UPSC Editorials Quiz : 13 June 2026

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is correct: Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to pass any decree or order necessary for doing “complete justice” in any cause or matter pending before it. The Court frequently uses this extraordinary power to issue binding guidelines when statutory laws are silent.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Supreme Court does not directly reassign cases pending within a High Court. Under the new 2026 guidelines, it is the Chief Justice of the respective High Court (acting as the master of the roster for that specific court) who holds the administrative authority to withdraw and reassign the matter to a fresh bench if deadlines are breached.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The right to a speedy trial and timely judgment is not explicitly written in the text of Article 21. Instead, it has been read into the broad scope of the “Right to Life and Personal Liberty” through progressive judicial interpretations by the Supreme Court over time.

Solution: A

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), formalised at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023, is designed to bypass the Suez Canal and integrate sea, rail, and road networks. The corridor is anchored by the Israeli Port of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast as its key western node. However, ongoing conflicts and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted the extreme vulnerability of traditional maritime choke points, through which nearly one-third of global seaborne oil and 88% of India’s imports flow. To mitigate this geostrategic fragility, planners are exploring alternative pathways like Duqm Port and Salalah Port in Oman, which provide direct access to the Arabian Sea, thereby bypassing the volatile waters of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Qeshm Island is located in the Strait of Hormuz and is controlled by Iran, not the Suez Canal under Euro-Mediterranean control.

Solution: B

• In urban and spatial planning, the reconstitution of land is the core technical mechanism of Land Pooling and Town Planning Schemes (TPS). Under this model, irregular, fragmented private agricultural plots are aggregated or pooled, planned collectively with basic public infrastructure (such as roads, parks, and utilities), and then returned to the original owners in regular, serviced shapes. Since the value of the reconstituted land appreciates significantly due to the newly built infrastructure, landowners are willing to contribute a portion of their land (often up to 50%) for public purposes without requiring direct cash compensation from the state. This differs conceptually from Eminent Domain (compulsory acquisition), which involves the involuntary expropriation of land for public purposes in exchange for cash compensation under the RFCTLARR Act, 2013. Reconstitution avoids upfront acquisition costs and minimizes community displacement, making it a highly sustainable option for urban expansion.

Source

Solution: A

• Suo motu cognisance is a specialized jurisdiction empowering the Supreme Court and High Courts to initiate legal proceedings on their own motion, without an aggrieved party filing a formal petition, making statement 1 correct.
• However, this power is not explicitly codified or mentioned under the text of Article 32; rather, it is rooted historically in the evolution of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and anchored under the expansive constitutional interpretation of Articles 32 and 142, making statement 2 incorrect.
• Furthermore, these powers are constitutionally intended to be a residual, auxiliary tool to address macro-systemic vacuums and check state inaction. They are not meant for micromanaging individual criminal cases actively being processed by competent lower trial courts, which violates the doctrine of separation of powers, making statement 3 incorrect.

Solution: B

• The Khet Bachao Abhiyan is a nationwide agricultural awareness and outreach campaign led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, not the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, making statement 1 incorrect.
• The primary objective of this mission is to promote sustainable farming practices and improve soil health. It actively encourages the balanced and judicious use of fertilizers based on scientific recommendations, soil testing, Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), and organic inputs, making statement 2 correct.
• To ensure successful grass-roots execution, the campaign adopts a panchayat-centric approach that features massive institutional participation, jointly incorporating local village bodies, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), ICAR institutes, and State Agriculture Departments, making statement 3 correct.