LAW
COMMISSION - POLITY
News: Ex-CJ Awasthi is Law Commission chief
What's
in the news?
●
Retired
High Court Chief Justice Rituraj Awasthi has been appointed as
the chairperson of the 22nd law commission, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju informed
on November 8.
● “The Central Govt is pleased to appoint Justice Rituraj Awasthi, Retired HC Chief Justice as Chairperson, Law Commission of India and Justice K.T. Sankaran, Prof. Anand Paliwal, Prof. DP Verma, Prof. (Dr) Raka Arya and Shri M. Karunanithi as Members of the Commission,” Mr. Rijiju tweeted.
Key
takeaways:
●
The appointment comes more than two years
after the 22nd Law Commission was notified on February 24, 2020.
● The union government had said that the issue related to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) may be taken up by the 22nd law panel.
Law
Commission of India:
●
It is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India.
First law commission of independent India was established post the Independence
in 1955.
●
It is neither
a statutory nor a constitutional body.
● The Cabinet approves reconstitution of the law panel for a period of three years. It is usually headed by a former Supreme Court judge or a former Chief Justice of a High Court.
Composition:
●
Chairman
●
One Permanent Member
●
One Member Secretary
●
Two Part-time Members
● Two ex-officio members. (21 st Law Commission Chairman: Justice BN Chauhan)
Tenure: 3 Years.
Function: Advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice for “Legal Reforms in India”
Recommendations: Not binding.
Go
back to basics:
●
First Law Commission was established
during the British Raj in 1834 by the Charter
Act of 1833 under Macaulay.
●
It recommended the Codifications of the
IPC, CrPC etc.