www.iastoppers.com 20th Feb 2021 Current Affairs Analysis By IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2021-02-20 17:00:00 Polity and Governance #MeToo: defamation case A Delhi court dismissed former Union Minister’s criminal defamation complaint against a female journalist over her tweets accusing him of sexual harassment. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 1/26 www.iastoppers.com Background: The Union Minister Mr. Akbar was accused of sexual harassment in 2018 in the wake of #MeToo movement. In response, the Union Minister filed a criminal defamation case against the journalist in October 2018. What is Defamation? Defamation is the general term for a legal claim involving injury to one's reputation caused by a false statement of fact and includes both libel (defamation in written or fixed form) and slander (spoken defamation). Laws for defamation: Section 499 of IPC primarily governs the law on defamation; however, it is pertinent to note that the law has been extended to "electronic documents". Section 469 of the IPC (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) has been amended by the Information Technology Act, 2000 to include 'electronic record forged'. Section 500 lays down the punishment for criminal defamation. Section 500: Whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both. It is noteworthy that Section 499 of the IPC, 1860 has remained unaltered for the last 158 years. Types of defamation: Civil: In civil defamation a person who is defamed can move either High Court or subordinate courts and seek damages in the form of monetary compensation. There is no punishment in the form of jail sentence. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 2/26 www.iastoppers.com Criminal: In criminal defamation, the person against whom a defamation case is filed might be sentenced to two years’ imprisonment or fined or both. Exception: One of the major exceptions to defamation is if what is being alleged is the absolute truth and is for the public good. [Ref: The Hindu] 35th Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram became full states on February 20, 1987 with the 53rd Constitutional Amendment Act. About Arunachal Pradesh: Arunachal Pradesh is a state in Northeast India. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east, and a border with Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 3/26 www.iastoppers.com China in the north at the McMahon Line. Itanagar is the state capital of Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh finds mention in the literature of Kalika Purana and Mahabharata. Over 1.5 million residents of Arunachal Pradesh belong to the five Tani tribes (Nyishi, Adi, Galo, Apatani, Tagin). In 1912–13, the British Indian government made agreements with the indigenous peoples of the Himalayas of northeastern India to establish the North-East Frontier Agency from five tracts of frontier lands. The North-East Frontier Agency was renamed as Arunachal Pradesh by Sri Bibhabasu Das Shastri, the Chief Commissioner of Arunachal Pradesh on 20 January 1972, and it became a Union Territory. In 1987, through the 53rd Constitutional Amendment Act, Arunachal Pradesh received statehood. About Mizoram: Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 4/26 www.iastoppers.com Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 5/26 www.iastoppers.com Mizoram is a state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its capital city. "Mizo-ram" means "land of the Mizos". The earliest Mizos who migrated to India were known as Kukis. It is the southernmost landlocked state, sharing borders with three of the Seven Sister States namely Tripura, Assam and Manipur. About 91% of the state is forested. Among all of the states of India, Mizoram has the highest concentration of tribal people. Mizoram was previously part of Assam until 1972, when it was carved out as a Union Territory. Through the 53rd Constitutional Amendment Act, Mizoram received statehood in 1987. [Ref: The Hindu] Issues related to Health & Eudcation First AES case of the year suspected in Muzaffarpur Recently a child has been diagnosed with Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), the year's first, at a hospital in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. About Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES): AES is a broad term involving several infections specifically affecting young children. It is a neurological disorder which affects the brain and the limbic system. In Bihar, it is locally known as Chamki Bukhar. The disease outbreak is usually reported during monsoons (June-October). But the incidence is also reported during April-June in Bihar. It can manifest into more severe conditions such as very high fever, coma, delirium, seizure and disorientation upon deterioration. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 6/26 www.iastoppers.com Causes of AES: Viruses are the main causative agents in AES cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes have also been reported over the past few decades. Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is the most common cause of AES in India, attributing 5-35% due to JE. Apart from viral encephalitis, severe form of leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis can cause AES. It is also caused by scrub typhus, dengue, mumps, measles, even Nipah or Zika virus. Types of AES: Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 7/26 www.iastoppers.com Different types of encephalitis have different causes: Japanese encephalitis is spread by mosquitoes Tick-borne encephalitis is spread by ticks Rabies can be spread through a bite from a mammal There are also primary or secondary encephalitis: Primary or infectious encephalitis can result if a fungus, virus, or bacterium infects the brain. Secondary, or post-infectious, encephalitis is when the immune system responds to a previous infection and mistakenly attacks the brain. [Ref: Down to Earth] MSN to discover Anti-Epilepsy drug Drugmaker MSN Group is focussed on introducing generic products for various therapies. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 8/26 www.iastoppers.com Key highlights: MSN has developed the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and the finished dosage formulation of Brivanext. The product has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India, and will be available in India very soon. What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that causes unprovoked, recurrent seizures. A seizure is a sudden rush of electrical activity in the brain. There are two main types of seizures. Generalized seizures affect the whole brain. Focal, or partial seizures, affect just one part of the brain. A mild seizure may be difficult to recognize. It can last a few seconds during which one lacks awareness. Stronger seizures can cause spasms and uncontrollable muscle twitches, and can last a few seconds to several minutes. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 9/26 www.iastoppers.com During a stronger seizure, some people become confused or lose consciousness. Epilepsy is a fairly common neurological disorder that affects 65 million people around the world. Symptoms: Stiffening of the body Shaking Loss of bladder or bowel control Biting of the tongue Loss of consciousness Possible causes include: Traumatic brain injury Scarring on the brain after a brain injury (post-traumatic epilepsy) Serious illness or very high fever Stroke, which is a leading cause of epilepsy in people over age 35 Other vascular diseases Lack of oxygen to the brain Brain tumour or cyst Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease Maternal drug use, prenatal injury, brain malformation, or lack of oxygen at birth Infectious diseases such as AIDS and meningitis Genetic or developmental disorders or neurological diseases Treatment: Anti-epileptic (anticonvulsant, antiseizure) drugs: These medications can reduce the number of seizures one has. In some people, they eliminate seizures. Vagus nerve stimulator: This device is surgically placed under the skin on the chest and electrically stimulates the nerve that runs through your neck. Ketogenic diet: More than half of people who don’t respond to medication benefit from this high fat, low carbohydrate diet. Brain surgery: The area of the brain that causes seizure activity can be removed or altered. [Ref: The Hindu] Bilateral & International Relations U.S. takes steps to reinstate Iran nuclear deal Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 10/26 www.iastoppers.com The US administration under the President Biden stated to participate in talks with Iran to reinstate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal. The deal has been unravelling since the U.S.’s departure from JCPOA in 2018. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): JCPOA is a detailed agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) signed on July 14, 2015. The nuclear deal was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted on July 20, 2015. The deal offered Iran relief on sanctions and investment in exchange for curbing its nuclear program. Iran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy- water, all key components for nuclear weapons. The JCPOA established the Joint Commission with all the negotiating parties represented, to monitor implementation of the agreement. Iran signed JCPOA after being hit with devastating economic sanctions by the United Nations, US and the European Union that costed it tens of billions of pounds a year in lost oil export revenues, frozen assets and trade loss. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 11/26 www.iastoppers.com Developments under JCPOA: Former US President Donald Trump walked away from the landmark nuclear treaty in May 2018 arguing that it emboldened Iran to act against American interests. However, the European Union, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia and China attempted to keep the international agreement alive.