Hello aspirants!
As you all are appearing in various competitive exams such as Banking, SSC, railways etc., it is very important for all of you to have good General Knowledge and strong command over English language. Nowadays vocabulary is asked in different forms in Banking and other exams. There can be direct vocabulary questions or questions can be asked in indirect forms as in cloze test, fill in the blanks, synonyms, antonyms and many more. We can not deny the fact that vocabulary is inevitable aspect, so here in this section we will discuss an article from any renowned newspaper and highlight some useful words and phrases with their meanings.
Article#7
source: TOI Edit in TOI Editorials | Edit Page, India | TOI
Given habitual and wanton misuse of sedition laws by governments, the outgoing Law Commission’s questioning of the law criminalising sedition in the Indian Penal Code could not have been more timely. Its ringing defence of the right to criticise the government, right to criticise one’s own history and the right to offend, might sound like truisms in any democracy. But they acquire salience in the context of rising intolerance and present-day attempts in the country to paint divergence from official points of view as unacceptably “anti-national”.
wanton: without provocation or justification; maliciously and unnecessarily cruel or destructive.
sedition: any action inciting people to rebel against the authority
truisms: a statement that is obviously true or that is often presented as true
salience: the quality or condition of being salient(salient means noteworthy; important; noticeable)
Noting that misuse of the sedition law constrains the legitimate exercise of constitutionally guaranteed free speech, the panel envisions more liberal attitudes toward dissent, self-criticism and political incorrectness. Indeed, as the Supreme Court observed tartly this week following a countrywide police swoop against human rights and Dalit activists, permitting dissent is a safety valve without which no democracy can function.
constrains: to keep within certain limits; confine or limit
envisions: imagine as a future possibility; visualize
dissent: difference of opinion or feeling; disagreement
tartly : sharp or bitter in tone or meaning
By criminalising words or actions that induce hatred, contempt or disaffection for government, Section 124A IPC’s expansive sweep undermines the very foundational idea of democracy: people choosing who should govern them. Implicit in this idea is the right to question, criticise and change rulers. But if the definition of a law is fundamentally flawed, abuse inevitably follows corroding the body politic and constitutional guarantees. If police choose to maliciously prosecute a person the law becomes a hapless accessory.
disaffection: a state or feeling of being dissatisfied, especially with people in authority
expansive: capable of expanding; grand in scale
undermines: to weaken, injure or impair
Implicit: implied or understood though not directly expressed
inevitably: impossible to avoid or prevent; certain to happen
hapless: unfortunate; wretched
The Law Commission has suggested invoking 124A to only criminalise acts committed with intention to “disrupt public order or to overthrow the Government with violence and illegal means.” But IPC and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act already have similar provisions, rendering the proposed change redundant. It is best, therefore, to scrap altogether the sedition law scripted by India’s erstwhile colonial masters. Attaining freedom in 1947 ought to mean something substantive, after all.
erstwhile: formerly; in the past; at a former time
substantive: substantial, considerable; having a solid basis; firm
Hope this will help ! 😊😊
As you all are appearing in various competitive exams such as Banking, SSC, railways etc., it is very important for all of you to have good General Knowledge and strong command over English language. Nowadays vocabulary is asked in different forms in Banking and other exams. There can be direct vocabulary questions or questions can be asked in indirect forms as in cloze test, fill in the blanks, synonyms, antonyms and many more. We can not deny the fact that vocabulary is inevitable aspect, so here in this section we will discuss an article from any renowned newspaper and highlight some useful words and phrases with their meanings.
Article#7
source: TOI Edit in TOI Editorials | Edit Page, India | TOI
Scrap sedition: Law Commission rightly questions draconian law
Given habitual and wanton misuse of sedition laws by governments, the outgoing Law Commission’s questioning of the law criminalising sedition in the Indian Penal Code could not have been more timely. Its ringing defence of the right to criticise the government, right to criticise one’s own history and the right to offend, might sound like truisms in any democracy. But they acquire salience in the context of rising intolerance and present-day attempts in the country to paint divergence from official points of view as unacceptably “anti-national”.
wanton: without provocation or justification; maliciously and unnecessarily cruel or destructive.
sedition: any action inciting people to rebel against the authority
truisms: a statement that is obviously true or that is often presented as true
salience: the quality or condition of being salient(salient means noteworthy; important; noticeable)
Noting that misuse of the sedition law constrains the legitimate exercise of constitutionally guaranteed free speech, the panel envisions more liberal attitudes toward dissent, self-criticism and political incorrectness. Indeed, as the Supreme Court observed tartly this week following a countrywide police swoop against human rights and Dalit activists, permitting dissent is a safety valve without which no democracy can function.
constrains: to keep within certain limits; confine or limit
envisions: imagine as a future possibility; visualize
dissent: difference of opinion or feeling; disagreement
tartly : sharp or bitter in tone or meaning
By criminalising words or actions that induce hatred, contempt or disaffection for government, Section 124A IPC’s expansive sweep undermines the very foundational idea of democracy: people choosing who should govern them. Implicit in this idea is the right to question, criticise and change rulers. But if the definition of a law is fundamentally flawed, abuse inevitably follows corroding the body politic and constitutional guarantees. If police choose to maliciously prosecute a person the law becomes a hapless accessory.
disaffection: a state or feeling of being dissatisfied, especially with people in authority
undermines: to weaken, injure or impair
Implicit: implied or understood though not directly expressed
inevitably: impossible to avoid or prevent; certain to happen
hapless: unfortunate; wretched
The Law Commission has suggested invoking 124A to only criminalise acts committed with intention to “disrupt public order or to overthrow the Government with violence and illegal means.” But IPC and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act already have similar provisions, rendering the proposed change redundant. It is best, therefore, to scrap altogether the sedition law scripted by India’s erstwhile colonial masters. Attaining freedom in 1947 ought to mean something substantive, after all.
erstwhile: formerly; in the past; at a former time
substantive: substantial, considerable; having a solid basis; firm
Hope this will help ! 😊😊
For any queries or suggestions, please do comment and let me know in the comment section below.
image source: google
image source: google
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