J&K Law Commission functioning without members

‘Nothing done in past one year to fill vacancies’

5 Dariya News

Srinagar 16-Jan-2020

Signifying its non-seriousness, the Jammu & Kashmir government is yet to appoint members of its maiden Law Commission which is mandated to recommend repeal of archaic laws.According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the commission is functioning without members- two full-time and two part-time. “The government has not done anything in the past one year to fill vacancies of members of the panel,” the official said.As per terms and conditions governing Law Commission, the full-time members shall be former or sitting district and session’s judge, special secretary, professor of law etc.The part-time members shall be advocate or professor of Law in any varsity. On January 7 last year, the government appointed former High Court judge MK Hanjura as chairperson of the Commission. After his appointment as head of the body, the commission has submitted ten reports to government.As per KNO, in July 2017, the state cabinet cleared the proposal of creation of the law commission which was hanging fire over the past three years. Its terms of reference include identification of redundant and obsolete state laws which can be repealed, identification of laws that require changes and amendments and make recommendations in this regard, suggest of measures for quick redress of public grievances in the field of law, and examine laws that affect the poor and carry out post-audit of socio-economic legislation.It has also been tasked to take all such measures as may be necessary to harness the law and the legal processes in the service of the poor, to suggest measures for elimination of delays, speedy clearance of arrears and reduction in costs so as to secure quick and economical disposal of cases without affecting the cardinal principles that decisions should be just and fair, to suggest measures for simplification of procedures to reduce and eliminate technicalities and devices for delay so that it operates not an end in itself, but as a means of achieving justice and to recommend to the government measures for bringing the statute book up-to-date. (KNO)