Lok Sabha Question No. 3355 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Jain Commission on Obsolete Laws
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: LAXMI NARAYAN YADAV

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†3355

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 22 nd  MARCH, 2017

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## Jain Commission on Obsolete Laws

## †3355.  SHRI LAXMI NARAYAN YADAV:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether several laws which were enacted before Independence are still prevalent in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether Jain Commission has made any recommendations in this regard;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the action taken so far on these recommendations; and
- (f) whether the Government has reviewed the laws enacted before independence and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI P. P. CHAUDHARY)

- (a) to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (f) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.  †3355  to  be  answered  on  22-03-2017  regarding  'Jain  Commission  on  Obsolete Laws".

(a) and (b): Yes, Madam. 274 Pre-Independence Acts are still in force.

(c)  to  (e): Yes,  Madam. The P. C. Jain Commission has recommended for repeal of  1383 Acts in its report submitted in September, 1998.  Out of which 415 Acts have been repealed till April, 2014.

(f): The 20 th Law Commission was constituted for a period of three years from 1 st September, 2012  to  31 st August,  2015  and  one  of  its  terms  of  reference  includes  'review/repeal'  of obsolete  laws  and  the  said  Commission  has  submitted  its  248 th ,  249 th ,  250 th and  the 251 st Reports on "Obsolete Laws: Warranting Immediate Repeal", in which it recommended for  repeal  of  72,  113,  74  and  30  obsolete  Acts  respectively,  including  some  State  laws. Further,  a  Two-member Committee was also constituted by the Prime Minister's Office on 1 st September, 2014 for review of repeal of obsolete laws. The said Committee has submitted it's Report, which has been examined by the Legislative Department.

Total  Acts  identified  for  repeal  are  1824  and  out  of  which  1175  Acts  have  been repealed so far through the Repealing and Amending Act, 2015 (17 of 2015), the Repealing and Amending (Second) Act, 2015 (19 of 2015), the Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Act, 2016 (22  of  2016)  and  Repealing  and  Amending  Act,  2016  (23  of  2016).  Two  Acts  have  been repealed by the Finance Act, 2016 and one Act is included in the Finance Bill, 2017 for its repeal. Further, a Bill namely, the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017 has been introduced in Lok Sabha on 09/02/2017, proposing to repeal 105 obsolete and redundant Acts and the said Bill is pending for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.

Further,  the  identification  and  review  of  all  old  and  obsolete  laws,  including  those enacted  during  the  British  era,  with  a  view  to  bring  them  in  harmony  with  the  current economic, social and political situation in the country, is a continuous process.