Recently, the Tamil Nadu government has announced that it has withdrawn the general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946. 

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

·        The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was set up in 1963 after the recommendation of Santhanam committee under Ministry of Home affairs and was later transferred to the Ministry of Personnel and now it enjoys the status of an attached office.

·        Now, the CBI comes under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

·        The CBI derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, however, it is NOT a Statutory Body.

·        CBI is the apex anti-corruption body in the country – Along with being the main investigating agency of the Central Government it also provides assistance to the Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal.

·        The CBI is required to obtain the prior approval of the Central Government before conducting any inquiry or investigation.

·        The CBI is also the nodal police agency in India which coordinates investigations on behalf of Interpol Member countries.

·        The CBI’s conviction rate is as high as 65 to 70% and it is comparable to the best investigation agencies in the world.

·        The CBI is headed by a Director and he is assisted by a special director or an additional director. It has joint directors, deputy inspector generals, superintendents of police.

CBI has following divisions

·        Anti-Corruption Division

·        Economic Offences Division

·        Special Crimes Division

·        Policy and International Police Cooperation Division

·        Administration Division

·        Directorate of Prosecution

·        Central Forensic Science Laboratory

How does the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) function in India?

Provision of Prior Permission:

·        The CBI is required to obtain prior approval from the Central Government before conducting an inquiry or investigation into an offense committed by officers of the rank of joint secretary and above in the Central Government and its authorities.

·        The Supreme Court, in 2014, declared Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, which provided protection to joint secretary and above officers from facing preliminary inquiries by the CBI in corruption cases, as invalid and violative of Article 14.

General Consent Principle for CBI:

·        The state government can grant consent to the CBI on a case-specific basis or through a “general” consent.

·        General consent is usually given by states to facilitate seamless investigation of corruption cases involving central government employees within their states.

·        This consent is considered implicit, allowing the CBI to initiate investigations assuming consent has already been given.

·        Without general consent, the CBI would need to seek permission from the state government for each individual case, even for minor actions.

Challenges of CBI

·        The CBI has been dubbed a “caged parrot speaking in its master’s voice” by the Supreme Court of India due to excessive political influence in its operations. It has frequently been utilised by the government to conceal misdeeds, keep coalition allies in line, and keep political opponents at away. It has been accused of massive delays in concluding investigations, such as in its investigation into high-ranking Jain dignitaries in the Jain hawala diaries case [in the 1990s].

·        Loss of Credibility: Improving the agency’s image has been one of the most difficult challenges so far, as the agency has been chastised for its mishandling of several high-profile cases, including the Bofors scandal, the Hawala scandal, the Sant Singh Chatwal case, the Bhopal gas tragedy, and the 2008 Noida double murder case (Aarushi Talwar).

·        Lack of Accountability: CBI is exempt from the Right to Information Act, which means it is not accountable to the public.

·        Acute staff shortage: One of the key causes of the shortfall is the government’s mishandling of the CBI’s employees, which includes an inefficient and inexplicably biassed recruitment policy that was utilised to bring in favoured officials, possibly to the organization’s damage.

·        Limited Authority: Members of the CBI’s investigative powers and jurisdiction are subject to the consent of the State Government, restricting the scope of the CBI’s inquiry.

·        Restricted Access: Obtaining prior authorisation from the Central Government to initiate an inquiry or probe into Central Government workers at the level of Joint Secretary and above is a major impediment to tackling corruption at the highest levels of government.

Recently, there has been an increase in reported cases of Monkeypox from some countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific Region. 

About Monkeypox virus

·        The monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus, which is a genus of viruses that also includes the variola virus, which causes smallpox, and vaccinia virus, which was used in the smallpox vaccine.

·        Monkeypox causes symptoms similar to smallpox, although they are less severe.

·        While vaccination eradicated smallpox worldwide in 1980, monkeypox continues to occur in a swathe of countries in Central and West Africa, and has on occasion showed up elsewhere.

·        According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), two distinct clade are identified: the West African clade and the Congo Basin clade, also known as the Central African clade.

Zoonotic disease

·        Monkeypox is a zoonosis, that is, a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans.

·        According to the WHO, cases occur close to tropical rainforests inhabited by animals that carry the virus.

·        Monkeypox virus infection has been detected in squirrels, Gambian poached rats, dormice, and some species of monkeys.

·        Human-to-human transmission is, however, limited — the longest documented chain of transmission is six generations, meaning the last person to be infected in this chain was six links away from the original sick person, the WHO says.

Transmission:

·        Transmission, when it occurs, can be through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets and contaminated objects.

·        Symptoms and treatment

·        According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox begins with a fever, headache, muscle aches, back ache, and exhaustion.

·        It also causes the lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy), which smallpox does not.

·        The WHO underlines that it is important to not confuse monkeypox with chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, syphilis and medication-associated allergies.

·        The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually 7-14 days but can range from 5-21 days.

·        Usually within a day to 3 days of the onset of fever, the patient develops a rash that begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body.

·        The skin eruption stage can last between 2 and 4 weeks, during which the lesions harden and become painful, fill up first with a clear fluid and then pus, and then develop scabs or crusts.

·        According to the WHO, the proportion of patients who die has varied between 0 and 11% in documented cases, and has been higher among young children.

Treatment:

·        There is no safe, proven treatment for monkeypox yet.

·        The WHO recommends supportive treatment depending on the symptoms.

·        Awareness is important for prevention and control of the infection.

Recently, the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), a unique space telescope developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) has been delivered to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 

Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope

·        The SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) is an instrument on-board the Aditya-L1 mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is designed to measure and monitor solar radiation in the near ultraviolet wavelength range (200-400 nm) emitted by the Sun.

Here are some key features and significance of the SUIT instrument:

·        Solar Radiation Mapping: SUIT will map the photosphere and chromosphere of the Sun using 11 filters that are sensitive to different wavelengths. These filters cover different heights in the solar atmosphere and provide valuable data for understanding the processes involved in the transfer of mass and energy between different layers.

·        Sun-Climate Relationship: By measuring and monitoring the solar spectral irradiance, SUIT will contribute to the understanding of the Sun’s influence on the Earth’s atmosphere. It will help in studying the chemistry of oxygen and ozone in the stratosphere, which is crucial for understanding the Sun-climate relationship.

·        Seamless Measurement of Solar Radiation: SUIT will provide a comprehensive measurement of solar radiation across a wide range of wavelengths, from hard X-ray to infrared. It will also perform in-situ measurements of particles in the solar wind, including the Sun’s magnetic field, at the Lagrangian point L1.

·        Health Hazard Monitoring: The SUIT instrument will also measure the ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by the Sun, which is hazardous to human health and can contribute to skin cancer. This information is important for assessing the potential risks of UV exposure.

·        Addressing Fundamental Questions: The SUIT telescope will help address fundamental questions related to the Sun, such as the existence of a higher temperature atmosphere above the cooler surface and the origin and variation of near-ultraviolet radiation and high-energy solar flares.

About Aditya-L1 mission

·        The Aditya-L1 mission is an upcoming spacecraft mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and several Indian research institutes. Aditya, which means “Sun” in Sanskrit, aims to study the solar atmosphere, particularly the solar corona (the outermost part).

Some key details about the Aditya-L1 mission:

·        Objectives: The mission’s primary objective is to observe and study the solar corona, including its dynamics, magnetic field variations, and other physical processes. It will also investigate the origin of solar wind, which affects space weather and its impact on Earth’s magnetosphere.

·        Launch Vehicle: Aditya-L1 will be launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL), a reliable and versatile launch vehicle developed by ISRO.

·        Comprehensive Observations: Over time, the mission’s objectives have been expanded, and it is now intended to be a comprehensive observatory of the Sun and space environment. It will provide valuable data for understanding various aspects of solar activity and its effects on space weather.

·        Orbit: Aditya-L1 will be placed in an orbit around the Lagrange point L1, which is located approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Lagrange points are positions in space where the gravitational pull of two large masses (in this case, the Sun and Earth) precisely balances the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. This unique orbit will allow Aditya-L1 to have continuous views of the Sun without interruptions.

·        Scientific Instruments: The spacecraft will carry multiple instruments to observe the Sun, including a coronagraph to study the solar corona, ultraviolet imaging telescopes, and other sensors to measure various parameters of solar activity.