About Rusty Spotted Cat:

• It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat
• Appearance
  • Its large eyes may be an adaptation to its nocturnal behaviour.
• Habitat: It prefers moist and dry deciduous forests, scrublands, grasslands, and rocky areas.
• Distribution: It is found in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In India, its range extends from Tamil Nadu to Jammu and Kashmir, including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Odisha.
• Characteristics:
  • It is an excellent climber, which allows it to catch birds.
  • Diet: It also preys on rodents, lizards, frogs and insects.
• Threats: Habitat loss, farm expansion, and industrial growth threaten nearly 75% of its range.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Near Threatened
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

About Suriname:

• Location: It is a small country located on the northern edge of South America.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by Brazil to the south, French Guiana to the east; Guyana to the west.
• Water Bodies: It is North Atlantic Ocean to the north.
• Capital City: Paramaribo
• It is a member country of CARICOM organization.
• Geographical Features of Suriname
  • Climate: It has an equatorial climate almost everywhere, hot and humid throughout the year, with abundant rainfall.
  • Mountain Ranges: Bakhuys Mountains and Van Asch Van Wijck Mountains.
  • Highest Point: Its highest point is Juliana Top, in the Wilhelmina Mountains.
  • Major rivers:It is drained by Suriname River, Maroni River, Courantyne River 
  • Natural Resource: It consists of natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural products.

About Galapagos Archipelago:

• Location: It is situated in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Ecuador.
• It is distributed on either side of the Equator.
• Terrain
  • The Archipelago is a group of islands
  • Repeated volcanic eruptions helped to form the rugged mountain landscape of the Galápagos Islands.
  • Islands: It is very young with the largest, and youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, with less than one million years of existence, and the oldest islands, Española and San Cristóbal, somewhere between three to five million years. 
• Highest Point: Mount Azul
• Climate: It is characterized by low rainfall, low humidity, and relatively low air and water temperatures.
• It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.
• Biodiversity: It include the giant Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), the marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), the flightless cormorant (Phalacrocoraz harrisi), and the Galápagos penguin.
• The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is the only penguin species to live in the Northern Hemisphere.

About International Big Cat Alliance:

• It is an inter-governmental international organisation launched in 2023 during the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
• It focuses on the conservation of seven big cats - Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.
• Objective: To facilitate collaboration and synergy among stakeholders, consolidating successful conservation practices and expertise to achieve the conservation of big cats at a global level.
• It brings together 95 range and non-range countries, conservation partners, scientific organisations, and corporates to promote collaboration and share conservation practices.
• Implementation agency: The IBCA is implemented through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Founding Members: India, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Suriname, & Uganda.
• Membership: Membership is open to all UN Member States, including:
  • Range countries, where big cats naturally occur.
  • Non-range countries that are interested in supporting global conservation of big cats.
• Institutional Support and Funding: India has committed ₹150 crore (for the period 2023–2028) as budgetary support for: Creating a corpus fund, Building infrastructure, and Covering recurring expenses of the IBCA.
• Governance:
  • Assembly: It is a main decision making body which is comprised of representatives of all member countries.
  • Standing Committee: It is established by the Assembly shall assist in effective and efficient functioning of the IBCA. 
  • Secretariat: It is based in New Delhi.

About Swasth Bharat Portal:

• It is a unified platform designed to integrate fragmented health programme systems across the country.
• It acts as a one-stop aggregator platform to integrate programme systems via APIs, enabling interoperability and reducing administrative burden
• It is a single platform:
  • To eliminate duplicate data entry, streamline reporting, and support faster decision-making across health programmes.
  • To provide easy access, along with data visualisation tools and the use of data at the local level for monitoring and evidence-based planning.
• It is designed to evolve into a comprehensive and interoperable digital health ecosystem, further integrating with national registries such as the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Health Facility Registry (HFR).
• It is ABDM-compliant and supports integration with ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account), enabling seamless and secure exchange of patient health records. 
• It envisages the following:
  • Reduce Infrastructure Duplication: Independent hosting, storage, and compute resources are maintained across programs, which will reduce when they will be aggregated through Swasth Bharat
  • Reduce Repetitive Data Entry: Similar beneficiary data which was entered across multiple systems will be entered on a single platform thus reducing repetitive tasks
  • Unified HR Deployment: Separate development and maintenance teams are required in all programs, a unified system will reduce the HR burden
  • Increased Interoperability: As the system is designed on federated architecture via APIs, the interoperability will be higher

Why in news?

The Supreme Court of India has expanded the definition of acid attack victims under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, to include survivors who were forced to consume acid and suffered internal injuries even without visible scars.

The apex court ruled that this clarification would apply retrospectively from the date the law came into force. It also observed that existing punishments have not effectively deterred acid attacks, suggesting stronger measures such as shifting the burden of proof to the accused and making acid sellers co-accused.

The ruling came in response to a petition filed by acid attack survivor Shaheen Malik highlighting gaps in legal protection and state support.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Gap in the Law on Acid Attack Victims
• Why Addressing the Legal Gap Was Necessary?
• Constitutional Challenge to the RPwD Act Definition
• Rising Acid Attack Cases and Trial Backlog

Gap in the Law on Acid Attack Victims

• Narrow Definition Under the RPwD Act - The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 recognises acid attack survivors as persons with disabilities. However, its definition focused mainly on victims who suffered visible disfigurement from acid attacks.
• Exclusion of Internal Injury Survivors - Under the law, survivors forced to ingest acid were excluded because the term “disfigured” was interpreted as referring only to external bodily injuries. This left many victims without access to legal recognition and state support.
• Severe Impact of Acid Ingestion - Acid ingestion causes serious internal injuries, burning the mouth, throat, food pipe, and stomach. Such injuries are often permanent and can lead to lifelong medical complications affecting eating, swallowing, and digestion.

Why Addressing the Legal Gap Was Necessary?

• Exclusion from the RPwD Act had serious consequences for survivors forced to ingest acid, as a disability certificate is essential for accessing financial aid, rehabilitation schemes, medical support, and other state benefits.
• The petition argued that the law unfairly excluded a group of victims who suffered equally severe harm, differing only in the method of attack—acid being administered instead of thrown.
• It described this as a case of “under-classification,” where similarly affected victims were denied equal legal protection and support.

Constitutional Challenge to the RPwD Act Definition

• Challenge Under Article 14 - The RPwD Act created an arbitrary distinction between victims of acid attacks based on the method of assault — throwing acid Vs. administering it — which violated Article 14 of the Constitution.
• Single Class of Acid Violence Victims - All victims of acid violence form a single class because the injuries, suffering, and disabilities caused are substantially similar, regardless of how the acid was inflicted.
• Conflict Between Criminal and Welfare Laws - The petition highlighted that Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2024 treats throwing and administering acid as the same offence with identical punishment. Therefore, excluding ingestion victims from welfare protections under the RPwD Act was termed legally inconsistent and arbitrary.
• Article 21 and Right to Dignity - The exclusion also raised concerns under Article 21, as survivors without disability certificates were denied access to compensation, rehabilitation, and medical support - essential for living a dignified life.
• Problem with Existing Disability Assessment - The disability assessment guidelines largely focus on visible disfigurement and mobility issues, leaving severe internal injuries caused by acid ingestion inadequately recognised.

Rising Acid Attack Cases and Trial Backlog

• The Supreme Court of India has expressed serious concern over delays in acid attack trials, calling prolonged proceedings a “mockery of the system.”
• Since December 2025, the Court has been monitoring pendency of such cases across the country.
• The Court observed an “alarming increase” in acid attack incidents since 2013 and questioned whether existing punishments are sufficiently harsh to deter such crimes.
• States with Highest Backlog
  • Compliance reports submitted before the Court revealed substantial pendency in several states:
    • Uttar Pradesh: 198 pending cases
    • West Bengal: 160 cases
    • Gujarat: 114 cases
    • Bihar: 68 cases
  • Some regions reported comparatively fewer pending cases:
    • Uttarakhand: 3 cases
    • Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh: 5 cases
• Broader Judicial Focus
  • The Court’s recent expansion of the definition of acid attack victims under the RPwD Act forms part of a wider effort to strengthen legal protection, improve victim support, and address systemic delays in acid attack prosecutions.

Why in news?

A day after the All India Trinamool Congress lost the West Bengal Assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee announced that she would not resign as Chief Minister, alleging that the election outcome resulted from a “conspiracy” rather than the people’s mandate.

She accused the winning party of misusing central forces to capture booths and manipulate the electoral process, and stated that her party would legally challenge the results while continuing its political struggle.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Can a Governor Remove a Chief Minister?
• Floor Test: Determining Majority Support in the Assembly
• What Happens After the Assembly’s Tenure Ends?
• What Happens Next After Electoral Defeat?

Can a Governor Remove a Chief Minister?

• Article 164(1) of the Constitution states that the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor and holds office “during the pleasure of the Governor.”
• On a literal reading, this appears to give the Governor the power to remove a Chief Minister.
• Concerns in the Constituent Assembly
  • During debates in the Constituent Assembly, members expressed concern that such wording could enable arbitrary use of gubernatorial powers.
  • Mohammad Ismail Khan proposed replacing the phrase “during the pleasure” with a provision making ministers hold office only as long as they enjoyed the confidence of the Legislative Assembly.
  • However, B. R. Ambedkar clarified that in a parliamentary system, the Council of Ministers survives only while it enjoys majority support in the Assembly, even if not explicitly stated in the Constitution.
• Supreme Court’s Interpretation
  • Over time, the Supreme Court of India has interpreted the Governor’s powers as largely bound by the “aid and advice” of the Council of Ministers.
  • In A. G. Perarivalan v. State Through Superintendent of Police, the Court observed that the Governor generally acts as a constitutional head rather than exercising independent executive authority.
  • In practice, a Governor cannot arbitrarily dismiss a Chief Minister who continues to enjoy the confidence of the Legislative Assembly.
  • The real test of legitimacy remains majority support in the House.

Floor Test: Determining Majority Support in the Assembly

• A floor test becomes necessary when there is doubt about whether the Chief Minister still enjoys the confidence of the Legislative Assembly, especially if the Governor asks the Chief Minister to resign and considers inviting another leader to form the government.
• The floor test is a constitutional mechanism to verify majority support in the House. The Chief Minister must demonstrate the backing of more than half of the sitting MLAs.
• If the Chief Minister fails to secure majority support during the floor test, resignation becomes necessary.
• If no party or coalition can prove a stable majority after the floor test, the state may come under President’s Rule under Article 356 as a last resort.

What Happens After the Assembly’s Tenure Ends?

• Constitutional Provision - Article 172 of the Constitution states that a State Legislative Assembly normally continues for five years from the date of its first meeting, unless dissolved earlier. After five years, the Assembly automatically stands dissolved.
• Expiry of the West Bengal Assembly - According to the Election Commission, the present West Bengal Assembly began its term on May 8, 2021, and its tenure is scheduled to end on May 7.
• Formation of a New Government - After the Assembly’s tenure ends, the Governor initiates the process of constituting a new Assembly. Newly elected MLAs take oath, following which a new government is formed based on majority support in the House.

What Happens Next After Electoral Defeat?

• According to the experts, resignation after losing an Assembly election is largely a constitutional convention rather than a strict legal requirement.
• Even if a Chief Minister does not resign, the office automatically ceases once the Assembly’s tenure ends and the House stands dissolved.
• Possibility of Election Petitions
  • The election results can still be legally challenged through an election petition filed before the High Court within 45 days of the declaration of results.
  • Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, grounds for challenge include corrupt practices and procedural violations during the conduct of elections.
• Scope for Writ Petitions
  • Apart from election petitions, writ petitions may also be filed if the integrity of the electoral process itself is questioned.
  • Allegations such as arbitrary deletion of voters from electoral rolls can be challenged as violations of fundamental rights.
  • Legal experts argue that large-scale irregularities affecting voter participation could invite judicial scrutiny, especially where constitutional rights and fairness of the democratic process are involved.

Why in News?

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released the Crime in India 2024 and Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) 2024 reports, highlighting key trends in crime, cyber offences, suicides, economic crimes, and vulnerable sections of society.
• While India witnessed an overall decline in registered cognisable crimes in 2024, the reports underline a sharp rise in cybercrime, economic offences, child safety concerns, and drug overdose deaths.
• It also highlights persistent social vulnerabilities linked to unemployment, agrarian distress, and crimes against women.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Overall Crime Trends in India
• Surge in Cybercrime
• Rise in Economic Offences
• Crimes Against Women
• Crimes Against SCs and STs
• Child Safety and Juvenile Concerns
• Suicides and Social Distress
• Drug Overdose Deaths
• Crimes Against the State
• Key Challenges Highlighted by NCRB Data
• Way Forward
• Conclusion

Overall Crime Trends in India:

• Decline in total crime rate:
  • India recorded 58.86 lakh cognisable crimes in 2024, marking a 6% decline compared to 62.41 lakh cases in 2023.
  • Crime rate per lakh population declined from 448.3 in 2023 to 418.9 in 2024.
  • Cases registered included:
    • 35.44 lakh under the IPC/Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
    • 23.41 lakh under Special and Local Laws (SLL).
  • Key interpretation: The decline suggests improved law enforcement and reporting efficiency in some categories, but emerging digital crimes are offsetting these gains.

Surge in Cybercrime:

• Sharp rise in cybercrime cases:
  • Cybercrime emerged as the fastest-growing category of crime in India.
  • For example, cybercrime cases increased by 17.9% from 86,420 (2023) to 1,01,928 (2024). Cybercrime rate rose from 6.2 to 7.3 per lakh population.
• Major motives behind cybercrime:
  • Cyber fraud dominates: 72.6% of cybercrime cases (73,987 cases) were related to cyber fraud.
  • Other motives of cybercrimes: Sexual exploitation (3,190 cases), extortion (2,536 cases), causing disrepute (2,231 cases), and personal revenge (1,850 cases).
• State-wise trends: Telangana recorded the highest number of cybercrime cases (27,230 cases) - nearly 50% rise from 2023. Karnataka followed with 21,003 cases.
• Metropolitan cities under stress:
  • Nearly 35,000 cybercrime cases were registered in metro cities in 2024.
  • Investigation burden remained severe, for example, over 1.2 lakh cases pending investigation, and around 75,000 cases pending trial.
• Key interpretation:
  • Cybercrimes as India’s emerging security challenge.
  • Growing digital vulnerability.
  • Need for cyber policing reforms.
  • Importance of digital literacy and cyber awareness.
  • Capacity constraints in investigation and judicial systems.

Rise in Economic Offences:

• Trends: Economic offences rose by 4.6% in 2024 from 2,04,973 (2023) to 2,14,379 (2024).
• Major components:
  • Forgery, Cheating and Fraud (FCF): Accounted for nearly 90% (1,92,382 cases) of economic offences.
  • Criminal breach of trust: 21,251 cases.
• Implications: The rise indicates -
  • Increasing financial frauds.
  • Expansion of online scams.
  • Weak consumer cyber protection.
  • Need for stronger fintech regulation and digital governance.

Crimes Against Women:

• Marginal decline: Cases declined marginally from 4.48 lakh (2023) to 4.41 lakh (2024).
• Major categories: Cruelty by husband or relatives, kidnapping, crimes against minors, and assault with intent to outrage modesty.
• Crime rate: Crime rate against women declined from 66.2 to 64.6 per lakh women population.
• Structural issues persist: Despite statistical decline, domestic violence remains pervasive, patriarchal social structures continue, and low conviction rates and underreporting remain concerns.

Crimes Against SCs and STs:

• Decline in registered cases:
  • Scheduled Castes (SCs): Cases declined by 3.6% from 57,789 to 55,698. UP, MP and Bihar are the States with highest cases.
  • Scheduled Tribes (STs): Cases declined sharply by 23.1% from 12,960 to 9,966. MP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are States with highest cases.
• Critical observation: A decline in cases does not necessarily imply reduction in discrimination and improved social justice outcomes. It may also reflect underreporting, weak access to justice, and fear of social backlash.

Child Safety and Juvenile Concerns:

• Rising missing children cases: Missing children cases increased by 7.8% from 91,296 to 98,375 (Girls: 75,603; Boys: 22,768; Transgender children: 4).
• Children in conflict with law (CCL): Delhi recorded the highest cases (2,306 CCL cases), having the highest crime rate among metro cities.
• The trends reflect: Urban vulnerability, child trafficking concerns, juvenile delinquency, and need for stronger child protection systems.

Suicides and Social Distress:

• Alarming suicide numbers: According to the ADSI report, India recorded 1,70,746 suicides in 2024.
• Vulnerable groups - Agriculture sector: 10,546 suicides (farmers/cultivators: 4,633; agricultural labourers: 5,913) linked to agriculture sector.
• Other vulnerable categories:
  • Daily wage workers: Around 31% of total suicides
  • Unemployed persons: 14,778
  • Students: 14,488
  • Homemakers: 22,113
• Interpretation: The figures indicate economic insecurity, agrarian distress, unemployment pressures, mental health crisis, social isolation and financial instability.

Drug Overdose Deaths:

• Sharp increase: Drug overdose deaths rose by 50% from 650 (2023) to 978 (2024).
• States reporting highest deaths: Tamil Nadu (313), Punjab (106), MP (90), Rajasthan (69), Mizoram (65).
• Broader implications:
  • The trend reflects that drug overdose deaths are an emerging public health concern in India, due to expanding drug abuse networks, weak rehabilitation systems.
  • It demands coordinated public health and policing interventions.

Crimes Against the State:

• Increase in cases: Cases rose by 6.6% from 4,873 to 5,194.
• Major laws involved:
  • Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act - 84.6% of cases
  • Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) - 649 cases
• Key interpretation: The rise indicates continuing concerns regarding public order, internal security, extremism and anti-state activities.

Key Challenges Highlighted by NCRB Data:

• Institutional challenges: Massive pendency in cybercrime investigations, low conviction rates, forensic and cyber policing gaps, and judicial delays.
• Social challenges: Agrarian distress, gender violence, juvenile vulnerability, mental health crisis, and drug addiction.
• Governance challenges: Coordination gaps between states and agencies, weak cyber awareness, insufficient rehabilitation and counselling infrastructure.

Way Forward:

• Strengthening cyber security architecture: Expand cybercrime police stations, enhance digital forensic capacity, improve interstate coordination, and promote cyber awareness campaigns.
• Criminal justice reforms: Fast-track cybercrime and economic offence cases, reduce judicial pendency, and improve conviction rates through technology-enabled policing.
• Social protection measures: Strengthen mental health support systems, expand farmer welfare and livelihood security, enhance employment generation programmes.
• Child and women safety: Improve child tracking systems, strengthen women helplines and legal aid, expand community policing initiatives.
• Drug abuse prevention: Strengthen rehabilitation centres, improve narcotics intelligence sharing, promote awareness among youth.

Conclusion:

• The NCRB’s Crime in India 2024 report presents a mixed picture.
• While overall crime rates have declined, the rapid rise in cybercrime, economic fraud, suicides, and drug overdose deaths points toward deeper socio-economic and technological challenges confronting India.
• The data underscores the urgent need for a modernised criminal justice system, stronger cyber governance, mental health interventions, and inclusive socio-economic policies.
• As India moves deeper into the digital age, governance institutions must evolve to address emerging forms of crime while ensuring justice, social security, and public trust.