The 22nd Law Commission, tasked with identifying laws that are “no longer applicable” and recommending their repeal, had its tenure extended by one and a half years by the Union Cabinet, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday. The Cabinet announced in a note that the panel’s tenure had been extended till August 31, 2024. On Monday, the commission’s three-year tenure came to an end.
According to the release, the composition will remain the same and include a full-time Chairperson, four full-time Members (including a Member-Secretary), the Secretary of Legal Affairs as an ex-officio Member, the Secretary of the Legislative Department as an ex-officio Member, and no more than five part-time Members. The 22nd law panel was established on February 21, 2020, for a three-year term, and Judge (retired) Rituraj Awasthi became its chair on November 9, 2022.
Its obligations include, among other things, identifying laws that are no longer essential and recommending the repeal of those that are. In order to execute the Directive Principles and achieve the goals outlined in the Preamble of the Constitution, it is also required to recommend the introduction of new laws, according to a statement.
It may take into account and communicate to the government its opinions on any matter pertaining to law and judicial administration that the government may specifically submit to it through the Ministry of Law & Justice (Department of Legal Affairs). The law commission is an occasionally created non-statutory agency by the federal government.
