The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, headed by Rajya Sabha member and senior BJP leader Sushil Modi, expressed its disappointment over the “snail’s pace” in appointment of chairperson and members of the Law Commission.
The report, tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday, questioned the delay in appointing the chairperson and members of the Law Commission, a body that advises the government on complex legal matter including a previous reference to the Uniform Civil Code.
The Committee noted that the body whose full tenure is three years is now in its third without the appointments. The report said that the chairperson and members of the Law Commission of India (LCI) should now be appointed for a full-term of three years, instead of the remaining period from the date of constitution of the LCI for a “meaningful tenure and functioning”.
In its report on the Demands for Grants (2022-23) of the Department of Legal Affairs, the Parliamentary Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice noted that the Union Cabinet had approved the constitution of the 22nd Law Commission of India and a gazette notification for the same was published on February 21, 2020.
“However, the Committee observes that even after more than two years of its constitution, the appointment processes of chairperson and members of the Commission is yet to be completed. The Committee is disappointed with the snail’s pace of their appointment processes, as a body whose tenure itself is three years is now in its third year without a chairperson and members,” said the committee headed by Sushil Modi.
The three-year term of the 21st Law Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge B S Chauhan had ended on August 31, 2018.
