UGC-NET (NTA) Human Rights and Duties, SEPTEMBER-2024

The Golak Nath case (1967) held that Parliament could not amend Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution. However, this judgment was overruled by the landmark Keshavananda Bharati case (1973), where a 13-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution, including Fundamental Rights, but not the "Basic Structure" of the Constitution.
This doctrine of Basic Structure emerged from this judgment and remains a cornerstone of Indian constitutional law.

The term Euthanasia is derived from two Greek words - 'Eu' meaning 'Well' or 'Good', and 'Thanatos' meaning 'Death'.
Thus, Euthanasia literally translates to "Good Death", and it refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering, often in cases of terminal illness or irreversible coma. It is often called Mercy Killing in common usage, though the literal Greek derivation does not include the concept of "mercy".

Commonly known as CEDAW, this convention was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly and is often referred to as the International Bill of Rights for Women.
It consists of a preamble and 30 articles, defining what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. It came into force on 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by over 180 countries.

The core idea of the "ethics of nudge" is based on libertarian paternalism, where people are nudged (gently guided) to make choices that are in their best interest without restricting their freedom of choice.
This concept was popularized by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their book "Nudge" (2008). For example, arranging healthy foods at eye level in cafeterias is a nudge - it encourages better eating habits without banning junk food.

Human Rights Watch, one of the most influential international non-governmental organizations in the field of human rights, was founded in 1978 as Helsinki Watch.
It was initially created to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Accords signed in 1975, particularly by the Soviet bloc.
Over time, it expanded its mandate beyond the Eastern Bloc, and in 1988, it merged with other regional watch committees to form Human Rights Watch, covering global human rights violations.

The Minerva Mills case (1980) is a landmark judgment in which the Supreme Court of India emphasized that there must be a balance between Fundamental Rights (Part III) and Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV) of the Constitution.
The court struck down clauses of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment that gave unlimited amending powers to the Parliament, stating that Parliament cannot alter the "Basic Structure" of the Constitution.
It reaffirmed that both Parts III and IV are essential features of the Constitution and must coexist harmoniously.

A Compulsory Licence is a safeguard provided under the Indian Patent Act, 1970 (Section 84) which allows the government or a third party to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent holder, usually to address public interest issues like public health crises, availability of life-saving drugs, or anti-competitive practices.
It helps check monopolistic misuse by patent holders. In 2012, India issued its first compulsory licence to Natco Pharma to produce a generic version of Bayer's cancer drug Nexavar, significantly reducing the cost for patients.

Louis Althusser, a French Marxist philosopher, is not considered a Fabian Socialist. Fabian Socialism is a form of democratic socialism developed in Britain in the late 19th century, advocating gradual social reforms rather than revolutionary change.
Prominent Fabian Socialists include G.D.H. Cole, G.B. Shaw, and Sidney Webb, who were part of the Fabian Society formed in 1884. Althusser, on the other hand, focused on structuralist Marxism and ideological state apparatuses, distancing himself from the evolutionary approach of Fabianism.

According to Rule 8(b) of the Rules of Procedure of the United Nations General Assembly, a special session of the UN General Assembly may be convened by the SecretaryGeneral at the request of the Security Council or at the request of a majority of the UN members. However, in practical terms, if the Security Council makes a formal request, the Secretary-General is bound to act.
Therefore, option 4 is correct, as the procedural trigger is through the Secretary-General, based on the Security Council's request.

The 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 introduced 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of society in educational institutions (including private unaided institutions) and public employment.
This reservation is in addition to the existing 50% reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs, taking the total reservation to 60%.
The amendment added Clause 6 to Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution. The law was upheld by a 5-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in 2022 by a 3:2 majority, declaring it not violative of the Basic Structure.