Srinagar Nov 17 (KNS): Around four months having passed since the cabinet approval, the government is yet to make the maiden Law Commission operational in the state.
On July 26, the state cabinet approved the constitution of the maiden Law Commission.
An official of the Law Department said that the department has finalised the list of probable candidates of its chairman and members.
“Now we have been waiting nod from the Chief Minister's office,” the official said.
The official said that retired Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir is the front runner for the post of chairman Law Commission.
“Justice Hakim Imtiaz, Muzaffar Jan and Hasnain Masoodi names have also been included in the list for the post of chairman,” the official said.
An official of the Law Department said that the list has been framed and forwarded to the Law Minister. “It is the list of eligible candidates for these posts,” he said.
The chief justice and judges of high court are eligible for the post of chairman. The members will be appointed by the government from amongst the district and sessions judge, an officer who has served as a special secretary to government having sufficient experience and knowledge of law, a person who is or has served as a professor in Department of Law in any University recognized by law in the state, a person who has served as a member of the state legislature and has sufficient knowledge and experience in Legal Matters.
The commission has to be consist of a full-time chairperson, two full-time members and two part time members while Secretary Law will be the ex-officio member of the Commission.
The mandate of the Law Commission will be to identify the laws which have become obsolete and redundant over a period of time and need to be repealed, amended or updated.
The Law Commission also has to consider and convey to the state government its views on any subject relating to law and judicial administration that may be specifically referred to it by the government.
While various obsolete laws were repealed in 2010. The establishment of Law Commission will be for a period of three years. (KNS)