Legal Bites May 2024: Monthly Legal Updates

Here are Legal Bites May 2024 monthly GK updates. The notable happenings of the months were related to the Supreme Court, Mangalyaan-2, Kolkata Knight Riders and so on. We have covered all the happenings in the gist so that it helps the readers to remember all legal and current updates about May 2024 most efficiently and easily.

1. International Labour Day – 1st May 2024

On 1st May 2024, International Labour Day is celebrated worldwide. The focus of this year on International Labour Day was maintaining health and safety in the workplace in a shifting environment

2. Dr. Purnima Devi accorded with the Green Oscar

On 2nd May 2024, The distinguished Whitley Gold Award which is sometimes called the "Green Oscar" was presented to wildlife biologist Dr. Purnima Devi Barman of Assam for her outstanding dedication to saving the Greater Adjutant Stork.

3. Panchayat members shall be held accountable for child marriages in their area: Rajasthan High Court

On 2nd May 2024, The Rajasthan High Court highlighted the importance of the Panchayats in Rajasthan to curb child marriages. The High Court further stated that the panchayat members shall be held accountable for any child marriages occurring in their area.

4. China to launch Chang’e-6 lunar Probe which shall carry Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q

On 3rd May 2024, China is about to embark on a major space exploration milestone with the launch of the Chang'e-6 lunar mission on a round-trip to the Moon. ICUBE-Q, Pakistan's first lunar mission, is also scheduled to launch on China's Chang'e-6 probe. The same was developed in partnership with the Institute of Space Technology (IST) of Pakistan and Shanghai University of China.

5. The AFC U-23 Asian Cup Winners: Japan

On 3rd May 2024, The Japanese U-23 Men’s team emerged victorious in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. Team Japan defeated Uzbekistan at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha. This was the 6th edition of this cup and the tournament had overall 16 teams and took place from 15th April to 3rd May

6. Nakshatra Sabha: a unique Astro Tourism experience campaign by the Uttarakhand Government

On May 4th 2024 it was announced that, to provide a holistic astro-tourism experience, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board has partnered with Starscapes, an astro-tourism organization, to develop Nakshatra Sabha, a groundbreaking initiative. The same is scheduled to start in June at George Everest in Mussoorie.

7. Jose Raul Mulino’s victory in the Presidential election of Panama

On 5th May 2024, With a 9% lead, Jose Raul Mulino wins the Presidential Election of Panama. He was initially a candidate for the position of Vice President but due to the conviction of the former Presidential Candidate Martinelli, Mulino entered to replace him as the Presidential candidate.

8. Manipur launches initiative “School on Wheels”

On 5th May 2024, The Government of Manipur introduces the “School on Wheels” initiative. This initiative aims to provide mobile education to students who are living in relief camps. This was inaugurated by Anusuiya Uikey, the Governor of Manipur.

9. Retired Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra: President of GSTAT

On 6th May 2024, Retired Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra, Former Chief Justice of the High Court of Jharkhand, became the President of the GSTAT by taking an oath. The appointment is made as per the recommendation of the Search-cum-Selection Committee and the appointment is of 4 years tenure.

10. Agreement between the Sri Lankan Government and Adani Group

On 7th May 2024, The Sri Lankan government signed an agreement with Adani Green Energy to develop wind power stations. The agreement shall be for 20 years and under the same Adani Group shall be receiving 8.26% kWh for electricity produced by the wind power stations.

11. India contributes to the UN Counter-Terrorism Fund

On 7th May 2024, India gave 5,00,000 dollars as a contribution towards the UN Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj delivered the same. This additional funding, adds to India's already ongoing commitment to support international operations against terrorism.

12. Coca-Cola partners with Hockey India for the National Women’s Hockey League, 2024

On 7th May 2024, Coca-Cola India Foundation, Anandana announced the entering for the first time into partnership with Hockey India for the National Women’s Hockey. The partnership seeks to grow women’s hockey and also seeks to provide support and resources to players.

13. IAS Subodh Kumar: Director in the Ministry of Ayush

On 8th May 2024, A 2010 Batch IAS officer Subodh Kumar was appointed, according to an order by the DoPT, as the Director of the Ministry of Ayush. He was in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries before this appointment

14. India topples Japan to become the 3rd largest Solar Power Generator

On 8th May 2024, India toppled Japan to become the World’s third-largest solar power generator. India has seen a huge rise in the usage of solar power energy.

15. Bajrang Punia is suspended until 31st December 2024

On 9th May 2024, Indian Wrestler Bajrang Punia was suspended by the United World Wrestling till 31st December 2024 under his suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency. The National Anti-Doping Agency suspended Bajrang Punia in April for his refusal to provide urine samples for his trials for the Olympic Trials.

16. Mikhail Mishustin has been reappointed as the Prime Minister of Russia

On 10th May 2024, Vladimir Putin reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as the Prime Minister of Russia, under the confirmation by the Parliament’s Lower House. Mikhail Mishustin has held the Prime Minister’s position for the last four years.

17. Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy: Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla

On 10th May 2024, The pivotal position of Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy was given to Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla. Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla has given 35 years of service and is a seasoned naval officer. Hyderabad airport is recognised as the world’s most punctual as per the recently released report by aviation analytical firm, Cirium.

18. R. Lakshmi Kanth Rao: RBI’s new Executive Director

With effect from 9th May 2024, R. Lakshmi Kanth Rao has been chosen to be the Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India. He was the former Chief General Manager in charge of the Regulation Department.

19. Ruskin Bond was awarded the esteemed Sahitya Akademi Fellowship

On 11th May 2024, The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest literary honour granted by the organization, was awarded to renowned Indian author Ruskin Bond. To recognize noteworthy contributions to Indian literature and to promote scholarly research on Indian literature and culture worldwide, Sahitya Akademi awards four different kinds of Fellowships.

20. China surpasses US as India’s Largest Trading Partner in FY24

As of 12th May 2024, China surpassed the United States to become India's largest trading partner in the fiscal year 2023–24.

21. Declaration of World Football Day

On 14th May 2024, May 25th has been officially declared World Football Day by the United Nations General Assembly. This was adopted in the 80th Plenary Meeting of the UNGA. The date marked the 100th anniversary of the world’s first-ever football tournament in Summer Olympics 1924.

22. India signs an agreement with Iran over the Chabahar Port

On 13th May 2024, India enters into a deal of 10 years for developing the Chabahar Port of Iran to bolster commercial and trade relations with Afghanistan and Central Asia. The deal was signed by the India Port Global Limited and Iran’s Port and Maritime Organization.

23. Dubai Offers long -Term Visa for Gaming

On 14th May 2024, As a component of the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, Dubai announced the introduction of the 'Dubai Gaming Visa' to offer talented and innovative people comprehensive support in the e-gaming industry.

24. In Collaboration with LankaPay, PhonePe Introduces UPI in Sri Lanka

On 15th May 2024, PhonePe and LankaPay announced to had partnered in an important move to bring UPI payments to Sri Lanka. This partnership gives PhonePe users the benefit of using UPI transactions with any LankaPay QR merchant while on the go.

25. Bharat Pavilion revealed at the 77th Cannes Film Festival

On 15th May 2024, The 77th Cannes Film Festival saw the opening of the Bharat Pavilion, which was formerly known as the India Pavilion. The rebranding represents India's dedication to traditional storytelling while pursuing international partnerships.

26. Supreme Court restricts ED’s authority to detain PMLA accused

As of 16th May 2024, The Supreme Court ruled that a person summoned by a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is not believed to be not in custody and is not required to apply for bail under the money laundering laws

27. Mangalyaan-2 Revealed

On 17th May 2024, The ISRO announced getting all set for the next space mission, by landing a rover on Mars – Mangalyaan 2.

28. New Chief of Measurement Science & Analytics of BARC, India

On 17th May 2024, Dr. Bikramjit Chaudhuri was announced as the newly appointed Chief of The Broadcast Audience Research Council. BARC is the world’s largest television audience measuring agency. He shall be preceding Dr. Derrick Gray. Dr Chaudhuri graduated with a master of Statistics from the IST in Delhi and a PhD from Bombay IIT

29. Thailand Open 2024: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty emerge victorious

On 19th May 2024, Indian badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the 2024 Thailand Open men’s doubles. The Thailand Open was held in the city of Bangkok and the finale took place in Nimibutr Stadium. The event took place from 14th May to 19th May 2024.

30. 44% growth in scheduled caste student enrollment

As of 19th May 2024, The National Commission for Backward Classes recorded a significant gain in student enrollment in the SC ST categories. The percentage increase of students from the scheduled castes is 44%, further, the percentage in the case of scheduled tribes increased by 65.2%. There was an overall increase in female enrollment as well.

31. The Iranian President passes away due to a helicopter crash

On 20th May 2024, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister passed away due to a helicopter crash. The helicopter also carried other officials of Iran. The crash occurred apparently due to heavy fog in the region.

32. International Criminal Court requests for arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu

On 20th May 2024, The International Criminal Court seeks an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu who is Israel’s Prime Minister and also against Yoav Gallant, the Defence Minister for the prevalent war crimes in Palestine. The ICC holds them to be accountable for the killings and human rights violations in Palestine

33. Billion Dollar Investment by AstraZeneca

As of 20th May 2024, To advance cancer treatment, AstraZeneca is constructing in Singapore a groundbreaking $1.5 billion manufacturing plant to create Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) to combat cancer. AstraZeneca is a global pharmaceutical business and is planning to build a manufacturing facility, the same will be supported by Singapore Economic Development.

34. Singapore Airlines emergency landing due to severe turbulence

On 21st May 2024, A Singapore Airline Boeing 777-300ER which was headed to London had to make an emergency landing due to severe due to severe turbulence. The landing was made in Bangkok with several passengers injured and one dead.

35. Bail not granted to Manish Sisodia

On 21st May 2024, The Delhi High Court refused to grant mail to Manish Sisodia who is currently involved in the money laundering and corruption cases. Manish Sisodia is the former Deputy CM of Delhi.

36. First law relating to Artificial Intelligence introduced in the European Union

On 21st May 2024, With the rise in Artificial Intelligence, the European Union becomes the first to regulate Artificial Intelligence by giving assent to the AI Act. The said act has stringent penalties for its violation. The said act has distinguished the penalty levels based on the degree of risk by the AI systems. The act shall not apply to certain areas like research, or defence.

37. Global Tourism Index 2024: US ranks 1

On 21st May 2024, The Travel and Tourism Development Index of 2024 ranked United States in the first place followed by Spain, Japan, France and Australia. Moving up from the last year is India, who secured the 39th position this year. The Travel and Tourism Index was released by the World Economic Forum and was formerly the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

38. NTPC secures 3rd place at ATD BEST Awards 2024

On 21st May 2024, National Thermal Power Corporation secures the 3rd rank in the Association for Talent Development’s BEST Awards. NTPC received the award for the 7th time in 8 years. These awards are given to honour the remarkable works in the field of Learning & Development.

39. Actress Scarlett Johansson takes action against Open AI

On 21st May 2024, In another AI and personality rights battle, Scarlett Johansson sues for allegedly utilizing her voice without her consent. This suit again raises concerns over the violation of personality rights by AI by using one’s voice or face etc without the person’s permission.

40. Calcutta High Court strikes down all OBC status after 2010

On 22nd May 2024, The Calcutta High Court by an order dated 22nd May 2024 invalidated the OBC statuses awarded since 2010. However, this won't affect the present posts or services which have been availed with the help of these reservations.

41. New President of Vietnam: To Lam

On 22nd May 2024, the Former Public Security Minister of Vietnam, To Lam, was elected the New President of the nation.

42. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport – Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWL) certification

On 23rd May 2024, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will be the airport to achieve the diversion of 99.50% of waste from landfills. The airport by implementing the best waste management practice has achieved the ZWL recognition as the Zero Waste to Landfill certification by the CII-ITC.

43. A short film “Sunflowers were the first ones to know” wins the 77th Cannes Film Festival “La Cinef” Award

On 23rd May 2024, A student of the Film and Television Institute of India namely Chidanand Naik made a short film which won the La Cinef Award in the 77th Cannes Film Festival for the best short film. The movie was made through the contributory efforts of 4 students including Chidananda Naik.

44. India’s RuPay service in Maldives

As of 24th May 2024, The Indian Card Payment service RuPay might be introduced in Maldives shortly. This move has been taken to strengthen Maldivian Rufiyaa. Even though Maldives has announced the step, no formal date has been announced for the introduction of the same.

45. Arti of Uttar Pradesh receives the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award

On 25th May 2024, A woman from Uttar Pradesh who drives an E-Rickshaw and is just eighteen years of age was presented the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award at Buckingham Palace. Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, conferred the award upon her. The Amal Clooney Award is sponsored by the Price Trust International and it honours the hard work and dedication of young women too who have succeeded in life by strongly facing the various odds in life.

46. Cyclone Remal hits India

On 25th May 2024, Cyclone Remal caused heavy downpours in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Flights in Kolkata were suspended on 26th May for about twenty-one hours. Some train services were also partially suspended. Further, the cyclone caused heavy destruction however the wind speed which was initially 135 km/hr started to reduce and weaken from the 27th May morning. National Disaster Response Forces were deployed in certain areas of South West Bengal.

47. Anasuya Sengupta grabbed the Best Actress title at the 77th Cannes Film Festival

On 25th May 2024, Kolkata’s Anasuya Sengupta is the first Indian to win the Un Certain Regard Best Actress award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival 2024. She won the award for the role played in the movie ‘The Shameless” directed by Konstantin Bojanov, a Bulgarian Director. This movie was related to the disorderly journey of a sex worker who runs away from a Delhi-based brothel.

48. To address Kerala’s economic situation, the centre approves and sanctions Rs 21,253 Crores

On 26th May 2024, The Central Government to meet and address the economic situation in Kerala sanctioned borrowings of Rs.21,253 crores. The financial help was provided to meet the financial and economic needs of the state and for the welfare of the people.

49. Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande’s tenure extended

On 26th May 2024, The Government extended the tenure of General Manoj Pande by another month. Army Chief General Manoj Pande was supposed to retire on the last day of May which is the 31st day of the month. However, the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet extended the retirement date to June 30 under Army Rules 1954, Rule 16 A(4).

50. Hero FinCorp faces a penalty of Rs. 3.1 Lakh

On 26th May 2024 The Reserve Bank of India on the grounds of violating the Fair Practices Code imposed a heavy penalty of Rs. 3.1 Lakh on Hero Fin Corp. On an inspection by the RBI, it was revealed that Hero FinCorp did not comply with the directives of the RBI. The fine was imposed after a proper hearing on the said issue.

51. Winner of the 2024 Indian Premier League is Kolkata Knight Riders

On 26th May 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders won the 17th season of the Indian Premier League against Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets. The finale of the 2024 IPL took place in M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. This was the third win of Kolkata Knight Riders, and they won the title after 10 years. The captain for this season of Kolkata Knight Riders was Shreyas Iyer and for Sunrisers Hyderabad was Pat Cummins. The player of the match was Kolkata Knight Riders Player Mitchell Starc.

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