Quick Overview
The provided content covers four distinct topics: Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and Bioterrorism, the Judicial Pendency Crisis in India, the Thalassemia Burden in India, and the Early Closure of the Antarctic Ozone Hole.
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1. Biological Weapons Convention and Bioterrorism
Context: At the 50-year commemoration of the BWC in New Delhi, India's External Affairs Minister warned the world is unprepared for bioterrorism, stressing rising risks from non-state actors.
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): Opened for signature in 1972 (entered force 1975, India ratified 1974), the BWC is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). It prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of biological and toxin weapons. The General Purpose Criterion (Article I) bans biological agents lacking legitimate peaceful use.
India and BWC: India enforces the BWC through the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act, 2005, and export controls via the SCOMET List.
Gaps in BWC: The Convention lacks a formal compliance and verification mechanism, unlike the OPCW for the Chemical Weapons Convention. It also lacks a structured system to track rapid scientific and technological developments.
Bioterrorism: Defined by INTERPOL as the deliberate release of harmful biological agents to cause disease and fear for political or social objectives. Concerns include high casualty potential, difficult detection/attribution, dual-use research risks, and psychological/economic disruption.
Measures to Strengthen Biosecurity: India has proposed a National Implementation Framework (covering high-risk agents, dual-use oversight) and co-recommended a global assistance database (Article VII) with France. Other measures include bio-forensics, placing the Global South at the centre of planning, and promoting International Cooperation (e.g., Cartagena Protocol).
Conclusion: The BWC's gaps necessitate urgent reform, compliance, and stronger oversight to address the rising threat of bioterrorism.
2. India’s Judicial Pendency Crisis
Context: The Union Law Minister highlighted a severe manpower shortage and a rising case load, underscoring the need for systemic reforms.
Status of Pendency: Nearly 4.80 crore cases are pending in Lower Courts, with the Supreme Court backlog rising by 30% in four years. Uttar Pradesh is the epicenter, accounting for over 23% of the national backlog.
Systemic Causes:
Inadequate Judge-to-Population Ratio: Only 21 judges per million, far below the 1987 Law Commission recommendation of 50 per million.
High Vacancy Rate: Over 4,855 vacancies in lower courts and 297 in High Courts, leading to overburdened existing judges.
Infrastructural Deficiencies: Lack of adequate courtrooms and modern technological support.
Inefficient Case Management: Frequent adjournments and poor prioritization of old cases.
Slow Appointment Process: Bureaucratic and political delays, including the Collegium-Executive tussle.
Low Adoption of ADR: Underutilization of mechanisms like mediation and Lok Adalats.
Impact: Undermines the Right to Speedy Trial (Article 21), lowers the quality of justice delivery, erodes public trust, stifles economic growth (Ease of Doing Business), and exacerbates social inequity.
Systemic Reforms:
Expedite Filling Vacancies: Mission-mode, time-bound recruitment to raise the judge-to-population ratio.
Optimize Processes: Strict limits and penalties on adjournments; expand dedicated courts.
Leverage Technology: Full implementation of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project and use of AI.
Promote ADR: Mandate pre-litigation mediation for civil/commercial disputes.
Optimizing Higher Courts: The Supreme Court must restrict Special Leave Petitions to focus on constitutional matters.
3. Thalassemia Burden in India
Context: Five children with thalassemia in Jharkhand contracted HIV from contaminated blood transfusions, exposing a severe failure in blood safety.
What is Thalassemia? An inherited genetic disorder causing insufficient hemoglobin production, leading to anemia and poorly functioning red blood cells. Beta Thalassemia Major (Cooley’s Anemia) requires regular blood transfusions.
Burden in India: India is called the "thalassemia capital of the world", with approximately 150,000 patients and 12,000 new cases annually. The beta thalassemia carrier rate is 3–4%. It is classified as a disability under the RPwD Act, 2016.
Control Initiatives:
Comprehensive Guidelines on Prevention and Control of Hemoglobinopathies (2016).
National Health Mission (NHM) funding for infrastructure and supplies.
Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY): A CSR initiative offering up to ₹10 lakh for Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT).
e-RaktKosh: Provides information on blood availability.
4. Early Closure of the Antarctic Ozone Hole
Context: The Antarctic ozone hole closed unusually early in 2025, a strong sign of long-term recovery.
Ozone Hole: Refers to the seasonal thinning where stratospheric ozone levels fall below 220 Dobson Units (DU) over Antarctica during austral spring (Sept–Nov).
Causes: The stable Polar Vortex creates extremely cold conditions, leading to the formation of Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs). PSCs activate chlorine and bromine (mostly from CFCs), which rapidly destroy ozone when sunlight returns in spring.
Significance of Early Closure: It confirms the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol (1987), which phased out ozone-depleting substances. This boosts confidence that the ozone layer may return to pre-1980 levels globally around 2040.
Ozone: Stratospheric ozone (good ozone) absorbs harmful UV rays. Tropospheric ozone (bad ozone) contributes to smog. The Montreal Protocol is the first UN treaty with universal ratification; the Kigali Amendment (2016) phases down HFCs (potent greenhouse gases).
CLAT/Exam Relevance Summary
1. International Relations & Security
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): Know the year it entered force (1975), its purpose (banning an entire WMD category), and its key weakness (lack of a verification mechanism).
Related Treaties: Compare BWC with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
India's Domestic Laws: WMD Act, 2005 and SCOMET List for BWC implementation.
Key Concepts: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Bioterrorism, General Purpose Criterion.
Global South Focus: India's call for Global South centrality in biosecurity is a key IR/geopolitical point.
2. Indian Polity & Governance
Judicial Pendency: Key numbers like 4.80 crore pending cases in lower courts and 21 judges per million (versus 50 recommended).
Constitutional Angle: Pendency violates the Right to Speedy Trial under Article 21.
Statutes/Initiatives: e-Courts Mission Mode Project, Commercial Courts Act, 2015, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and the role of Special Leave Petitions (SLPs).
Systemic Issue: Low judge-to-population ratio and high vacancies are the central points.
3. Science, Health, and Environment
Thalassemia: Know it's an inherited genetic disorder affecting hemoglobin production (Beta Thalassemia, Alpha Thalassemia).
Health Schemes: Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY) for Bone Marrow Transplants.
Ozone Depletion: Understand the mechanism of the Antarctic Ozone Hole (seasonal thinning below 220 DU), the role of the Polar Vortex and Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs), and CFCs.
Environmental Protocols: Montreal Protocol (1987) (universal ratification, phasing out ODS) and the Kigali Amendment (2016) (phasing down HFCs).