Armed Forces

In a significant judgement, the Supreme Court clarified that its 2018 judgment striking down the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 497 (Adultery) will not have any impact on the court martial proceedings.  On January 31, the court said, the proceedings initiated against personnel serving in the armed forces for their adulterous conduct will be allowed as an offence. A five-judge bench, headed by Justice KM Joseph announced the decision.

In an out-of-the-court settlement, Nagaland Legislative Assembly formed a ten-member committee from both sides headed by chief minister Neiphiu Rio and following a long meeting, it adopted a three-point resolution to resolve the decade-long border issue with Assam. The committee has to submit its report within three months. The two sides withdrew their armed police forces on July 31 and agreed to de-escalate tension. 

Himachal Pradesh's transport department has notified nearly 15,000 vehicle owners to switch from olive-coloured vehicles within three months. The rule prohibited vehicles painted in olive-green citing it strictly reserved for the armed forces under the Motor Vehicles Act. Moreover, the department clarified that no vehicles, including construction-related and tractors, shall be painted green. Reportedly, youngsters of the region commonly paint… read-more

Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), on September 30, sucessfully tested the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in Chandipur, Odisha. Reportedly, the missile has a strike range of 400 km and can be launched from land, sea and air. DRDO officials confirmed that all the parameters were achieved in the trial. The missile, developed by DRDO with Russian rocket developer NPOM's support, is considered the fastest supersonic missile… read-more

US has confirmed the withdrawal of 2200 troops from Iraq by September end. After withdrawal, 2000 US soldiers will be left to advise and aid Iraqi forces in eradicating Islamic State (IS) militants. In January, the issue with the soldiers became contentious, after US killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani using a drone, in Baghdad. Reportedly, Iraq had declared defeat of IS militants in 2017 and asked the US forces to leave.