The Law Commission of India is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. The commission's function is to research and advise the government on legal reform, and is composed of legal experts, and headed by a retired judge. The commission is established for a fixed tenure and works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The first Law Commission was established during colonial rule in India by the East India Company under the Charter Act of 1833 and was presided over by Lord Macaulay. After that, three more commissions were established in British India. The first Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 for a three-year term. Since then, twenty-one more commissions have been established. The last chairman of the Law Commission was retired Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan, who completed his tenure on 31 August 2018. Subsequently, the commission has not been reconstituted. In February 2020, the Government of India announced its intention to reconstitute the commission, and the Supreme Court of India is currently hearing a petition challenging the delay in appointing members to the 22nd Law Commission. On November 7, 2022, Justice Rituraj Awasthi (Former Chief Justice of the Karnataka HC) was appointed as the chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission and Justice KT Sankaran, Prof.(Dr.) Anand Paliwal, Prof. DP Verma, Prof. (Dr) Raka Arya and Shri M. Karunanithi as members of the commission.
Evolution of Law Commission in India
The origin of the first Law Commission of India lies in the diverse and often conflicting laws prevailing in the local regions and those administered by the East India Company, which was granted royal charters and also conferred powers by the various Indian rulers to administer and oversee the conduct of the inhabitants in the local areas where the company exercised control. During this period of administration by the company, two sets of laws operated in the areas; one which applied to and in relation to British citizens and the second which applied to the local inhabitants and aliens. This was considered as a major stumbling block for proper administration by the British government during the times which is now known as the British Raj. In order to improve the law-and-order situation and also to ensure uniformity of legal administration, various options were looked for. Until then the British government had been passing various enactments to deal with particular situations, such as the Prohibition of Sati in (1829) by Lord William Bentinck under the influence of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. However, it was for the first time in (1833) that the idea to establish a Law Commission for a comprehensive examination of the existing legal system prevailing in the British administered areas and its overhaul was instituted.
Pre-Independence Law Commissions of India
The first Law Commission was established in 1834 by the British government under the chairmanship of Lord Macaulay. It suggested various enactments to the British government, most of which were passed and enacted and are still in force in India. Few of the most important recommendations made by this first Law Commission were those on the Indian Penal Code (first submitted in 1837 but enacted in 1860 and still in force), Criminal Procedure Code (enacted in 1898, repealed and succeeded by the Criminal Procedure Code of 1973), etc. Thereafter three more Law Commissions were established which made a number of other recommendations the Indian Evidence Act (1872) and Indian Contract Act (1872), etc. being some of the significant ones. The contribution of these Law Commissions can be enumerated as under.
A two-member Viceroy's Executive Council (composed of Sir Henry Maine and Sir James Fitzjames Stephen) also worked on the side-lines of the Law Commissions and ensured the passage of the following noteworthy laws;
1863 - Religious Endowments Act
1864 - Official Trustees Act
1865 - Carriers Act
1865 - Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act
1865 - Parsi Intestate Succession Act
1866 - Indian Companies Act
1866 - Native Converts Marriage Dissolution Act
1866 – Trustees Act
1866 – Trustees and Mortgage Powers Act
1867 – Press and Registration of Books Act
1868 – General Clauses Act
1869 – Divorce Act
1870 – Court Fees Act
1870 – Land Acquisition Act
1870 – Female Infanticide Act
1870 – Female Infanticide Prevention Act
1870 – Hindu Wills Act
1872 – Code of Criminal Procedure (revised) 1872 – Indian Contract Act 1872 – Indian Evidence Act 1872 – Special Marriages Act 1872 – Punjab Laws Act