16 October 2015 Current Affairs
Supreme Court Bench strikes down NJAC Act as ‘unconstitutional and void’
The Supreme Court on 16 October rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. With this veredict, the Collegium system as it existed before the NJAC Act was passed, will become operative again.
India’s subsonic Nirbhay Missile fails
Nirbhay, the subsonic cruise missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) failed on 16 October when it lost control after about 12 minutes of flight and fell into the Bay of Bengal. Nirbhay is a surface-to-surface long range cruise missile. It is a ‘trace-top’ missile which can fly at varying heights from five metres to five Km.
M K Surana appointed as New CMD of HPCL
M K Surana has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL). He is currently the chief executive officer of Prize Petroleum Co. Ltd, the upstream of oil exploration arm of HPCL. Mr Surana will replace Nishi Vasudeva on her retirement at the end of March 2016.
Nepal elects Onsari Gharti as first woman Parliament speaker
Nepal on 16 October elected the country’s first woman speaker of Parliament. UCPN- Maoist law maker Onsari Gharti Mangar elected as the speaker of Parliament. Earlier she had served as Deputy Speaker in Parliament. Ganga Prasad Yadav has been elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament.