A few days before Independence, the Maharaja of Manipur, Bodhachandra Singh, signed the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on the assurance that the internal autonomy of Manipur would be maintained.
Just before Independence it was announced by the British that with the end of their rule over India, paramountcy of the British crown over Princely States would also lapse. This meant that all these states, as many as 565 in all, would become legally independent.
The first and the immediate challenge was to shape a nation that was united, yet accommodative of the diversity in our society. The second challenge was to establish democracy. The third challenge was to ensure the development and wellbeing of the entire society and not only of some sections.
The Doklam standoff led some in Bhutan to call for the country to adopt an independent foreign policy, one that is not too closely aligned with India, so that it could resolve its dragging border dispute with China.
The work of the courts is the work of public reason. This is what gives the phrase “open justice” its resonance: the dealing of justice must, at all times, be transparent and subject to public scrutiny. That is what separates justice under the Constitution from the ‘firmans’ of an emperor.
Daily Quiz for Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2019
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