3rd September 2026

Explanation - Article 124(3) provides that a person can become a Supreme Court judge if they are an Indian citizen and - Have been a High Court judge for at least five years; Have been an advocate of a High Court for at least ten years; or Are, in the opinion of the President, a “distinguished jurist.” The first two routes have traditionally been used. Most Supreme Court judges are elevated from the High Courts, while a smaller number are appointed directly from the Bar. The third route has never been exercised.

Explanation - Apart from amounts maintained as Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) with the Reserve Bank on its outside demand and time liabilities, it will be required to invest minimum 75% of its “demand deposit balances” in Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) eligible Government securities/treasury bills with maturity up to one year and hold maximum 25% in current and time/fixed deposits with other scheduled commercial banks for operational purposes and liquidity management. Payments banks will mainly deal in remittance services and accept deposits of up to Rs 1 lakh. They will not lend to customers and will have to deploy their funds in government papers and bank deposits. The promoter’s minimum initial contribution to equity capital will have to be at least 40% for the first five years. They can accept demand deposits. Payments bank will initially be restricted to holding a maximum balance of Rs. 100,000 per individual customer (now increased to Rs 2,00,000). They can issue ATM/debit cards but not credit cards. They can carry out payments and remittance services through various channels. Distribution of non-risk sharing simple financial products like mutual fund units and insurance products, etc. is allowed.

Explanation - SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region. It was created in 2001. The HQ is located in Beijing, China. Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five (1996). Following the accession of Uzbekistan to the organisation in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO. The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003. The SCO's official languages are Russian and Chinese. India and Pakistan became members in 2017.

Explanation - The SCO was founded in June 2001, built on the ‘Shanghai Five’ grouping of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Republic) and Tajikistan, which had come together in the post-Soviet era in 1996, in order to work on regional security, reduction of border troops, and terrorism. A particular goal all these years has been “conflict resolution”, given its early successes between China and Russia, and then within the Central Asian Republics. The 1996 meeting of the Shanghai Five, for example, resulted in an ‘Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field Along the Border Areas’ between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which led to an agreement on the mutual reduction of military forces on their common borders in 1997. Subsequently, it helped push the Central Asian countries to resolve some of their boundary disputes as well. In 2001, the Shanghai Five inducted Uzbekistan into the group and named it the SCO, outlining its principles in a charter that promoted what was called the “Shanghai spirit” of cooperation.

The SCO describes its main goals, part of its Charter that was adopted in St. Petersburg in 2002, as

• strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states;
• promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, research and technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas;
• making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Explanation - Article 17 declares "untouchability" abolished, forbids its practice "in any form," and makes enforcement of any disability arising from it a punishable offence. The Constitution does not define "untouchability". The Supreme Court has held Article 17 is enforceable against non-State actors as well. Parliament operationalised Article 17 through the Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955, renamed the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 after a 1976 amendment. The Act penalises preaching and practice of untouchability, and enforcement of disabilities — covering denial of temple entry, social disabilities and discrimination in public facilities. Section 7(1)(d) specifically punishes insulting a Scheduled Caste member "on the ground of untouchability" — but the insult must be connected to untouchability, not merely humiliating.