Special Leave Petition (SLP)

• The Article 136 of the Constitution of India reads as under:

Art. 136. (1) Notwithstanding anything in this Chapter, the Supreme Court may, in its discretion, grant special leave to appeal from any judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order in any cause or matter passed or made by any Court or Tribunal in the territory of India.

(2) Nothing in clause (1) shall apply to any judgement, determination, sentence or order passed or made by any Court or Tribunal constituted by or under any law relating to the Armed Forces.

• Thus Under Article 136 of the Constitution of India the Supreme Court shall have the power to grant special leave to appeal -

a) from any judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order,

b) in any cause or matter,

c) passed or made by any Court or Tribunal, in the territory of India.

•  The power of the Supreme Court to grant special leave to appeal from the decision of any Court or Tribunal save military tribunals, is not subject to any constitutional limitation, and is left entirely to the discretion of the Supreme Court.
  
• Special Leave can be granted from orders of any Court or Tribunal even where there is an appeal to the High Court. The jurisdiction conferred by the Supreme Court is a plenary jurisdiction in the matter of entertaining and hearing appeals by granting special leave against any kind of the judgment or order made by the Court or Tribunal in any case or matter and the jurisdiction can be exercised inspite of other specific provision for appeal contained in the Constitution or other laws.

Effect of Dismissal of Special Leave Petition

• A mere dismissal of SLP does not mean that High Court decisions is approved on merits so as to be a judicial precedent. Thus such dismissal does not lay down any law.
• However, when Supreme Court dismisses an SLP with reason, it might be taken as the affirmation of the High Court views on merits of the case, thus there is no reason to dilute the binding nature of precedents in such cases.
• It is a settled law that when the SLP is dismissed, whether by a speaking or non-speaking order whether in limine or on contest, second SLP would not lie.

Reference- http://www.itatonline.org/articles_new/index.php/special-leave-petitions-the-complete-law/

Nuclear Triad

Reference- India moves closer towards Nuclear Triad

A nuclear triad refers to a nuclear arsenal which consists of three components, traditionally strategic bombers (Fired from Air), intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)(Fired from Land), and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs)(Underwater). The purpose of having a three-branched nuclear capability is to significantly reduce the possibility that an enemy could destroy all of a nation's nuclear forces in a first-strike attack; this, in turn, ensures a credible threat of a second strike, and thus increases a nation's nuclear deterrence

First Animal to Survive in Space

Cellular base stations

A macrocell is a cell in a mobile phone network that provides radio coverage served by a high power cellular base station (tower). High power implies higher amount of radiations are emitted. Generally, macrocells provide coverage larger than microcell. The antennas for macrocells are mounted on ground-based masts, rooftops and other existing structures, at a height that provides a clear view over the surrounding buildings and terrain. Macrocell base stations have power outputs of typically tens of watts.

A microcell is a cell in a mobile phone network served by a low power cellular base station (tower), covering a limited area such as a mall, a hotel, or a transportation hub. A microcell is usually larger than a picocell, though the distinction is not always clear. A microcell uses power control to limit the radius of its coverage area.
Typically the range of a microcell is less than two kilometers wide, a picocell is 200 meters or less, and a femtocell is on the order of 10 meters.

In August 2012, the Union government has told Parliament that the exposure limit of radio frequency fields (base station emissions) will be brought down to one-tenth of the existing level from September 1. Microcells, Picocells and Femtocells are viewed as an alternative to current use Macrocells

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3828735.ece

ISRO gets ready for historic 100th mission - Indian Express

ISRO gets ready for historic 100th mission - Indian Express

Sounding rockets

• A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight.
• Sounding rockets are advantageous for some research due to their low cost and their ability to conduct research in areas inaccessible to either balloons or satellites.
• They are also used for measurements in the upper atmosphere and microgravity research
• Thumba Equatorial Launching Centre of ISRO near Thiruvanantpuram uses Sounding rockets for research. Thumba is located near Earths magnetic equator.
  
• Rockets launched from this site are helpful to probe phenomena associated with the magnetic Equator – such as the electrojet, a stream of electric current flowing in a narrow band of three degrees on either side of the magnetic Equator at a height of 100 kms.
• The sounding rockets were used by ISRO to develop and test several sub-systems for advanced rockets and evaluate more powerful propellants.

Wonders of waste disposal in Kanpur - Indian Express

Wonders of waste disposal in Kanpur - Indian Express

Meta University

The country’s first meta university project, which allows students to choose from the study modules offered by different participating universities, is likely to miss its July deadline.

The participating universities of this project — Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and IIT-Delhi — are still in the process of chalking out the modalities.

The three fields identified last year are: public health, climate change and education.

Rohingya People

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/centuries-in-one-country-yet-not-its-citizens/961615/