May 2022 – Page 8 – Jharkhand Board Solution

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

June 4, 2022May 24, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 9 Public Facilities

→ Water and the People of Chennai:
Different situations are mentioned about the water supply and the people of Chennai.

→ Water as Part of the Fundamental Right to Life:

Water is essential for life and for good health.
India has one of the largest number of cases of diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera.
The Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21.
There should be universal access to water.
There have been several court cases in which both the High Courts and the Supreme Court have held that the right to safe drinking water is a Fundamental Right.

→ Public Facilities:

There are things like electricity, public transport, schools and colleges that are also necessary. These are known as public facilities.
The important characteristic of a public facility is that once it is provided, its benefits can be shared by many people.

→ The Government’s Role:

One of the most important functions of the government is to ensure that these public facilities are made available to everyone.
In most of the public facilities, there is no profit to be had.
Private companies provide public facilities but at a price that only some people can afford.
This facility is not available to all at an affordable rate.
Public facilities relate to people’s basic needs.
The Right to Life that the Constitution guarantees is for all persons living in this country. The responsibility to provide public facilities, therefore, must be that of the government.

→ Water Supply to Chennai: Is it Available to All?

While there is no doubt that public facilities should be made available to all, in reality we see that there is a great shortage of such facilities.
Water supply in Chennai is marked by shortages.
The burden of shortfalls in water supply falls mostly on the poor.
The middle class when faced with water shortages are able to cope through a variety
of private means such as digging borewells, buying water from tankers and using bottled water for drinking.
Apart from the availability of water, access to ‘safe’ drinking water is also available to some and this depends on what one can afford.
In reality, therefore, it seems that it is only people with money who have the right to water – a far cry from the goal of universal access to ‘sufficient and safe’ water.

→ In Search of Alternatives:

A similar scenario of shortages and acute crisis during the summer months is common to other cities of India.
The supply of water per person in an urban area in India should be about 135 litres per day (about seven buckets) – a standard set by the Urban Water Commission.
Whereas people in slums have to make do with less than 20 litres a day per person (one bucket), people living in luxury hotels may consume as much as 1,600 litres (80 buckets) of water per day.
A shortage of municipal water is often taken as a sign of failure of the government.
Within India, there are cases of success in government water departments, though these are few in number and limited to certain areas of their work.
It has also used the services of private companies for transporting and distributing water but the government water supply department decides the rate for water tankers and gives them permission to operate. Hence, they are called ‘on contract’.

→ Conclusion:

Public facilities relate to our basic needs and the Indian Constitution recognises the right to water, heath, education, etc., as being a part of the Right to Life.
One of the major roles of the government is to ensure adequate public facilities for everyone.
There is a shortage in supply and there are inequalities in distribution.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 8 Confronting Marginalisation

June 4, 2022May 24, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 8 Confronting Marginalisation

→ Religious solace, armed struggle, self improvement and education, economic uplift – there appears to be no one way of doing things. Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, women and other marginal groups argue that simply by being citizens of a democratic country, they possess equal rights that must be respected.

→ Invoking Fundamental Rights:

The marginalised have drawn on the rights in two ways: first, by insisting on their Fundamental Rights, they have forced the government to recognise the injustice done to them. Second, they have insisted that the government enforce these laws.
In some instances, the struggles of the marginalised have influenced the government to frame new laws in keeping with the spirit of the Fundamental Rights.
Article 17 of the Constitution states that untouchability has been abolished, this means that no one can henceforth prevent Dalits from educating themselves, entering temples, using public facilities, etc.
Untouchability is a punishable crime now.
Article 15 of the Constitution notes that no citizen of India shall be discriminated
against on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. This has been used by Dalits to seek equality where it has been denied to them.
Dalits can ‘invoke’ or ‘draw on’ a Fundamental Right (or Rights) in situations where they feel that they have been treated badly by some individual or community or even by the government.
By granting different forms of cultural rights, the Constitution tries to ensure cultural justice to such groups.
The Constitution does this so that the culture of these groups is not dominated nor wiped out by the culture of the majority community.

→ Laws for the Marginalised:

There are specific laws and policies for the marginalised in our country.
There are policies or schemes that emerge through other means like setting up a committee or by undertaking a survey, etc.

→ Promoting Social Justice:

As part of their effort to implement the Constitution, both state and central governments create specific schemes for implementation in tribal areas or in areas that have a high Dalit population.
One such law/policy is the reservation policy that today is both significant and highly contentious.
The laws which reserve seats in education and government employment for Dalits and Adivasis are based on an important argument.
Governments across India have their own list of Scheduled Castes (or Dalits), Scheduled Tribes and backward and most backward castes. The central government too has its list.
Students applying to educational institutions and those applying for posts in government are expected to furnish proof of their caste or tribe status, in the form of caste and tribe certificates.

→ Protecting the Rights of Dalits and Adivasis
In addition to policies our country also has specific law’s that guard against the discrimination and exploitation of marginalised communities.

→ The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989

In order to indicate to the government that untouchability was still being practised and in the most hideous manner, Dalit groups demanded new laws that would list the various sorts of violence against dalits and prescribe stringent punishment for those who indulge in them.
The Act contains a very long list of crimes some of which are too horrible even to contemplate.
The Act does not only describe terrible crimes but also lets people know what dreadful deeds human beings are capable of.
The Act distinguishes several levels of crimes. Firstly, it lists modes of humiliation that are both physically horrific and morally reprehensible and seeks to punish.
Secondly, it lists actions that dispossess Dalits and Adivasis of their meagre resources or which force them into performing slave labour.
At another level, the Act recognises that crimes against Dalit and tribal women are of a specific kind and, therefore, seeks to penalise anyone who assaults or uses force on any woman belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe with intent to dishonour her.

→ Adivasi Demands and the 1989 Act:

The 1989 Act is important for another reason – Adivasi activists refer to it to defend their right to occupy land that was traditionally theirs.
Activists have asked that those who have forcibly encroached upon tribal lands should be punished under this law.
C.K. Janu, an Adivasi activist, has also pointed out that one of the violators of Constitutional rights guaranteed to tribal people are governments in the various states of India.
She has also noted that in cases where tribals have already been evicted and cannot go back to their lands, they must be compensated.

→ Conclusion:

The existence of a right or a law or even a policy on paper does not mean that it exists in reality.
People have had to constantly work on or make efforts to translate these into principles that guide the actions of their fellow citizens or even their leaders.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 7 Understanding Marginalisation

June 4, 2022May 24, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 7 Understanding Marginalisation

→ What Does it Mean to be Socially Marginalised?

To be marginalised is to be forced to occupy the sides or fringes and thus not be at the centre of things.
In the social environment too, groups ‘ of people or communities may have the experience of being excluded. Their marginalisation can be because they speak a different language, follow different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority community.
They may also feel marginalised because they are poor, considered to be of ‘low’ social status and viewed as being less human than others.
They experience a sense of disadvantage and powerlessness vis-a-vis more powerful and dominant sections of society who own land, are wealthy, better educated and politically powerful.
Economic, social, cultural and political factors work together to make certain groups in society feel marginalised.

→ Who are Adivasis?
Adivasis, the term literally means ‘original inhabitants’ are communities who lived and often continue to live in close association with forests.

Around 8 per cent of India’s population is Adivasi and many of India’s most important mining and industrial centres are located in Adivasi areas – Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bokaro and Bhilai among others.
• There are over 500 different Adivasi groups in India.
Adivasis are particularly numerous in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and in the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
Adivasi societies are also most distinctive because there is often very little hierarchy among them.
Adivasis practise a range of tribal religions that are different from Islam, Hinduism and Christianity.
It often involves the worship of ancestors, village and nature spirits, the last associated with and residing in various sites in the landscape – ‘mountain-spirits’, ‘river- spirits’, ‘animal-spirits’, etc.
Adivasis have always been influenced by different surrounding religions like Shakta, Buddhist, Vaishnav, Bhakti and Christianity.
Adivasis have their own languages (most of them radically different from and possibly as old as Sanskrit), which have often deeply influenced the formation of ‘mainstream’ Indian languages, like Bengali.
Santhali has the largest number of speakers and has a significant body of publications including magazines on the internet or in e-zines.

→ Adivasis and Stereotyping:

Often Adivasis are blamed for their lack of advancement as they are believed to be resistant to change or new ideas.
Adivasis are invariably portrayed in very stereotypical ways – in colourful costumes, headgear and through their dancing.
This often wrongly leads to people believing that they are exotic, primitive and backward.

→ Adivasis and Development:

Metal ores like iron and copper, and gold and silver, coal and diamonds, invaluable timber, most medicinal herbs and animal products (wax, lac, honey) and animals themselves (elephants, the mainstay of imperial armies), all came from the forests.
Forests covered the major part of our country till the nineteenth century and the Adivasis had a deep knowledge of, access to, as well as control over most of these vast tracts at least till the middle of the nineteenth century.
Often empires heavily depended on Adivasis for the crucial access to forest resources.
In the north-east, their lands remain highly militarised.
India has 104 national parks covering 40,501 sq km and 543 wildlife sanctuaries covering 1,18,918 sq km. These are areas where tribals originally lived but were evicted from.
When they continue to stay in these forests, they are termed encroachers.
Having gradually lost access to their traditional homelands, many Adivasis have migrated to cities in search of work where they are employed for very low wages in local industries or at building or construction sites.
45 per cent of tribal groups in rural areas and 35 per cent in urban areas live below the poverty line.
Many tribal children are malnourished. Literacy rates among tribals are also very low.
Destruction in one sphere naturally impacts the other. Often this process of dispossession and displacement can be painful and violent.

→ Minorities and Marginalisation

The term minority is most commonly used to refer to communities that are numerically small in relation to the rest of the population.
It encompasses issues of power, access to resources and has social and cultural dimensions.
Safeguards are needed to protect minority communities against the possibility of being culturally dominated by the majority. They also protect them against any discrimination and disadvantage that they may face.
The Constitution provides these safeguards because it is committed to protecting India’s
cultural diversity and promoting equality as well as justice.

→ Muslims and Marginalisation

Recognising that Muslims in India were lagging behind in terms of various development indicators, the government set up a high-level committee in 2005.
Chaired by Justice Rajindar Sachar, the committee examined the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in India. The report discusses in detail the marginalisation of this community.
The social marginalisation of Muslims in some instances have led to them migrating from places where they have lived, often leading to the ghettoisation of the community. Sometimes, this prejudice leads to hatred and violence.
The experiences of all the groups point to the fact that marginalisation is a complex phenomenon requiring a variety of strategies, measures and safeguards to redress this situation.

→ Conclusion:

Marginalisation is linked to experiencing disadvantage, prejudice and powerlessness.
Marginalisation results in having a low social status and not having equal access to education and other resources.
Marginalised communities want to maintain their cultural distinctiveness while having access to rights, development and other opportunities.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions History Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Prasanna

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Solutions History Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside

JAC Class 8th History Ruling the Countryside InText Questions and Answers

Page 28

Question 1.
Why do you think Colebrook is concerned with the conditions of the under-ryots in Bengal? Read the preceding pages and suggest possible reasons.
Answer:
Colebrook is concerned with the conditions of the under-ryots in Bengal due to some socio-economic reasons.

In 1765, Diwani rights were given to the East India Company by the Mughals.
In 1773, in famine many people lost their life and most of the things.
Agriculture production worsene(d)
People could not purchase things as they used to buy.
The East India Company paid low price to farmers, craftsmen and artisans.

Page 30

Question 2.
Imagine that you are a Company representative sending a report back to England about the conditions in rural areas under Company rule. What would vou write?
Answer:
The conditions in rural areas under Company rule is not in good condition. Most of the people are poor and does not have enough food to eat. Many people are unable to pay the revenue hence they deserted the place.

Page 36

Question 3.
Imagine you are a witness giving evidence before the Indigo Commission. W.S. Seton Karr asks you “On what condition will ryots grow indigo?” What will your answer be?
Answer:
The conditions on which the ryots will grow indigo are.

They will not be forced to grow indigo.
They will sell the product in the open market from where they can earn a good profit.
They will grow indigo as per their convenience and will.
The revenue which they had to pay should be adequate and not too high

Page 38

Question 4.
Imagine a conversation between a planter and a peasant who is being forced to grow indigo. What reasons would the planter give to persuade the peasant? What problems would the peasant point out? Enact their conversation.
Answer:
Students need to do it in class with the ‘ help of the teacher.

JAC Class 8th History Ruling the Countryside Textbook Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Match the following.

Ryot	village
Mahal	peasant
Nij	cultivation on ryot’s lands
Jiyoti	cultivation on

Answer:

Ryot	Peasant
Mahal	Village
Nij	cultivation on planter’s own land
Jiyoti	cultivation on ryot’s lands

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks.
(a) Growers of woad in Europe saw …………… as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.
(b) The demand for indigo increased in late eighteenth-century Britain because of ………..
(c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of …………
(d) The Champaran movement was against……….
Answer:
(a) indigo
(b) synthetic dyes
(c) industrialisation
(d) indigo planters

(Let’s Discuss)

Question 3.
Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.
Answer:
Main features of the Permanent Settlement are.

By the terms of the settlement, the rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars.
They were asked to collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the Company.
The amount to be paid was fixed permanently and it was not to be increased ever in future.
It was felt that this would ensure a regular flow of revenue into the Company’s coffers and at the same time encourage the zamindars to invest in improving the land
Since the revenue demand of the state would not be increased, the zamindar would benefit from increased production from the land

Question 4.
How was the mahalwari system different from the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:
The mahalwari system was different from the Permanent Settlement in the following ways.

Mahalwari system	Permanent Settlement
Mahalwari system was devised by Holt Mackenzie which came into effect in 1822, in the North Western Provinces of the Bengal Presidency.	Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793.
The amount to be paid was to be revised periodically and not permanently fixe(d)	The amount to be paid was fixed permanently i.e., it was not to be increased ever in future.
The village headman was given the charge forcollecting the revenue and paying it to the ^Company.	The zamindar was given the charge for collecting the revenue and paying it to the Company.

Question 5.
Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.
Answer:
Two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue were.

Driven by the desire to increase the income from land, revenue officials fixed too high a revenue demand which the peasants were unable to pay.
Peasants were unable to pay, ryots fled the countryside and villages became deserted in many regions.

Question 6.
Why were ryots reluctant to growindigo?
Answer:
Ryots were reluctant to grow indigo because of the certain reasons.

Under this system, the planters forced the ryots to a sign an agreement or contract known as satta
Those who signed the contract got cash advances from the planters at the low rate of interest to produce indigo.
But the loan committed to the ryots for cultivating indigo on atleast 25% of the area under his holding.
The price they got for the indigo they produced was very low and the loan process was a never ending cycle.
The planters usually insisted that indigo should be cultivated on the best soil in which peasants preferred to produce rice.
Apart from it, indigo has deep roots and it exhausts the soil quickly. After an indigo harvest, the land could not be sown with rice.

Question 7.
What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?
Answer:
The circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal were as follows.

The indigo lyots felt that they had the support of the local zamindars and village headmen in their rebellion against the planters.
The indigo peasants also imagined that the British government would support them in their struggle against the planters.
The ryots saw the tour of the Lieutenant Governor as a sign of government sympathy for their plight.
The magistrate Ashley Eden issued a notice stating that ryots would not be compelled to accept indigo contracts.
As the rebellion spread, intellectuals from Calcutta rushed to the indigo districts. They wrote of the misery of the ryots, the tyranny and despotism of the planters and the horrors of the indigo system.
Worried by the rebellion, the government set up the Indigo Commission to enquire into the system of indigo production. The Commission held the planters guilty and criticised them for the coercive methods they used with indigo cultivators.
It declared that indigo production was not profitable for ryots. The Commission asked the ryots to fulfill their existing contracts but also told them that they could refuse to produce indigo in future,
After the revolt, indigo production collapsed in Bengal.

(Let’s Do)

Question 8.
Find out more about the Champaran movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s role in it.
Answer:
The Champaran Movement 1917 was actually an agitation of indigo tenant farmers of Champaran, Bihar against the British indigo planters. The Zamindars had leased the villages to British Indigo planters. The planters began to oppress peasants in many ways. They extract high rents, illegal dues and forced peasants to grow indigo on 3/20th of their total lan(d) They used force to make peasants to grow Indigo and also dictated the price of Indigo which was very low. So, the peasants were tired of the oppression and thus invited Gandhi to represent their grievances. Gandhi reached Champaran and launched the agitation against the Indigo planters.

There began non-violent protest and hunger strike against the planters. So the method of Satyagraha which later became the tool of freedom struggle for Indi(a) Moreover, Gandhi defied the warning of the magistrate to return back and adopted non-violent methods for the concessions of peasants. So the movement is being called the first Civil Disobedience. The movement also made Gandhi the National leader and he began to be called Mahatma or Bapu. The movement was successful and The authorities later gave some concessions to the indigo peasants.

Question 9.
Look into the history of either tea or coffee plantations in Indi(a) See how the life of workers in these plantations was similar to or different from that of workers in indigo plantations.
Answer:

(i) Accounts of earlier Indian history do not mention the use of tea or its cultivation. We get a mention by a Dutch sea-traveller in 1598 that tea is being eaten as well as drunk in Indi(a)

(ii) In 1824, tea plants were discovered in the hills of the Indian state of Assam. The British introduced tea culture into India in 1836. India had been the top producer of tea for nearly a century.

(iii) The workers in the tea plantations were oppresse(d) They were given low wages. There were poor housing and lack of social mobility. For making more profits, the tea planters reclaimed wastelands where the workers had to labour hard to develop plantation. For this, the planters introduced indentured labour system. The local as well as outside labourers were employed under contract.

(iv) There were two types of indentured labour system- Arkatti and Sardari. Under Arkatti system, unlicensed recruitment was carried from Chotanagpur and other tribal areas of the sub-continent. Under the Sardari system new labourers were employed by those who were already employed in the plantation gardens.

(v) The labourers had to work hard The outside labourers had to stay at the garden for a longer period They were not permitted to meet their family, even on occasions. They were exploited in many ways. They were not allowed to leave the plantation garden during the contract period

(vi) The labourers in the tea plantations and indigo farming were similar in the way that they were exploited heavily. The profit was made by the owners and the labourers got almost nothing. They were different in the way that, however, there was a contract with the planters, but indigo workers were not under indentured labour system.

JAC Class 8th History Ruling the Countryside Important Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
The Mughal emperor appoint the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal in………..
(a) 12th August 1756
(b) 12th August 1758
(c) 12th August 1765
(d) 19th August 1765
Answer:
(c) 12th August 1765

Question 2.
The Permanent Settlement was introduced in………
(a) 1793
(b) 1797
(c) 1794
(d)1799
Answer:
(a) 1793

Question 3.
The zamindars were not capable of investing in the improvement of land because
(a) the farmers were not experienced in agriculture.
(b) the revenue that had been fixed was so high that the zamindars found it difficult to pay.
(c) farmers did not have access to the latest farming technologies.
(d) both b and d
Answer:
(b) the revenue that had been fixed was so high that the zamindars found it difficult to pay.

Question 4.
The other plant on which the European cloth manufacturer depended on apart from Indian indigo was
(a) Woad
(b) Opium
(c) Heena
(d) None of these
Answer:
(a) Woad

Question 5.
The two main systems of cultivating indigo in India during Company period were…….
(a) Nij
(b) Mahalwari
(c) Ryot
(d) both (a) and (c)
Answer:
(d) both (a) and (c)

Question 6.
The cultivation system in which indigo was produced by the planter in lands that he directly controlled is known as
(a) ryoti
(b) nij
(c) systematic
(d) none of these
Answer:
(b) nij

Question 7
The problems with the nij and ryoti systems were
(a) planters found it difficult to expand the area under cultivation.
(b) planters needed many ploughs and bullocks and large areas to cultivate indigo and these were very hard to come as peasants were busy with rice cultivation.
(c) indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands and these were all densely populate(d)
(d) all of these.
Answer:
(d) all of these.

Question 8.
The condition of the ryot system contract that was not in favour of the cultivators was/were
(a) those who signed the contract had to pay cash advances to the planters without interest to produce indigo.
(b) those who signed the contract got cash advances from the planters without interest to produce indigo.
(c) those who signed the contract got cash advances from the planters at low rates of interest to produce indigo on at least 25% of their land
(d) both (a) and (c)
Answer:
(c) those who signed the contract got cash advances from the planters at low rates of interest to produce indigo on at least 25% of their land

Question 9.
The ‘Blue Rebellion’ happened in the year……. .
(a) 1859
(b) 1759
(c) 1869
(d) 1769
Answer:
(a) 1859

Question 10.
The indigo planters of Bengal shifted their operations to ………..
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Bihar
Answer:
(d) Bihar

Very Short Answer Type Question

Question 1.
Who was the Governor General of India when the Permanent Settlement introduced in Bengal?
Answer:
Lord Cornwallis was the Governor General of India when the Permanent Settlement introduced in Bengal.

Question 2.
What role did women play in the cultivation of indigo?
Answer:
The role women played in the cultivation of indigo was to carry the indigo plant to the vats.

Question 3.
Who were the gomasthasl
Answer:
Gomasthas were the agents of planters.

Question 4.
Who created Kalamkari print?
Answer:
Weavers of Andhra Pradesh in India created Kalamkari print.

Question 5.
Where did the Portuguese begin cultivating indigo?
Answer:
The Portuguese began cultivating indigo in Brazil.

Question 6.
Who was the President of the Indigo Commission?
Answer:
W.S. Seton Karr was the President of the Indigo Commission.

Question 7.
Where did the English cultivate indigo?
Answer:
The English cultivated indigo in Jamaica

Question 8.
Where did the Spanish begin cultivating indigo?
Answer:
The Spanish began cultivating indigo in Venezuela

Question 9.
Which system forced the people to take the help of Mahatma Gandhi to get their grievances redressed from the government.
Answer:
The system which forced the people to take the help of Mahatma Gandhi to get their grievances redressed from the government was teenkathia system.

Question 10.
The Bengal peasants were forced to grow a crop plant by the Company. Which plant was that?
Answer:
The Bengal peasants were forced to grow a crop plant by the Company. The plant was jute plant.

Short Answer Type Question

Question 1.
Describe the Munro system.
Answer:
The new system that was devised came to be known as the ryotwar (or ryotwari). It was tried on a small scale by Captain Alexander Read in some of the areas that were taken over by the Company after the wars with Tipu Sultan. Subsequently developed by Thomas Munro, this system was gradually extended all over south Indi(a) Read and Munro felt that in the south there were no traditional zamindars. The settlement, they argued, had to be made directly with the cultivators {ryots) who had tilled the land for generations. Their fields had to be carefully and separately surveyed before the revenue assessment was made.

Question 2.
How was indigo cultivated under the ryoti system?
Answer:
Under the ryoti system, the planters forced the ryots to sign a contract, an agreement (satta). At times they pressurised the village headmen to sign the contract on behalf of the ryots. Those who signed the contract got cash advances from the planters at low rates of interest to produce indigo. But the loan committed the ryot to cultivating indigo on at least 25 per cent of the area under his holding. The planter provided the seed and the drill, while the cultivators prepared the soil, sowed the seed and looked after the crop. When the crop was delivered to the planter after the harvest, a new loan was given to the ryot, and the cycle started all over again.

Question 3.
What were the consequences of the economic crisis that gripped Bengal?
Answer:
The consequences of the economic crisis that gripped Bengal were.

Artisans were deserting villages since they were being forced to sell their goods to the Company at low prices.
Peasants were unable to pay the dues that were being demanded from them.
Artisanal production was in decline and agricultural cultivation showed signs of collapse.
In 1770, a terrible famine killed ten million people in Bengal. About one-third of the population was wiped out.

Question 4.
Where did the slave revolt take place in 1791?
Answer:
In the French colony of St Dominque situated in the Caribbean islands, the African slaves who worked in plantations rebelled in 1791.

Question 5.
Why did cloth dyers prefer indigo to woad?
Answer:
Cloth dyers preferred indigo as a dye because indigo produced a rich blue colour whereas the dye from woad was pale and dull.

Question 6.
Indigo trade attracted foreign traders. In which way?
Answer:
As the indigo trade grew, commercial agents and officials of the Company began investing in indigo production. Over the years many Company officials left their jobs to look after their indigo business. Attracted by the prospect of high profits, numerous Scotsmen and Englishmen came to India and became planters.

Question 7.
What gave rise to the Champaran Movement?
Answer:
When Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar persuaded him visit Champaran and see the plight of the indigo cultivators there. Mahatma Gandhi’s visit in 1917 marked the beginning of the Champaran movement against the indigo planters.

Question 8.
By the late nineteenth century, the Company forced cultivators in various parts of India to produce which crops?
Answer:
By the late nineteenth century, the Company forced cultivators in various parts of India to produce these crops jute in Bengal, tea in Assam, sugarcane in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), wheat in Punjab, cotton in Maharashtra and Punjab, rice in Madras.

Question 9.
Why was the Indigo Commission set up by the government? What were its findings and suggestions?
Answer:
The Indigo Commission was set up by the government to enquire into the system of indigo production because they were worried by the rebellion, the government brought in the military to protect the planters from assault. The Commission held the planters guilty and criticised them for the coercive methods they used with indigo cultivators. It declared that indigo production was not profitable for ryots. The Commission asked the ryots to fulfil their existing contracts but also told them that they could refuse to produce indigo in future.

Question 10.
Why did the demand for Indian indigo increase?
Answer:
By the end of the eighteenth century, the demand for Indian indigo grew further. Britain began to industrialise and its cotton production expanded dramatically, creating an enormous new demand for cloth dyes. While the demand for indigo increased, its existing supplies from the West Indies and America collapsed for a variety of reasons. Between 1783 and 1789 the production of indigo in the world fell by half. Cloth dyers in Britain now desperately looked for new sources of indigo supply and hence the demand increased

Long Answer Type Question

Question 1.
The indigo peasants decide they would no longer remain silent. Why?
Answer:
The indigo peasants became united and rebelled They showed their anger in the following ways.

The condition under which the indigo cultivators had to work was intensely oppressive and very harsh. Hence, they decided not to grow indigo.
Ryots refused to pay rents to the planters and attacked indigo factories armed with swords and spears, bows and arrows.
Women turned up to fight with pots, pans and kitchen implements.
Those who worked for the planters were socially boycotted and the gomasthas means agents of planters, who came to collect rent were beaten up.
Ryots swore they would no longer take advances to sow indigo nor be bullied by the planters’ lathiyals.
Even in some places, the zamindars went around villages urging the ryots to resist the planters.
These zamindars were unhappy with the increasing power of the planters and angry at being forced by the planters to give them land on long leases.

Question 2.
The planters reluctant to expand the area under nij cultivation till the late 19th century. Why?
Answer:
The planters reluctant to expand the area under nij cultivation till the late 19th century because the planters many problems in the nij system. They were as follows.

The planters found it difficult to expand the area under nij cultivation. Indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands and these were all densely populated
Only small plots scattered over the landscape could be acquired Planters needed large areas in compact blocks to cultivate indigo in plantations.
Nor was labour easy to mobilise. A large plantation required a vast number of hands to operate. And labour was needed precisely at a time when peasants were usually busy with their rice cultivation.
Nor could supplies be easily got from the peasants since their ploughs and bullocks were busy on their rice fields and again exactly at the time that the indigo planters needed them.
Investing on purchase and maintenance of ploughs was a big problem.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions

JAC Class 7 Social Science Solutions in Hindi & English Jharkhand Board

June 16, 2022May 23, 2022 by Veer

JAC Jharkhand Board Class 7th Social Science Solutions in Hindi & English Medium

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science Solutions in English Medium

Jharkhand Board Class 7th Social Science History: Our Pasts – II

Jharkhand Board Class 7th Social Science Geography: Our Environment

Jharkhand Board Class 7th Social Science Civics: Social and Political Life – III

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science Solutions in Hindi Medium

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science History: Our Pasts – II (इतिहास – हमारे अतीत – II)

Chapter 1 हज़ार वर्षों के दौरान हुए परिवर्तनों की पड़ताल
Chapter 2 नए राजा और उनके राज्य
Chapter 3 दिल्ली के सुलतान
Chapter 4 मुग़ल साम्राज्य
Chapter 5 शासक और इमारतें
Chapter 6 नगर, व्यापारी और शिल्पिजन
Chapter 7 जनजातियाँ, खानाबदोश और एक जगह बसे हुए समुदाय
Chapter 8 ईश्वर से अनुराग
Chapter 9 क्षेत्रीय संस्कृतियों का निर्माण
Chapter 10 अठारहवीं शताब्दी में नए राजनीतिक गठन

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science Geography: Our Environment (भूगोल – हमारा पर्यावरण)

Chapter 1 पर्यावरण
Chapter 2 हमारी पृथ्वी के अन्दर
Chapter 3 हमारी बदलती पृथ्वी
Chapter 4 वायु
Chapter 5 जल
Chapter 6 प्राकृतिक वनस्पति एवं वन्य जीवन
Chapter 7 मानविय पर्यावरण : बस्तियाँ, परिवहन एवं संचार
Chapter 8 मानव पर्यावरण अन्योन्यक्रिया : उष्णकटिबंधीय एवं उपोष्ण प्रदेश
Chapter 9 रेगिस्तान में जीवन

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science Civics: Social and Political Life – II (नागरिक शास्त्र – सामाजिक एवं राजनीतिक जीवन – II)

Chapter 1 समानता
Chapter 2 स्वास्थ्य में सरकार की भूमिका
Chapter 3 राज्य शासन कैसे काम करता है
Chapter 4 लड़के और लड़कियों के रूप में बड़ा होना
Chapter 5 औरतों ने बदली दुनिया
Chapter 6 संचार माध्यमों को समझना
Chapter 7 हमारे आस-पास के बाज़ार
Chapter 8 बाज़ार में एक कमीज़
Chapter 9 समानता के लिए संघर्ष

JAC Class 7 Social Science Notes in Hindi & English Jharkhand Board

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Veer

JAC Jharkhand Board Class 7th Social Science Notes in Hindi & English Medium

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science Notes in English Medium

Jharkhand Board Class 7th History Notes

Jharkhand Board Class 7th Geography Notes

Jharkhand Board Class 7th Civics Notes

JAC Board Class 7th Social Science Solutions in Hindi Medium

JAC Board Class 7th History Notes in Hindi

Chapter 1 हज़ार वर्षों के दौरान हुए परिवर्तनों की पड़ताल Notes
Chapter 2 नए राजा और उनके राज्य Notes
Chapter 3 दिल्ली के सुलतान Notes
Chapter 4 मुग़ल साम्राज्य Notes
Chapter 5 शासक और इमारतें Notes
Chapter 6 नगर, व्यापारी और शिल्पिजन Notes
Chapter 7 जनजातियाँ, खानाबदोश और एक जगह बसे हुए समुदाय Notes
Chapter 8 ईश्वर से अनुराग Notes
Chapter 9 क्षेत्रीय संस्कृतियों का निर्माण Notes
Chapter 10 अठारहवीं शताब्दी में नए राजनीतिक गठन Notes

JAC Board Class 7th Geography Notes in Hindi

Chapter 1 पर्यावरण Notes
Chapter 2 हमारी पृथ्वी के अन्दर Notes
Chapter 3 हमारी बदलती पृथ्वी Notes
Chapter 4 वायु Notes
Chapter 5 जल Notes
Chapter 6 प्राकृतिक वनस्पति एवं वन्य जीवन Notes
Chapter 7 मानविय पर्यावरण : बस्तियाँ, परिवहन एवं संचार Notes
Chapter 8 मानव पर्यावरण अन्योन्यक्रिया : उष्णकटिबंधीय एवं उपोष्ण प्रदेश Notes
Chapter 9 रेगिस्तान में जीवन Notes

JAC Board Class 7th Civics Notes in Hindi

Chapter 1 समानता Notes
Chapter 2 स्वास्थ्य में सरकार की भूमिका Notes
Chapter 3 राज्य शासन कैसे काम करता है Notes
Chapter 4 लड़के और लड़कियों के रूप में बड़ा होना Notes
Chapter 5 औरतों ने बदली दुनिया Notes
Chapter 6 संचार माध्यमों को समझना Notes
Chapter 7 हमारे आस-पास के बाज़ार Notes
Chapter 8 बाज़ार में एक कमीज़ Notes
Chapter 9 समानता के लिए संघर्ष Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

→ In large societies in which different communities of people live together, these rules are formulated through consensus and in modem countries this consensus is usually available in written form. A written document in which we find the rules is called a Constitution.

→ Why Does a Country Need a Constitution?

The Constitution serves several purposes. First, it lays out certain ideals that form the basis of the kind of country that we as citizens aspire to live in. Or, a Constitution tells us what the fundamental nature of our society is.
A Constitution helps serve as a set of rules and principles that all persons in a country can agree upon as the basis of the way in which they want the country to be governed.
This includes not only the type of government but also an agreement on certain ideals that they all believe the country should uphold.
In 2006 the people of Nepal finally succeeded in putting an end to the powers of the King. The people had to write a new Constitution to establish Nepal as
a democracy. The reason that they did not want to continue with the previous Constitution is because it did not reflect the ideals of the country that they want Nepal to be and that they have fought for.
The people of Nepal adopted a new Constitution for the country in 2015.
The second important purpose of a Constitution is to define the nature of a country’s political system.
The Constitution plays a crucial role in laying out certain important guidelines that govern decision making within these societies.

→ In a democracy, we choose our leaders so that they can exercise power responsibly on behalf of common people.

However, there is always the possibility that these leaders might misuse their authority and the Constitution usually provides safeguards against this.
In democratic societies, the Constitution often lays down rules that guard against the misuse of authority by our political leaders.
The Right to Equality is one of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.
Another important function that a Constitution plays in a democracy is to make sure that a dominant group does not use its power against other, less powerful people or groups.
The Constitution usually contains rules that ensure that minorities are not excluded from anything that is routinely available to the majority.
Another reason why we have a Constitution is precisely to prevent this tyranny or domination by the majority of a minority.
The third significant reason why we need a Constitution is to save us from ourselves.
The Constitution helps to protect us against certain decisions that we might take that could have an adverse effect on the larger principles that the country believes in.

→ The Indian Constitution: Key Features

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the Indian national movement had been active in the struggle for independence from British rule for several decades.
During the freedom struggle the nationalists had devoted a great deal of time to imagining and planning what a free India would be like.
The leaders work was to work out the ways in which a democratic government would be set up in India and the rules that would determine its functioning.
• This was done not by one person but by a group of around 300 people who became members of the Constituent Assembly in 1946 and who met periodically for the next three years to write India’s Constitution.
When the Constitution was being written, India was going through considerable turmoil. The partition of the country into India and Pakistan was imminent, some of the Princely States remained undecided about their future, and the socio-economic condition of the vast mass of people appeared dismal.
The final document also reflects its concern for eradicating poverty through socio-economic reforms as well as emphasising the crucial role the people can play in choosing their representatives.

→ The key features of the Indian Constitution are given below:

Federalism
Parliamentary Form of Government
Separation of Powers
Fundamental Rights
Secularism

→ Federalism:

This refers to the existence of more than one level of government in the country. In India, we have governments at the state level and at the centre. Panchayati Raj is the third tier of government.
The vast number of communities in India meant that a system of government needed to be devised that did not involve only persons sitting in the capital city of New Delhi and making decisions for everyone.
It was important to have another level of government in the states so that decisions could be made for that particular area.
While each state in India enjoys autonomy in exercising powers on certain issues, subjects of national concern require that all of these states follow the laws of the central government.
Under federalism, the states are not merely agents of the federal government but draw their authority from the Constitution as well. All persons in India are governed by laws and policies made by each of these levels of government.

→ Parliamentary Form of Government:

The different tiers of government consist of representatives who are elected by the people.
The Constitution of India guarantees universal adult suffrage for all citizens.
The people of India have a direct role in electing their representatives.
Every citizen of the country, irrespective of his/her social background, can also contest in elections. These representatives are accountable to the people.

→ Separation of Powers:

According to the Constitution, there are three organs of government. They are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
The legislature refers to our elected representatives.
The executive is a smaller group of people who are responsible for implementing laws and running the government.
The judiciary refers to the system of courts in this country.
In order to prevent the misuse of power by any one branch of government, the Constitution says that each of these organs . should exercise different powers.

→ Fundamental Rights:

The section on Fundamental Rights has often been referred to as the ‘conscience’ of the Indian Constitution.
Fundamental Rights protect citizens against the arbitrary and absolute exercise of power by the State.
The Constitution guarantees the rights of individuals against the State as well as against other individuals.
The Constitution also guarantees the rights of minorities against the majority.
As Dr Ambedkar has said about these Fundamental Rights, their object is two-fold.
The first objective is that every citizen must be in a position to claim those rights.
Secondly, these rights must be binding upon every authority that has got the power to make laws.
The Constitution also has a section called Directive Principles of State Policy.
This section was designed by the members of the Constituent Assembly to ensure greater social and economic reforms and to serve as a guide to the independent Indian State to institute laws and policies that help reduce the poverty of the masses.

→ Secularism:
A secular state is one in which the state does not officially promote any one religion as the state religion.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

→ The acts of discrimination take place more easily when one religion is given official recognition by the State at the expense of other religions.

→ What is Secularism?

The Indian Constitution allows individuals the freedom to live by their religious beliefs and practices as they interpret these.
In keeping with this idea of religious freedom for all, India also adopted a strategy of separating the power of religion and the power of the State.
Secularism refers to this separation of religion from the State.

→ Why is it Important to Separate Religion from the State?

The most important aspect of secularism is its separation of religion from State power. This is important for a country to function democratically.
If the majority religious group has access to State power. then it could quite easily use this power and financial resources to discriminate against and persecute persons of other religions.
This tyranny of the majority could result in discrimination, coercion and at times even the killing of religious minorities.
The tyranny of the majority and the violation of Fundamental Rights that can result is one reason why it is important to separate the State and religion in democratic societies.
Another reason that is important to separate religion from the State in democratic societies is because we also need to protect the freedom of individuals to exit from their religion, embrace another religion or have the freedom to interpret religious teachings differently.

→ What is Indian Secularism?

The Indian Constitution mandates that the Indian State be secular.
According to the Constitution, only a secular State can realise its objectives to ensure the following:
- That one religious community does not dominate another;
- That some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community;
- That the State does not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals.
The Indian State works in various ways to prevent the domination. First, it uses a strategy of distancing itself from religion.
The Indian State is not ruled by a religious group and nor does it support any one religion.
Government schools cannot promote any one religion either in their morning prayers or through religious celebrations. This rule does not apply to private schools.
The second way in which Indian secularism works to prevent the domination is through a strategy of non-interference.
The third way in which Indian secularism works to prevent the domination is through a strategy of intervention.
In order to prevent the religion-based exclusion and discrimination of Tower castes’, the Indian Constitution bans untouchability.
To ensure that laws relating to equal inheritance rights are respected, the State may have to intervene in the religion-based ‘personal laws’ of communities.
The intervention of the State can also be in the form of support.
The Indian Constitution grants the right to religious communities to set up their own schools and colleges.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the legislature from making laws ‘respecting an establishment of religion’ or that ‘prohibit the free exercise of religion’.
In the U.S.A., the separation between State and religion means that neither the State nor religion can interfere in the affairs of one another.
Unlike the strict separation between religion and the State in American secularism, in Indian secularism the State can intervene in religious affairs. This is the difference.

→ In Indian secularism, though the State is not strictly separate from religion it does maintain a principled distance vis-a-vis religion.

This means that any interference in religion by the State has to be based on the ideals laid out in the Constitution.
The Indian State is secular and works in various ways to prevent religious domination.
The Indian Constitution guarantees Fundamental Rights that are based on these secular principles.
The knowledge that such rights exist makes us sensitive to the violations that occurs and enables us to take action when these violations take place.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 3 Why Do We Need A Parliament?

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 3 Why Do We Need A Parliament?

→ The Parliament enables citizens of India to participate in decision making and control the government, thus making it the most important symbol of Indian democracy and a key feature of the Constitution.

→ Why should People Decide?

People from various backgrounds joined the struggle and they were inspired by the ideas of freedom, equality and participation in decision- making.
As far back as 1885, the Indian National Congress demanded that there be elected members in the legislature with a right to discuss the budget and ask questions.
The Government of India Act 1909, allowed for some elected representation.
While these early legislatures under the British government were in response to the growing demands of the nationalists, they did not allow for all adults to vote nor could people participate in decision making.
With the coming of independence, we were going to be citizens of a free country.
This did not mean that the government could do what it felt like, it meant that the government had to be sensitive to people’s needs and demands.

→ People and their Representatives

The take-off point for a democracy is the idea of consent, i.e., the desire, approval and participation of people.
The basic idea in the democratic government is that the individual or the citizen are the most important person and that in principle the government as well as other public institutions need to have the trust of these citizens.
People would elect their representatives to the Parliament, then, one group from among these elected representatives form the government.
The Parliament, which is made up of all representatives together, controls and guides the government.

→ The Role of the Parliament

Created after 1947, the Indian Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in principles of democracy.
The Parliament in our system has immense powers because it is the representative of the people.
The Lok Sabha is usually elected once every five years.
Each of these constituencies elects one person to the Parliament. The candidates who contest elections usually belong to different political parties.
Once elected, these candidates become Members of Parliament or MPs. These MPs together make up the Parliament.
Once elections to the Parliament have taken place, the Parliament needs to perform the following functions:

→ To Select the National Government

Parliament of India consists of the President, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
After the Lok Sabha elections, a list is prepared showing how many MPs belong to each political party.
For a political party to form the government, they must have a majority of elected MPs.
The Opposition in Parliament is formed by all the political parties that oppose the majority party/coalition formed.
The largest amongst these parties is called the Opposition party.
One of the most important functions of the Lok Sabha is to select the executive.
The Prime Minister of India is the leader of the ruling party in the Lok Sabha.
From the MPs who belong to the majority party, the Prime Minister selects ministers to work with her to implement decisions.
These ministers then take charge of different areas of government functioning like health, education, finance, etc.
The different political parties join together with similar interests as they didn’t get majority of votes and who are interested in similar concerns to form what is known as a coalition government.
The Rajya Sabha functions primarily as the representative of the states of India in the Parliament.
The Rajya Sabha can also initiate legislation and a bill is required to pass through the Rajya Sabha in order to become a law.
The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states.

→ To Control, Guide and Inform the Government

The question hour is an important mechanism through which MPs can elicit information about the working of the government.
This is a very important way through which the Parliament controls the executive.
Asking questions of the government is a crucial task for every MP.
The Opposition parties play a critical role in the healthy functioning of a democracy.
The government gets valuable feedback and is kept on its toes by the questions asked by the MPs.
The MPs as representatives of the people have a central role in controlling, guiding and informing Parliament and this is a key aspect of the functioning of Indian democracy.

→ Law-Making
Law-making is a significant function of Parliament.

→ Who are the People in Parliament?

Parliament now has more and more people from different backgrounds.
There has also been an increase in political participation from the Dalits and backward classes.
There is a realisation that when interests and experiences separate us it is important to ensure that communities that have been historically marginalised are given adequate representation.
With this in mind, some seats are reserved in Parliament for SCs and STs.
Similarly, it has more recently been suggested that there should be reservation of seats for women.
It is issues of this kind that force the country to ask certain difficult and often unresolved questions about whether our democratic system is representative enough.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 4 Understanding Laws

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 4 Understanding Laws

→ Do Laws Apply to All?

Members instituted several provisions in the Constitution that would establish the rule of law.
The most important of these was that all persons in independent India are equal before the law.
The law cannot discriminate between persons on the basis of their religion, caste or gender.
What the rule of law means is that all laws apply equally to all citizens of the country and no one can be above the law7.
Any crime or violation of law has a specific punishment as well as a process through which the guilt of the person has to be established.
In ancient India, there were innumerable and often overlapping local laws.
Different communities enjoyed different degrees of autonomy in administering these laws among their own.
The British colonialists introduced the rule of law in India.

→ Historians have disputed this claim on several grounds, two of which include:

first that colonial law was arbitrary, and
second that the Indian nationalists played a prominent role in the development of the legal sphere in British India.

→ The Sedition Act of 1870 – The idea of sedition was very broadly understood within this Act. Any person protesting or criticising the British government could be arrested without due trial.

Indian nationalists also began fighting for greater equality and wanted to change the idea of law from a set of rules that they were forced to obey, to law as including ideas of justice.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Indian legal profession also began emerging and demanded respect in colonial courts.
There w7ere several ways in which Indians played a major role in the evolution of the rule of law during the colonial period.
Every year our representatives pass several new laws as well as amend existing ones.

→ How Do New Laws Come About?

The Parliament has an important role in making laws.
An important role of Parliament is to be sensitive to the problems faced by people.
The role of citizens is crucial in helping Parliament frame different concerns that people might have into laws.
The voice of citizen can be heard through TV reports, newspaper editorials, radio broadcasts, local meetings, all of which help in making the work that Parliament does more accessible and transparent to the people.

→ Unpopular and Controversial Laws:

Sometimes a law can be constitutionally valid and hence legal, but it can continue to be unpopular and unacceptable to people because they feel that the intention behind it is unfair and harmful.
In a democracy like ours, citizens can express their unwillingness to accept repressive laws framed by the Parliament.
When a large number of people begin to feel that a wrong law has been passed, then there is pressure on the Parliament to change this.
If the law favours one group and disregards the other it will be controversial and lead to conflict.
People who think that the law is not fair can approach the court to decide on the issue.
The court has the power to modify or cancel laws if it finds that they don’t adhere to the Constitution.
We should bear in mind that it is the extent, involvement and enthusiasm of the people that helps Parliament perform its representative functions properly.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes

JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 5 Judiciary

June 4, 2022May 23, 2022 by Bhagya

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 5 Judiciary

→ As an organ of government, the judiciary plays a crucial role in the functioning of India’s democracy. It can play this role only because it is independent.

→ What is the Role of the Judiciary?

Courts take decisions on a very large number of issues.
The work that the judiciary does can be divided into the following:
Dispute Resolution: The judicial system provides a mechanism for resolving disputes between citizens, etc.
Judicial Review: As the final interpreter of the Constitution, the judiciary also has the power to strike down particular laws passed by the Parliament if it believes that these are a violation of the basic structure of the Constitution. This is called judicial review.
Upholding the Law and Enforcing Fundamental Rights: Every citizen of India can approach the Supreme Court or the High Court if they believe that their Fundamental Rights have been violated.

→ What is an Independent Judiciary?

Rich and powerful people in India sometimes try to influence the judicial
process, the Indian Constitution protects against this kind of situation by providing for the independence of the judiciary.
One aspect of this independence is the ‘separation of powers’.
The other branches of government, the legislature and the executive cannot interfere in the work of the judiciaiy. The courts are not under the government and do not act on their behalf.
It is the independence of the judiciary that allows the courts to play a central role in ensuring that there is no misuse of power by the legislature and the executive.
It also plays a crucial role in protecting the Fundamental Rights of citizens because anyone can approach the courts if they believe that their rights have been violated.

→ What is the structure of Court in India?

There are three different levels of courts in our country.
The courts that most people interact with are called subordinate or district courts. These are usually at the district or Tehsil level or in towns and they hear many kinds of cases.
Each state is divided into districts that are presided over by a District Judge.
Each state has a High Court which is the highest court of that state.
At the top is the Supreme Court which is located in New Delhi and is presided over by the Chief Justice of India.
In India, we have an integrated judicial system, meaning that the decisions made by higher courts are binding on the lower courts.
A person can appeal to a higher court if they believe that the judgment passed by the lower court is not just.

→ What are the Different Branches of the Legal System?
In addition to criminal law, the legal system also deals with civil law cases.

→ Does Everyone Have Access to the Courts?

In principle, all citizens of India can access the courts in this country. This implies that every citizen has a right to justice through the courts.
While the courts are available for all, in reality access to courts has always been difficult for a vast majority of the poor in India.
Legal procedures involve a lot of money and paper work as well as take up a lot of time.
The Supreme Court in the early 1980s devised a mechanism of Public Interest Litigation or PIL to increase access to justice.
The legal process was greatly simplified and even a letter or telegram addressed to the Supreme Court or the High Court could be treated as a PIL.
For the common person, access to courts is access to justice.
The courts exercise a crucial role in interpreting the Fundamental Rights of citizens and the courts interpreted Article 21 of the Constitution on the Right to Life to include the Right to Food.
There are also court judgments that people believe work against the best interests of the common person.
Another issue that affects the common person’s access to justice is the inordinately long number of years that courts take to hear a case.
The members of the Constituent Assembly had quite correctly envisioned a system of courts with an independent judiciary as a key feature of our democracy.