Uttar Pradesh State PCS

• 02 Jan 2024

First All-girls Sainik School

Why in News?

On the 1^st January, 2024, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the ‘Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School’ in Vrindavan, Mathura.

Key Points

• It is the first all-girls Sainik School, with a strength of approximately 870 students.
• It is made under the initiative of establishing 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership mode with Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)/Private/State Government Schools in all State/Union Territories.
  • 42 of these schools have already been set up.
• It is described as a ray of hope for girls who aspire to join the Armed Forces.
  • In 2019, Rajnath Singh had approved admission of girl children to Sainik schools in a phased manner, following the success of the pilot project in Sainik School Chhingchhip in Mizoram.
• The vision of setting up of 100 new Sainik Schools aims to provide quality education to the students in tune with the National Education Policy 2020 and provide better career opportunities, including joining the Armed Forces.

Trial Essential to Define 'Religious Character of Place of Worship': Allahabad HC

Why in News?

The Allahabad High Court's recent stance in the Gyanvapi case suggests that the Places of Worship Act, 1991 does not clarify “religious character of any place of worship” and can only be determined in a trial, based on documentary and oral evidence, on a case-to-case basis.

Key Points

• The Places of Worship Act,1991 bars the conversion of religious sites into places of worship for a different religion or sect.
  • It also mandates preserving the religious identity of any place of worship as it stood on 15th August, 1947.
• The Gyanvapi case is a legal battle concerning the ownership and religious identity of Varanasi's Gyanvapi complex, housing both a mosque and a temple.
  • Hindu plaintiffs argue that the entire area, including the mosque site, was originally a temple dedicated to Swayambhu Lord Adi Vishweshwar.
  • They claim that this temple, once on the Gyanvapi plot, was demolished by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669.
• Neither the government nor the Supreme Court has presented a clear stance on this issue to date.