1st October 2025

Explanation – The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was established in 1986 (not 2008) to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals to assist investigators in linking crimes to perpetrators. It was established based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA's Task Force (1985), not the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005). The NCRB was not set up in response to the Mumbai terrorist attacks, which occurred in 2008, as it predates those attacks by over two decades. 

Explanation – The preponderance of probability standard does not require evidence to be conclusive or eliminate all doubts—it only requires that one version of events is more likely than not, making statement 1 incorrect. In civil cases, a fact is considered proven when the court believes it is more likely to exist than not, based on the balance of probabilities, making statement 2 correct. The standard of "beyond a reasonable doubt" (used in criminal cases) is a higher threshold than "preponderance of probability" (used in civil cases), requiring much greater certainty, making statement 3 incorrect. As established in Narayan Ganesh Dastane v. Sucheta Narayan Dastane (1975), the Supreme Court applies the preponderance of probability test by evaluating conflicting probabilities. 

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

Explanation – The International Seabed Authority was established in 1994 by UNCLOS (not 1974) as an autonomous intergovernmental body with observer status at the UN. Its headquarters is located in Kingston, Jamaica (not London). However, 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 the UN for exploration and utilization of polymetallic nodules. The ISA currently has 167 members plus the European Union. 

Explanation – The Central Government notified e-waste management rules in 2016 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, superseding the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011. The rules aim to enable recovery and/or reuse of useful material from e-waste, thereby reducing hazardous wastes destined for disposal. Manufacturers, dealers, e-retailers, and refurbishers have been brought under the ambit of these rules, but consumers are not explicitly mentioned as being under the rules' ambit—rather, urban local bodies collect e-waste from consumers. The CPCB has been entrusted with administering Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) provisions, with Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) required to register with CPCB under the 2018 amendment.