29 September 2026
On 29 September 2026 the UN refugee agency UNHCR reported that 8.3 million refugees and forcibly displaced people are at risk of losing vital assistance because of funding cuts.
Available funding fell from $5.178 billion in 2024 to $3.932 billion in 2025.
By July 2026 the agency had received only 32 per cent of the $8.5 billion it needed for the year.
In Afghanistan cash grants for returnees were cut from $375 per person to $170 per household, and only 175 households received reintegration grants in 2026 against 5,300 in 2024.
In Chad registration delays affect 319,000 refugees, while in Ethiopia safe houses for survivors of gender-based violence fell from 29 to 13.
UNHCR cut its workforce by one third in 2025 and closed offices in 140 locations, and project-specific funding rose from 19 per cent in 2022 to 51 per cent in 2026.
Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's Director of External Relations, said that below a certain threshold the system does not shrink, it fails.
People at risk:
8.3 million
Funding received by July 2026:
32 per cent of $8.5 billion
Offices closed:
140 locations
Why it matters for exams: Humanitarian funding figures and UNHCR's mandate are recurring international-organisation questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Article 1 of the Constitution of Japan makes the Emperor the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power. Article 4 provides that the Emperor shall perform only such acts in matters of state as are provided for in the Constitution and shall not have powers related to government. Article 3 requires the advice and approval of the Cabinet for all acts of the Emperor in matters of state. Article 65 vests executive power in the Cabinet, and Article 66 provides that the Cabinet consists of the Prime Minister, who is its head, and other Ministers of State, all of whom must be civilians. The Cabinet, in the exercise of executive power, is collectively responsible to the Diet. Article 67 requires the Prime Minister to be designated from among the members of the Diet by a resolution of the Diet, and Article 6 then has the Emperor appoint the Prime Minister as designated by the Diet. Under Article 68 the Prime Minister appoints the Ministers of State, a majority of whom must be chosen from among the members of the Diet, and may remove them at will. Article 69 provides that if the House of Representatives passes a non-confidence resolution or rejects a confidence resolution, the Cabinet must resign en masse unless the House of Representatives is dissolved within ten (10) days.
Head of state:
The Emperor, symbol of the State (Article 1)
Executive power:
Vested in the Cabinet (Article 65)
Head of the Cabinet:
The Prime Minister (Article 66)
How the Prime Minister is chosen:
Designated by the Diet (Article 67), appointed by the Emperor (Article 6)
Ministers of State from the Diet:
A majority of their number (Article 68)
Time to dissolve after a non-confidence resolution:
ten (10) days (Article 69)
Why it matters for exams: The head of state and head of government distinction is asked of every country in the Country Focus, and Japan's parliamentary cabinet system is a close parallel to India's, which makes it a ready comparison question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Federal Constitution deals with the rights of voters in Switzerland to act directly in Title 4: The People and the Cantons, Chapter 2: Initiative and Referendum. Under Art. 138, any 100,000 persons eligible to vote may within 18 months of the official publication of their initiative propose a complete revision of the Federal Constitution, and that proposal must be submitted to a vote of the People. Under Art. 139, any 100,000 persons eligible to vote may within 18 months of the official publication of their initiative request a partial revision of the Federal Constitution in specific terms. An initiative in the form of a specific draft shall be submitted to the vote of the People and the Cantons. Art. 141 provides for the optional referendum: if within 100 days of the official publication of the enactment any 50,000 persons eligible to vote or any eight Cantons request it, the enactment shall be submitted to a vote of the People.
Signatures for a popular initiative:
100,000 within 18 months
Signatures for an optional referendum:
50,000 within 100 days
Cantons that may demand a referendum instead:
any eight Cantons
Federal Constitution provisions:
Art. 138, Art. 139 and Art. 141
Why it matters for exams: The popular initiative and the optional referendum are the classic comparison used against India's purely representative amendment process under Article 368, and the signature thresholds and time limits are frequently asked as numbers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The National Commission for Women is the body constituted under section 3 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Act 20 of 1990). The Act carries the date 30th August, 1990 and was brought into force on 31.1.1992. Under section 3 the Central Government shall constitute the body, and the Commission shall consist of a Chairperson, committed to the cause of women, five Members and a Member-Secretary, all to be nominated by the Central Government. A proviso requires that at least one Member each shall be from amongst persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively. Under section 10 the Commission shall investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws, review, from time to time, the existing provisions of the Constitution and other laws affecting women and recommend amendments thereto, and look into complaints and take suo motu notice of matters relating to deprivation of women's rights. While investigating such matters the Commission shall have all the powers of a Civil Court trying a suit, in particular summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining him on oath. The Central Government shall cause the reports upon the working of those safeguards to be laid before each House of Parliament alongwith a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations.
Statute:
National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Act 20 of 1990)
Date carried by the Act:
30th August, 1990
Brought into force:
31.1.1992
Composition under section 3:
a Chairperson, five Members and a Member-Secretary
Powers while investigating:
all the powers of a Civil Court trying a suit
Why it matters for exams: The statute and its number, the section under which the Commission is constituted, the exact composition and the powers of a Civil Court are the points examiners use to separate the Commission from a merely advisory body.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
India and Brazil elevated their relationship to Strategic Partnership in 2006. The two countries cooperate in plurilateral fora such as IBSA, BRICS, G20, G-4, International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuel Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, and in the larger multilateral bodies such as the UN, WTO, UNESCO and WIPO. Diplomatic relations were established in 1948. India opened the first ever Embassy in the Latin American region in Rio de Janeiro, the erstwhile capital of Brazil, and later moved it to Brasilia in 1971. India has a Consulate General in São Paulo while Brazil has one in Mumbai. In 2025 the bilateral trade reached USD 15.21 billion, against USD 12.20 billion in 2024, with Indian exports of USD 8.35 billion and imports from Brazil of USD 6.85 billion. India launched the Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1, the first Earth Observation satellite to be completely designed, integrated, tested and operated by Brazil.
Strategic Partnership since:
2006
Diplomatic relations established:
1948
Bilateral trade in 2025:
USD 15.21 billion
Consulate General in Brazil:
São Paulo
Why it matters for exams: India and Brazil questions turn on the year the partnership was raised, the groupings the two share, and the satellite India launched for Brazil, and all three are asked in current affairs and international relations papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Brazil is a Member State of the United Nations. The United Nations gives its date of admission as 24-10-1945. Argentina and Paraguay were admitted on the same day, 24-10-1945. India was admitted a few days later, on 30-10-1945. Portugal, which had ruled Brazil as a colony, became a Member State only on 14-12-1955. Uruguay was admitted on 18-12-1945 and Peru on 31-10-1945.
Date of admission of Brazil to the United Nations:
24-10-1945
Date of admission of India:
30-10-1945
Date of admission of Portugal:
14-12-1955
Why it matters for exams: Questions on which countries were in the United Nations from its first year, and on the groupings such as BRICS, the G20, IBSA and the G-4 that pair Brazil with India, come up in both preliminary and interview stages.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Federative Republic of Brazil is the most influential country in South America. Its capital is Brasilia. The capital was moved from Rio de Janeiro to the new purpose-built city of Brasilia in 1960. Brazil covers an area of 8,515,767 sq km. The BBC country profile, last updated in June 2023, gives its population as 217.2 million. The language is Portuguese. Brazil was a former Portuguese colony. Much of the Amazon rainforest lies within Brazil.
Capital:
Brasilia
Area:
8,515,767 sq km
Population:
217.2 million (BBC country profile, last updated June 2023)
Language:
Portuguese
Why it matters for exams: The capital, area, language and currency of Brazil are standard one-mark questions, and the shift of the capital from Rio de Janeiro to a newly planned city is a favourite link between geography and administration.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
India and Japan share a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. After the Second World War India did not attend the San Francisco Conference but concluded a separate Peace Treaty with Japan on 28 April 1952, which marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The relationship was elevated to a Global Partnership in 2000, to a Strategic and Global Partnership in 2006 and to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014. Annual Summits have been held between India and Japan since 2006. The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, came into effect from 1 August 2011 and covers trade in goods, services, movement of natural persons, investments, intellectual property rights and customs procedures. Japan has been extending bilateral loan and grant assistance to India since 1958 and is the largest bilateral donor to India, supporting priority areas such as power, transportation and environmental projects. India's first High Speed Rail corridor, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project, is being built with technical and financial assistance from Japan and uses Japanese Shinkansen technology. The corridor has a length of 508.17 km with 12 stations in the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Japan-India Association, established in 1903, is Japan's oldest international friendship body.
Present designation of the relationship:
Special Strategic and Global Partnership
Start of diplomatic relations:
Peace Treaty of 28 April 1952
CEPA in effect from:
1 August 2011
Japanese assistance to India since:
1958
Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor length:
508.17 km
Stations on the corridor:
12
Why it matters for exams: The name of the partnership, the year diplomatic relations began and the Japanese role in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project are standard one-mark facts, and the ODA link explains why Japan appears in questions on India's external assistance.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Diet consists of two Houses, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, each composed of elected Members who represent all the people. The House of Representatives has 465 members with a term of office of 4 years, and that term ends with the dissolution of the House. The House of Councillors has 248 members with a term of office of 6 years, with half of the Members elected every third year. Dissolution is possible for the House of Representatives and not possible for the House of Councillors. In the House of Representatives 289 members are returned from single-seat constituencies and 176 by proportional representation. In the House of Councillors 148 members are returned from plural-seat prefectural constituencies and 100 by proportional representation. The right to vote for both Houses rests with citizens 18 years of age or older, while the right to stand for office is citizens 25 years of age or older for the House of Representatives and citizens 30 years of age or older for the House of Councillors. Each House also has a Commission on the Constitution, a Board of Oversight and Review of Specially Designated Secrets, and a Deliberative Council on Political Ethics.
House of Representatives: number of members:
465
House of Representatives: term of office:
4 years
House of Councillors: number of members:
248
House of Councillors: term of office:
6 years, with half of the Members elected every third year
House of Representatives constituencies:
Single-seat constituency: 289; Proportional representation: 176
House of Councillors constituencies:
Plural-seat prefectural constituency: 148; Proportional representation: 100
Right to stand for office:
Citizens 25 years of age or older (Representatives); citizens 30 years of age or older (Councillors)
Why it matters for exams: The size, term and election method of the two Houses of a foreign legislature is the commonest Country Focus question, and Japan's staggered six-year upper House is a standard contrast with the Rajya Sabha.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Constitution of Japan was promulgated on November 3, 1946. Chapter II of the Constitution is headed Renunciation of War and contains only Article 9. Article 9 states that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. Its second paragraph adds that land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained, and that the right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized. Article 100 provides that the Constitution be enforced from the day when the period of six months will have elapsed counting from the day of its promulgation. Article 96 requires an amendment to be initiated by the Diet through a concurring vote of two-thirds or more of all the members of each House, and then ratified by an affirmative vote of a majority of all votes cast at a special referendum or at an election the Diet specifies. An amendment so ratified is promulgated by the Emperor in the name of the people as an integral part of the Constitution. Chapter X of the Constitution is headed Supreme Law.
Promulgated:
November 3, 1946
Enforcement (Article 100):
Six months after the day of promulgation
Chapter containing Article 9:
Chapter II, Renunciation of War
Amendment: vote in each House:
Two-thirds or more of all the members
Amendment: final step:
Majority of all votes cast at a referendum
Why it matters for exams: The renunciation of war clause is the single most asked fact about Japan's Constitution, and the amendment procedure under Article 96 is a standard comparison with India's Article 368.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Sikkim became an integral part of the Indian Union in May, 1975. The Constitutional Provision under Article 315 to have a Public Service Commission for the State was fulfilled by constituting a State Public Service Commission in the year 1978. The Commission actually started functioning from 1982 with the appointment of the Chairman and deputation of the staff from the State Government. At present the State Public Service Commission is located in the class rooms of the Old West Point School Complex. The Union Public Service Commission decided to declare Gangtok as one of the Centres for conducting Union Public Service Commission Examinations. The Sikkim Public Service Commission has been entrusted with the work of conducting Union Public Service Commission examinations.
Constitutional provision:
Article 315
Year constituted:
1978
Started functioning:
1982
Examination centre declared:
Gangtok
Present location:
Old West Point School Complex
Why it matters for exams: Article 315 is the article tested whenever a State Public Service Commission is asked about, and a State PSC that conducts the Union Commission's examinations is an unusual arrangement worth knowing.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Sikkim became the 22nd State of India vide the Constitution (36th Amendment) Act 1975. The special provision laid for the State is article 371(F) of the Constitution of India. Sikkim was a tiny Himalayan kingdom once ruled by the hereditary monarchy for about 3 centuries from 17 century A.D. In 1950 the kingdom became a protectorate of the Government of India, vested with autonomy in its internal affairs while its defence, communications and external relation were the responsibility of the protector. The Act provides that the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim shall consist of not less than thirty two members. The Assembly formed as a result of the elections held in Sikkim in April, 1974 with 32 members elected was deemed to be the Legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim duly constituted under the Constitution.
State of the Indian Union:
22nd State of India
Amendment Act:
Constitution (36th Amendment) Act 1975
Special provision:
article 371(F)
Assembly members:
not less than thirty two members
Protectorate of the Government of India:
1950
Why it matters for exams: The article number that carries a State's special provisions is a standard polity question, and Sikkim's position as the 22nd State is asked alongside it.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The district in the south of Sikkim lies at an altitude of 400 mtr to 2000 mtr and encompasses a total area of around 75000 hectares. Namchi or Namtse, meaning Sky High, is the headquarter of South Sikkim, nestled among the hills having elevation of 5500 fts. Its total population is 1,46,850 as per the 2011 census. Of that population 76,670 are male and 70,180 female. The district administration describes the landscape as terraced slopes intercepted by spring patched forest. The district was long known as the South District and has been named Namchi district since December 2021, when Sikkim's four older districts were renamed and two new ones were created; the State's six districts are Gangtok, Gyalshing, Mangan, Namchi, Pakyong and Soreng.
Headquarter:
Namchi (Namtse)
Area:
around 75000 hectares
Altitude range:
400 mtr to 2000 mtr
Elevation of headquarter:
5500 fts
Population (2011 census):
1,46,850
Male and female:
76,670 male and 70,180 female
Why it matters for exams: State Focus questions on Sikkim turn on which town is a district headquarter and on the district's area, altitude and census population.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The State of Rajasthan was formed during the period March 17, 1948 to January 25, 1950 by integration of 19 Princely States. The Union of Rajasthan was inaugurated at Jaipur by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on March 30, 1949. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Kota were then the leading states, each with its own High Court and a subordinate judicial system. Alwar was the capital of Matsya State and Udaipur was the capital of United Rajasthan. A committee of Shri B.R.Patel, Lt. Col. T.C.Puri and Shri S.P.Sinha recommended that Jaipur should be made capital of the new State and the High Court should be located at Jodhpur. Under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 the State of Ajmer, then a Part 'C' State, and the Tallukas of Abu and Sunnel-Tappa were added to Rajasthan, and the Sironj sub division of Kota district was transferred to Madhya Pradesh. A later committee recommended that the capital should not be shifted from Jaipur.
Princely States integrated:
19
Union of Rajasthan inaugurated at:
Jaipur
Inaugurated by:
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
Added under the States Reorganisation Act:
Ajmer, Abu and Sunnel-Tappa
Transferred to Madhya Pradesh:
Sironj sub division of Kota district
Why it matters for exams: The integration of the princely states into Rajasthan, and the territorial give-and-take of 1956, are asked as both history and polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
In the newly created State, five High Courts were functioning at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur (the capital of United Rajasthan, with a bench at Kota) and Alwar (the capital of Matsya State), with a total strength of 20 judges. The Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949 abolished these different jurisdictions and provided for a single High Court for the entire State. Section 10(1) of the Ordinance laid down that the High Court shall sit at Jodhpur and such other place or places as the Rajpramukh may from time to time appoint. The High Court was duly inaugurated on August 29, 1949, with Justice Kamal Kant Verma as Chief Justice. By Section 49 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 a new High Court came into being as the High Court of Rajasthan, and Jodhpur was declared its principal seat with effect from November 1, 1956. The High Court of Rajasthan (Establishment of a Permanent Bench at Jaipur) Order, 1976 was made by the President of India after consultation with the Governor of Rajasthan and the Chief Justice. The Jaipur bench has jurisdiction over cases arising in districts including Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Tonk and Dausa.
Principal seat:
Jodhpur
Permanent bench:
Jaipur
Judges in the five pre-merger High Courts:
20
First Chief Justice:
Kamal Kant Verma
Why it matters for exams: The seat of a High Court and the authority competent to create a bench are recurring polity questions, and Rajasthan is the standard example of a principal seat away from the state capital.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
One High Court serves the two States of Punjab and Haryana, and its principal seat is at Chandigarh, in Sector 1 of the city. Its predecessor, the High Court of judicature at Lahore, was established by Letters Patent dated March 20, 1919 for the provinces of Punjab and Delhi, and the Chief Court of Punjab was abolished on its establishment. After independence the High Court at Lahore ceased to have jurisdiction over Delhi and East Punjab, and the East Punjab High Court of judicature was established at Shimla on August 15, 1947. The seat was later moved because of the inclement weather at Shimla in winter, and the Court started functioning at Chandigarh from its present building with effect from January 17, 1955; Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru formally declared it open on March 19, 1955. The plan of the building was designed by the French Architect Le Corbusier. By the States Re-organisation Act, 1956 the State of Pepsu, the Patiala and East Punjab State Union, was merged in the State of Punjab, the Judges of the Pepsu High Court became Judges of the Punjab High Court, and the strength of the Court rose from 8 Judges to 13. When Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh came into existence from November 1st, 1966, the High Court of Punjab was renamed the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, and it has worked in that form since.
Principal seat:
Chandigarh, Sector 1
Court at Lahore:
High Court of judicature at Lahore
Seat after independence:
Shimla
Architect of the building:
Le Corbusier
Renamed High Court of Punjab and Haryana:
November 1, 1966
Why it matters for exams: A single High Court for two States and a Union Territory is the standard illustration of a common High Court, and its move from Lahore to Shimla to Chandigarh is asked as a sequence.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, and it established three separate bodies: the Assembly of States Parties, the Court itself and the Trust Fund for Victims. The Rome Statute grants the ICC jurisdiction over four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The Court comprises four separate organs, namely the Presidency, the Judicial Divisions, the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registry. Its 18 judges sit in 3 divisions, Pre-Trial, Trial and Appeals, and conduct the judicial proceedings. The Court may exercise jurisdiction where genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes were committed on or after 1 July 2002 by a State Party national, or in the territory of a State Party, or in a State that has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court. A situation may also be referred to the ICC Prosecutor by the United Nations Security Council under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. Jurisdiction over the fourth crime, the crime of aggression, runs on a separate track: the definition was adopted by amending the Rome Statute at the 2010 Kampala Review Conference and the Assembly of States Parties activated the Court's jurisdiction over it as of 17 July 2018, and where there is no Security Council referral the Court may not exercise that jurisdiction over an act of aggression committed by a national or on the territory of a State Party that has not ratified or accepted those amendments. The Court is intended to complement, not to replace, national criminal systems, and prosecutes only where States are unwilling or unable to do so genuinely. It has no police force of its own and relies on cooperation from countries for arrests; the seat of the Court is in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Founding treaty:
Rome Statute
Judges:
18 judges in 3 divisions: Pre-Trial, Trial and Appeals
Organs of the Court:
Presidency, Judicial Divisions, Office of the Prosecutor, Registry
Crimes within jurisdiction:
genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, crime of aggression
Seat of the Court:
The Hague, the Netherlands
Jurisdiction in time:
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on or after 1 July 2002; jurisdiction over the crime of aggression activated as of 17 July 2018
Why it matters for exams: The Court is frequently confused with the International Court of Justice, so a question can be answered only by someone who knows its founding treaty, its organs, the number of its judges and the four crimes it may try.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The 73rd Amendment 1992 added a new Part IX to the constitution titled The Panchayats, covering provisions from Article 243 to 243(O), and a new Eleventh Schedule covering 29 subjects within the functions of the Panchayats. It implements article 40 of the DPSP, under which the State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. Part IX provides for a 3 tier Panchayat system at the village level, intermediate level and district level, but states with a population below 20 Lakh were given an option to not to have the intermediate level. Gram Sabha is a body consisting of all the persons registered in the electoral rolls relating to a village comprised within the area of Panchayat at the village level, and it is the only permanent unit in Panchayati Raj system. Seats are reserved for SCs and STs in proportion to their population at each level, and out of the total number of seats to be filled by the direct elections, 1/3rd have to be reserved for women. A clear term for 5 years has been provided for the Panchayats, and where a Panchayat is dissolved earlier the elections must take place before expiry of 6 months of the dissolution. Article 243F fixes 21 years as the minimum age to become a member of the Panchayat, and Article 243K provides for constitution of a State Election Commission in respect of the Panchayats. The provisions of part IX are not applicable to the entire states of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Part added to the Constitution:
Part IX, Article 243 to 243(O)
Schedule added:
Eleventh Schedule, 29 subjects
Directive Principle implemented:
article 40 of the DPSP
Term of a Panchayat:
5 years
Minimum age for membership:
21 years, under Article 243F
States to which Part IX does not apply:
Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram
Why it matters for exams: Which Part, which Schedule, how many subjects, the term, the minimum age and the exempted states are the exact points asked on rural local government.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 the Central Government is empowered to grant exemption from the certification requirements. Festival organisers apply for that exemption in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A film that does not get the exemption can still be screened if it carries CBFC certification. The body now using this route, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, submitted applications seeking exemption in respect of 347 documentary and short films selected for the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam (IDSFFK), a non-commercial festival intended for registered delegates including filmmakers, film society organizers, film technicians, critics, media persons and students. The Academy withdrew one film, leaving 346 for consideration; of those, 315 were permitted to be screened and another 24 received CBFC certification. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas of the Kerala High Court declined interim relief on the remaining seven documentaries, six of which had been referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs and one to the Ministry of External Affairs for inputs on their content.
Exemption provision:
Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952
Guidelines issued by:
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Films for which exemption was sought:
347
Films permitted to be screened:
315
Why it matters for exams: Aspirants are asked who certifies a film and who can exempt one, and the two are different authorities: the CBFC certifies, while the exemption for a festival comes from the Central Government under the Cinematograph Act.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Section 100 of the Patents Act, 1970 deals with the use of a patented invention for the purposes of government. Deciding a suo motu petition titled In Re Exorbitant Pricing of Life Saving Patented Medicines, the institution now interpreting that provision, the Kerala High Court, held that a notice under Section 100 also includes the entitlement of the government to use the patent or invention for manufacturing the medicine covered by the patent and sell the same to a person, including a needy patient, on a non-commercial basis. The court held that Section 100 is required to be invoked in circumstances where the government is required to intervene, such as an instance where the medicine manufactured on the basis of a patent is being sold at an exorbitant price. It also held that the government requires to collate the required data and arrive at a decision as to whether a particular medicine is affordable or not before proceeding under Section 100. Compulsory licensing is a separate route, provided for in Sections 84 and 92 of the same Act. The proceeding arose from the pricing of the patented breast cancer medicine Ribociclib. Justice Harisankar V. Menon delivered the verdict.
Provision for government use:
Section 100, Patents Act, 1970
Compulsory licensing provisions:
Sections 84 and 92
Case:
In Re Exorbitant Pricing of Life Saving Patented Medicines
Judge:
Justice Harisankar V. Menon
Why it matters for exams: Examiners test the difference between government use of a patent and compulsory licensing, and a High Court reading of Section 100 fixes which section does which.
Kerala PSCUPSC