New Delhi: After a delay of more than six months, the government, on Thursday, appointed ex-judge of Supreme Court B.S. Chauhan as the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission.
The post has been lying vacant since last September when the commission was constituted.
“Govt. appoints H’ble Dr. Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan SC Judge as Chairman, 21st Law Commission & H’ble Justice Ravi R. Tripathi as Member,” law minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda tweeted.
Gowda had on Tuesday said that the ministry will appoint the chairperson by the end of this week.
The commission has its work cut out for it.
One of the key issues before the law panel is a call on amending the Indian Penal Code amid allegations of abuse and arbitrary use of the law.
The terms of reference include examining and suggesting laws for the poor, improving quality of administering justice, suggesting laws which could implement the directive principles of state policy and the preamble, recommending amendments to existing laws to bring gender equality and repealing obsolete laws (an electoral promise).
The 20th Law Commission, under justice A.P. Shah, did some exemplary work with 19 reports over the course of two years. This included reports and recommendations on arbitration law, death penalty, commercial courts and electoral reforms. Of these, commercial courts and amendments to arbitration law have already been passed as laws.
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