17th September 2025

Explanation – The doctrine of escheat is the mechanism for the state to assume ownership when a person dies intestate (without a will) and without legal heirs. However, it does not apply when there is a valid will - the Supreme Court clarified that where a valid will is executed and probated, property must devolve according to the testator's intent, leaving no room for state assertion. The constitutional basis is provided under Article 296 of the Indian Constitution, along with Section 29 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. 

Explanation – Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer produced by the addition polymerisation of propylene. It is highly resistant to chemical corrosion and has high heat resistance, making it suitable for packaging cleaning products and bleaches. However, it is a synthetic resin (not naturally occurring) and is a commodity plastic with low density (not high density), making it one of the lightest polymers among all commodity plastics. 

Explanation – All statements are incorrect. Default/Statutory bail accrues when police fail to complete investigation within specified period for a person in judicial or police custody (not police custody alone). Regular bail is generally granted to a person who has been arrested or is in police custody (not judicial custody alone). Anticipatory bail can be granted under section 438 of CrPC for persons who may be arrested for a non-bailable offence (contrary to statement 3). 

Explanation – The International Seabed Authority was established in 1994 by UNCLOS (not 1974) with its headquarters at Kingston, Jamaica (not London). It is an autonomous intergovernmental body having observer status at the UN. India is indeed the first country to have received the status of a pioneer investor in 1987 and was allocated an exclusive area in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by UN for exploration and utilisation of nodules. 

Explanation – The Carlsberg Ridge is a mid-oceanic ridge (a divergent plate boundary) located in the Indian Ocean. The ridge extends from the triple junction of the African, Indian, and Australian tectonic plates northwest to the Gulf of Aden. It marks the boundary between the Somali Plate and the Indian Plate. However, it is the most prominent mid-ocean ridge segment of the western Indian Ocean, not eastern, making statement 4 incorrect.