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Daily Current Capsules - 08th May 2019

Judicial Reforms
Zero pendency court project by Delhi high court
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the pilot project by Delhi high court and about Zero pendency court case) + Mains ( GS II structure organisation and functioning of judiciary)


What's the NEWS
  • A Delhi High Court's pilot project report on the backlog of cases has said the Capital needed 43 more judges above the current strength of 143 to clear all the pending cases in one year.
  • The ‘Zero Pendency Courts Project' is a one-of-its-kind project in India aimed to study the life cycle of cases to come up with optimal timelines for cases.
Know! More about the project
  • The primary goal of the project was to study the flow of cases in the absence of backlog.
  • The conclusions from this project would help in identifying benchmarks for different types of cases time lines, number of judges, case flow management rules and a host of other relevant factors.
  • Further, the project would not only provide information on the judicial time required to dispose a case but also gather stage wise details in each case.
  • The various data analyses presented in the report have been done diligently keeping in view the different types of cases that judges handle and comparison between courts that handle similar types of cases have been carried out.
Objectives of the Zero Pendency Courts Project
  • To study the actual, real-time ‘Flow of Cases' from the date of institution till final disposal.
  • To identify the variables responsible for delays in disposal of cases.
  • To assess realistic time lines needed for the final disposal of newly instituted cases relating to different jurisdictions.
  • To stipulate norms designating the acceptable or tolerable time schedules for disposal of different types of cases.
  • To assess the realistic time lines required for various stages of the ‘flow of cases' in different jurisdictions.
  • To appreciate the institution patterns and mapping the nature of litigation in different jurisdictions in different District Courts.
Know! more about the report ( findings of pilot project)
  • All the 11 pilot courts entered details under the Daily Work done template between January 2017 and December 2017.
  • It contained information on time spent on hearings and flow of cases through different stages.
  • The report noted that the number of criminal cases in Delhi is far more than the number of civil cases. As on March 20, 2019, there were 5.5 lakh criminal cases and 1.8 lakh civil cases pending in subordinate courts in Delhi.
  • It said the highest amount of time per hearing on average was spent on the final arguments stage followed by the final order or judgment.
  • A considerable amount of time is taken on dictation, researching on case laws etc. before pronouncing the final judgment. Thus, a lot of time is spent on each of the hearings, it said.
Reason for delays
  • The reason for delays, the report said was the absence of witnesses. Evidence stage forms an important of a case.
  • Absence of witnesses during the evidence stage causes a serious impediment to the progress of the case.
  • Also, unnecessary adjournments sought by the advocates or the parties at various stages in a case delay the proceedings, thus prolonging the case life. Additionally, there is a delay in the service of summons, especially to outstation parties.
How to rectify this
  • It suggested bumping up the current strength of judges from 143 to an "ideal" 186 judges to clear all the pending cases in one year.
  • Delhi needs 43 more Judges above the current strength of 143 to clear all pending cases in one year.
  • As on March 2019, there were 5.5 lakh criminal cases and 1.8 lakh civil cases pending in subordinate courts in Delhi.
Space Awareness
NASA's First Planetary Defense Technology to Collide with Asteroid in 2022
Relevance IN - Prelims - ( about NASA's DART and planetary defense technology) + Mains ( GS III awareness in the filed of space)


What's the NEWS
  • NASA's first mission to demonstrate a planetary defence technique, The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), will get one opportunity to hit small moonlet in the binary asteroid system Didymos.
  • The asteroid poses no threat to Earth and is an ideal test target. NASA revealed that details about its plan to hit a small moonlet target in a double asteroid system with a spacecraft in 2022.
  • The asteroid, called Didymoon or Didymos B, is a moon asteroid around 150 meters tall orbiting a larger body Didymos A, the most accessible asteroid of its size from the Earth.
  • Current observations will help researchers to better understand the extent of the impact made when DART slams into its target - Didymos B - in September 2022.
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)
  • Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a planned space probe that will demonstrate the kinetic effects of crashing an impact spacecraft into an asteroid moon for planetary defence purposes.
  • The mission is intended to test whether a spacecraft impact could successfully deflect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
  • The mission's target is 65803 Didymos, a binary asteroid system in which one asteroid is orbited by a smaller one.
  • The primary asteroid is about 800 m (2,600 ft) in diameter; its small satellite is about 150 m (490 ft) in diameter in an orbit about 1.1 km from the primary.
  • DART will target the smaller asteroid. Didymos is not an Earth-crossing asteroid, and there is no possibility that the deflection experiment could create an impact hazard.
Miscellaneous Facts
Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about CFTRI)

What's the NEWS
  • Mysore based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), has prepared nearly one lakh meals for distribution in cyclone Fani hit areas of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
Know! about CFTRI
  • It is a premier food research laboratory under Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T), Government of India. It is Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) constituent laboratory.
  • It was established in 1950 and is headquartered in Mysore, Karnataka. Its resource centers are in Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai.
  • It develops technologies to increase efficiency and reduce post-harvest crop losses, increase export, add conveniences and find new sources of food products, integrate human resources in food industries, reduce costs and modernize supply chains.
  • Some of its research areas are Food engineering, food biotechnology, microbiology, grain sciences, sensory science, Biochemistry, Molecular Nutrition and food safety.
Space Awareness
Asteroid Apophis will flyby Earth on April 13, 2029

Relevance IN - Prelims - ( about asteroid Apophis) + Mains ( GS III awareness in the filed of space)

What's the NEWS
  • A giant asteroid called 99942 Apophis will pass Earth on April 13, 2029, which is nearly a decade later, but scientists are already preparing for this important celestial event
  • 99942 Apophis will cruise harmlessly by Earth, according to NASA, but it will come very close to our planet at around 19,000 miles or 31,000 km above the surface
Know! more about it
  • A giant asteroid named 99942 Apophis will pass Earth on April 13, 2029, which is nearly a decade in waiting, but scientists are already preparing for this important celestial event which is being seen as a major scientific opportunity.
  • According to NASA scientists, this asteroid is a representative of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) or those that could collide with Earth and cause damage.
  • 99942 Apophis will cruise harmlessly by Earth, according to NASA, but it will come very close to our planet at around 19,000 miles or 31,000 km above the surface.
  • This is the distance at which some of the spacecraft are orbiting Earth, explains NASA. The asteroid will travel "the width of the full Moon within a minute and it will get as bright as the stars in the Little Dipper," explains NASA.
  • The asteroid is 340-meter-wide and it is being seen as an opportunity for science since asteroids of this size rarely pass by Earth at such a close distance.
  • The asteroid will also be visible to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere. It will be seen from the east coast to the west coast of Australia. The trajectory of the asteroid indicates it will then cross the Indian Ocean, and by the afternoon in the eastern US it will have crossed the equator, still moving west, above Africa
Prelims Practise Questions
Consider the following statements regarding Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI)
1. It is a premier food research laboratory under Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T), Government of India.
2. It is also the Constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR)
3. It was established in 1950 and is headquartered in Mysore, Karnataka. Its resource centers are in Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai.
Find the correct statement from the option given below
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 3
c. 1 and 3
d. 1 2 and 3

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