A global order caught up in a swirl of chaos

Adrift at the end of the 20th century, the world of the 21st century is proving to be highly chaotic.

Lack of strong European leadership

European leaders tending to look inwards is, perhaps, not surprising.

Europe has been undergoing several major changes in recent months

Germany, which has steered European politics for almost two wdecades under Angela Merkel, now has a Chancellor (Olaf Scholz) who has hardly any foreign policy experience.

Without Germany’s steadying hand, Europe would be virtually adrift in troubled waters.

Emmanuel Macron may have been re-elected the President of France, but his wings have been clipped with the Opposition now gaining a majority in the French National Assembly.

 The United Kingdom is in deep trouble, if not disarray.

Consequently, at a time when actual and moral issues require both deft and firm handling, Europe appears rudderless.

Economic impact: Compounding this situation is the negative economic impact of the war in Ukraine.

What is evident already is that apart from the spiralling cost of energy, food and fertilizers, quite a few countries confront the spectre of food scarcity given that Ukraine and Russia were generally viewed as the granaries of the world.

Apart from this, nations do face several other problems as well, including, in some cases, a foreign exchange crisis.

The instruments employed by the West against Russia, such as sanctions, have not had the desired impact as far as the latter is concerned.

Growing Russia-China closeness and its implications for Indo-Pacific

The situation in Europe is still to be decided, but what is also becoming obvious is that outside Europe, the conflict is beginning to take on a different dimension, leading to the emergence of new patchworks of relationships.

China’s growing influence in the Pacific region, including in the Indo-Pacific, and further strengthened by the entente with Russia, may hardly be a by-product of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, but it has induced fresh energy into a possible conflict between two rival power blocs.

Asia unwilling to take sides: Understanding the changing nature of relationships in Asia, and considering that most Asian nations appear unwilling to take sides in the event of a conflict, is important.

No unity of purpose: Unlike the unity and the strength displayed by European nations — there is no evidence of any such unity of purpose in the event that China was to launch a conflict with Taiwan.

Challenges for India

India cannot ignore the situation created by the stronger bonds between Russia and China.

Uncertainty about Russia: India will need to determine whether Russia can be expected to play a role as a ‘trusted friend’ of India’s.

Again, it would be too much to hope that in dealing with China, India can expect the same kind of support it may need from the Quad.

China sidelining India: China, however, seems intent on establishing its dominance and also sidelining India in Asia, which New Delhi would have discerned in the course of the virtual BRICS Summit hosted by China in June.

Afghanistan challenge: Apart from China, India also urgently needs to come to terms with a Taliban Afghanistan.

Sri Lanka Challenge: At this time, the democratic upsurge in Sri Lanka presents India with a fresh set of problems.

In a situation where ‘rage’ and ‘anger’ are the dominant sentiments, there is every reason for concern that even governments that have maintained a ‘hands-off’ relationship could become targets of the new forces emerging in Sri Lanka.

Latest guidelines on Arrests and Bail Orders

On July 11, a division bench of the Supreme Court of India in Satender Kumar Antil vs CBI laid down fresh guidelines on arrests in order to have strict compliance with the provisions of Section 41 and 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

Why in news?

In recent times, there have been several controversies regarding the arrest and subsequent bail of accused persons.

On July 16, even the Chief Justice of India (CJI) cautioned against “hasty and indiscriminate arrests”.

He further commented on the delay in bails and the plight of undertrial prisoners.

What are the guidelines?

In the case of Arnesh Kumar (2014), the apex Court had rightly observed that “arrest brings humiliation, curtails freedom and cast scars forever”.

With regard to the Satender Kumar Antil case, the Court has issued specific directions and has also called for a compliance report.

The Court said that the investigating agencies and their officers are duty-bound to comply with the mandate of Section 41 and 41A and the directions issued.

How is a person arrested?

Arrest in its simplest form is defined as, “when one is taken and restrained from his liberty”.

The police has wide powers to arrest under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

In the Joginder Kumar (1994) verdict, the Court had stated that “arrest and detention in police lock-up of a person can cause incalculable harm to the reputation and self-esteem of a person”.

What are Sections 41 and 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure?

Section 41 provides for the circumstances in which arrest can be made by the police without a warrant and mandates for reasons to be recorded in writing for every arrest and non-arrest.

Section 41A provides for the requirement of a notice to be sent by the investigating agencies before making an arrest in certain conditions prescribed by the Code.

What did the court comment regarding these articles?

The Court stated that any dereliction on the part of the agencies has to be brought to the notice of the higher authorities by the court followed by appropriate action.

The Bench further said that the courts will have to satisfy themselves on the compliance of Section 41 and 41A.

Any non-compliance would entitle the accused for a grant of bail.

What are the guidelines with respect to bail?

Regarding bail, the Court has made a specific observation in the form of an obiter that the:

GoI may consider the introduction of a separate enactment, i.e. a Bail Act, so as to streamline the grant of bails.

It is clearly stated that there need not be any insistence on a bail application while considering the application under Sections 88, 170, 204 and 209 of the Code.

The Court said that there needs to be a strict compliance of the mandate laid down in the judgment of this court in Siddharth” (Siddharth vs State of U.P., 2021).

It is a clear direction of the Court that bail applications ought to be disposed of within a period of two weeks except if the provisions mandate otherwise — the exception being an intervening application.

The Court also said that applications for anticipatory bail are expected to be disposed of within a period of six weeks with the exception of any intervening application.

The High Courts have been directed by the apex court to identify undertrial prisoners who cannot comply with bail conditions.

Private Sector Boost in India’s Space Industry

Principal Scientific Adviser stated earlier this month that the government would soon come up with a new space policy that could initiate the rise of India’s own “SpaceX-like Ventures”.

Prospects of the proposed Space Policy

The final version of the policy would soon be referred to the Empowered Technology Group for further examination.

The proposed move would increase private sector participation in the industry.

The policy document recognizes that India has not tapped into its complete potential in space sector.

Why is development in the space sector important?

Ans. Address wide range of problems

(1) Climate Change

Satellites provide more accurate information on weather forecasts and assess (and record) long-term trends in the climate and habitability of a region.

By monitoring the long-term impact of climate change at regional, territorial, and national scales, governments would be able to devise more pragmatic and combative plans of action for farmers and dependent industries.

Additionally, they can also serve as real-time monitoring and early-warning solutions against natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, wildfires, mining etc.

Real-time tracking can also serve multiple purposes in defence.

(2)  Connectivity

In this light, it must be noted that satellite communications, which are used to facilitate telecommunication services, are among the major categories for investment in the space technology sector.

Satellite communication can reach more remote areas where conventional networks would require a heavy complimenting infrastructure.

Additionally, as to reliability, the World Economic Forum had stated that satellite communication can help connect 49% of the world’s unconnected population.

Other prominent categories include spacecraft and equipment manufacturing.

What essentially needs to be remembered is that the strategic space avenue is an integration of the aerospace, IT hardware and telecom sectors.

Where does India stand in the global space market?

As per SpaceTech Analytics, India is the sixth-largest player in the industry internationally having 3.6% of the world’s space-tech companies (as of 2021).

US holds the leader’s spot housing 56.4% of all companies in the space-tech ecosystem.

Other major players include UK (6.5%), Canada (5.3%), China (4.7%) and Germany (4.1%).

The Indian Space Industry was valued at $7 billion in 2019 and aspires to grow to $50 billion by 2024.

Why does India matter in the global space-tech market?

The country’s standout feature is its cost-effectiveness.

India holds the distinction of being the first country to have reached the Mars’ orbit in its first attempt and at $75 million — way cheaper than Western standards.

Future prospects of India’s private ‘Space’

Ans. India may lead in space junk management

Almost 60-odd start-ups had registered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) this year.

A majority of them were dealing in projects related to space debris management.

As space becomes more congested with satellites, the technology would thus help in managing ‘space junk’ (debris of old spacecraft and satellites).