[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 23 March 2023

Solution: c)

The medicines suppress the replication of the virus within the body, allowing the number of CD4 immune cells to bounce back. Although earlier the drugs were given only to those with low CD4 count under the government’s programme, now the programme supports anyone who has been diagnosed with HIV.

The drugs have to be taken for life because the virus continues to persist in reservoirs across the body. If the drugs are stopped, the virus can again start replicating and spreading. When the viral levels are low, the likelihood of a person transmitting the infection is also low.

If left untreated, the virus destroys a person’s immune system and they are said to be in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome stage (AIDS) where they get several opportunistic infections that may result in death.

Although there is no vaccine for HIV, there are Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) medicines that can be taken by people at high risk of contracting the infection. PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 per cent.

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Solution: a)

In common parlance, a caveat refers to “warning” or “caution”. However, legally it connotes a “formal notice requesting the court to refrain from taking some specified action without giving prior notice to the person lodging the caveat.” The person lodging the caveat is called a “caveator”.

Inserted by the Amendment Act of 1976, added after the Law Commission’s recommendation, Section 148A of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) explains when a person has a right to lodge a caveat as “where an application is expected to be made, or has been made, in a suit or proceeding instituted, or about to be instituted, in a Court, any person claiming a right to appear before the Court on the hearing of such application may lodge a caveat in respect thereof.” 

However, the term “caveat” is not expressly defined anywhere except in the Calcutta High Court’s 1978 ruling in “Nirmal Chandra Dutta vs Girindra Narayan Roy” where the court defined the term as a “caution or warning giving notice to the Court not to issue any grant or take any step without notice being given to the party lodging the caveat. It is a precautionary measure taken against the grant of probate or letters of administration, as the case may be, by the person lodging the caveat.”

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Solution: d)

Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) penalises “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony”. This is punishable with imprisonment up to three years, or with fine, or with both.

The provision was enacted in 1898 and was not in the original penal code.

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Solution: b)

Solution: d)

The Ministry of Women and Child Development will implement “naari adalat” (women’s courts) led by women’s collectives in the country in a phased manner as an alternate grievance redressal mechanism to resolve “petty” disputes at the gram panchayat level.

The scheme is part of the Ministry guidelines for the Mission Shakti umbrella scheme. The umbrella scheme comprises of sub-schemes for women’s safety and empowerment.

The naari adalat scheme “will promote gender justice in society and family”. These will resolve “petty cases” such as harassment, curtailment of rights or entitlements.