22nd Law Commission

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

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

About Law Commission of India

• It is a non-statutory body. The government of India constitutes it, from time to time.
• The commission is established for a fixed tenure. It works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Functions

• It identifies obsolete laws. The laws which are no longer relevant, not in harmony with the existing climate and laws which require change.
• It suggests suitable measures for quick redressal of citizens’ grievances in the field of law.
• It enables poors, to take benefit out of the legal process.
• Likewise, it examines the laws for promoting gender equality.
• The recommendations of the commission are not binding on the government. They are recommendations only. The government or concerned department may accept or reject these recommendations.

Establishment of Law Commission

• The first Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834. It was established by the Charter Act of 1833 and was chaired by Lord Macaulay.
• In 1955, the first Law Commission of independent India was established for a three-year term. Since then, twenty-one more Commissions have been established.
• In 2015, The 21st Law Commission of India was established. Its tenure was up to 31st August 2018. In 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the creation of the 22nd Law Commission.