Panel set up to simplify laws

GANDHINAGAR, July 2: The Keshubhai Patel Government has decided to set up a Gujarat State Law Commission headed by either sitting or retired...

GANDHINAGAR, July 2: The Keshubhai Patel Government has decided to set up a Gujarat State Law Commission headed by either sitting or retired high court judge, which will study existing state laws and suggest suitable amendments of the laws and even enactment of new laws so as to make them more result-oriented in the changing socio-economic scenario.

The commission’s headquarters will be in Ahmedabad and its tenure will be of one year since the day it starts functioning.

Making a statement in the House on Thursday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister

Suresh Mehta announced that the state law commission would have two non-government members to be nominated by the government, besides a sitting or retired high court judge as its chairman. The terms of their services and appointment of other staff for the commission will be announced later.

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Mehta told the House that the law commission would suggest to the government what provision could be made to fix responsibility on law enforcing persons if they failed to get implemented the relevant laws. It would also suggest necessary changes in existing laws in conformity with directive principles of state policy.

The commission would review the procedural laws and suggest measures to remove discrepancies in them. Besides it will suggest either amendment or change in obsolete existing laws, which have failed to serve any purpose, he said.

The commission will conduct a legal scrutiny of different state laws being applied to one subject and make a uniform law for that subject.

The minister told the house that the commission would also suggest to the government various yardsticks for immediate redressal of hardships facing people in the legal field, besides undertaking a review of the existing laws directly affecting poor people.