 15—around 15,000 km/h. It has a range of approximately 1,400 kilometres (about 870 miles).

113th International Labour Conference

This Conference has also adopted the first international labour standards aimed at protecting workers from biological hazards. This is the 1st international instrument specifically addressing biological hazards in the working environment. The Convention (C 192) calls on Member States to formulate national policies and adopt measures on occupational safety and health. It also called to include the prevention and protection against biological hazards, and the development of preparedness and response measures to deal with the accidents and emergencies. Seven amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, were approved during the event. Palestine participated as a non-member observer State at the Conference.

NATIONAL NEWS

Revised Mission Document - Green India Mission

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released the revised document for 2021-2030 period. The revised mission document also projected, India could achieve a carbon sink of 3.39 billion tonnes, from the combination of all restoration activities. This will require an increase in the forest and tree cover over an estimated 24.7 million hectares. The National Mission for Green India aims to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover. About 11.22 million hectares of the area could be included under plantations till 2020-21, as per the revised document.

Samarth Program for Telecom Startups

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) launched ‘Samarth’ Program. It is a cutting-edge Incubation Program for startups in Telecom & ICT Sector. In the first phase 18 startups have been selected in cohort 1 through a highly competitive process. These startups are provided the financial grant, fully furnished office space and access to C-DOT’s lab facilities at Delhi and Bengaluru campuses. ‘Samarth’ Incubation Program offers holistic support to startups and innovators working in telecom applications, cybersecurity, 5G/6G technologies, AI, IoT, and quantum technologies.

1st Assembly of IBCA

The first Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was held in New Delhi. Prime Minister of India announced the IBCA in 2023 in Mysuru, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger. The Indian government has also established the IBCA through the National Tiger Conservation Authority in March 2024. IBCA is a coalition of 95 range countries with a mandate for the conservation of seven big cats. The seven big cats are Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.

Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan 2025

The Government of India has launched the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan. This campaign is being rolled out across 549 tribal-dominated districts and 207 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)-dominated districts covering about 100,000+ Villages & Habitations. This Largest-Ever Tribal Empowerment Campaign was initiated under Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh. It will provide access to critical entitlements and government services, including, Adhaar Card Enrolments and Updates, Ayushman Bharat Health Card Issuance, Opening of Jan Dhan Bank Accounts and etc.

TAMIL NADU NEWS

Outstanding Loan in Microfinance 2025

Tamil Nadu has the highest average outstanding loan amount per account in the micro finance sector. Among the top 10 states, Tamil Nadu has the highest average loan outstanding per account of ₹31,131 followed by West Bengal at ₹30,488. Bihar continues to be the largest state in terms of portfolio outstanding followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh in the microfinance sector. Tamil Nadu’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the financial year 2024-25 is estimated at ₹17.23 lakh crore. The Gross Loan Portfolio (GLP) of the microfinance industry in Tamil Nadu stood at ₹46,689 Crore as on March 31, 2025.

G.M. Akbar Ali Panel

The State government has constituted a panel, headed by the Justice (retd.) G.M. Akbar Ali. It will examine the impact of the Supreme Court’s verdict on its recruitment process and propose legal options to overcome issues arising out of the ruling. Traditionally, the State government had been preparing rank lists for government appointments, following a 200-point roster system. As part of the system, reservations were provided to candidates belonging to BC, BCM, MBC and DNC, SC, and ST. However, the practice was sought to be scrapped through the Supreme Court’s direction on April 18, 2023.