22ND LAW COMMISSION

1.Context

The Centre on Monday (November 7) constituted the Law Commission of India with Justice (retd) Rituraj Awasthi, former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, at its head. 

2.About Law commission

• The Law Ministry describes the Law Commission of India as a non-statutory body that is constituted by a notification of the Government of India, with definite terms of reference to carry out research in the field of law.
• The Commission makes recommendations to the Government (in the form of Reports) as per its terms of reference.
• The Law Commission was first constituted in 1955, and has so far submitted 277 reports. According to the Law Ministry’s website, the “Law Commission of India provides excellent thought provoking and vital review of the laws in India”.

3.22nd Law commission

• The 22nd Commission has been constituted two and a half years after it was approved by the Union Cabinet on February 19, 2020, just before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• A petition had been moved in the Supreme Court subsequently against the delay in constituting the 22nd Commission.
• The Commission would have a tenure of three years from the date of publication of the Order of Constitution in the Official Gazette.
• The Commission shall, among other things, “identify laws which are no longer needed or relevant and can be immediately repealed
• Examine the existing laws in the light of Directive Principles of State Policy and suggest ways of improvement and reform and also suggest such legislations as might be necessary to implement the Directive Principles and to attain the objectives set out in the Preamble of the Constitution
• Revise the Central Acts of general importance so as to simplify them and remove anomalies, ambiguities and inequities