Gujarat State Law Commission headless since 2011

Gujarat Law Commission, set up with the purpose to review and suggest acts to aid better governance, appears to be in a state of disarray with the post of its chairman lying vacant since 2011.

The Gujarat State Law Commission came into being in 1998 with the declared purpose to regularly review and suggest new acts for better governance, keeping in mind the changed social and economical scenario of the state. It became functional in 1999.

In last 13 years of its functioning, the panel has given 58 reports, but since June 2005, when it gave its last report to amend the Bombay Police Act, the commission has not submitted any report to the state government.

Moreover, the post of Chairman of the Commission has been lying vacant since August 8, 2011 when the tenure of Justice (retired) J N Bhatt ended.

Justice J N Bhatt had since been appointed as the Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

"Government is aware about the fact that the post of chairman of state law commission is vacant but I am not aware if any efforts were carried out in past 3 months as during that period the Model Code of Conduct for the Assembly elections was in place," Minister of state for Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Pradeep Singh Jadeja said.

When specifically asked about whether government was intending to take up the issue of appointing new head in near future, he was evasive.

"We are taking steps, through Home department, to strengthen the law and order situation in the state keeping in mind the recent changes in social scenario and our approach is positive," he said.

If some officers in the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs department to be believed, the state government, at one point of time, had even considered winding up the panel.

But even while the post of the chairman was lying vacant for almost one-and-a-half-years, the government has granted two more extensions to the commission.During the three-year stint of its last chairman, the panel did not file any report.