Bill to repeal antiquated laws tabled in Lok Sabha

The government Thursday tabled a bill to repeal antiquated colonial era laws which have no relevance at present.

The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 was tabled for consideration in the Lok Sabha by Law and Justice Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

The bill was moved amid a boycott of parliamentary proceedings by opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Left, over abusive comments made by minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, it is a periodic measure for updating the list of laws in force.

The enactments addressed in the bill have either ceased to be in force, become obsolete or their retention as separate acts is unnecessary.

In all, the bill seeks to repeal 90 laws and pass amendments to two laws.

Of the 90 acts, 88 are being repealed entirely as they are amendment acts and the changes have been incorporated into the principal acts.

Apart from this, the bill amends some provisions of two acts, the Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008 and the Indian Maritime University Act, 2008, to rectify typographical errors.

Tabling the bill in Lok Sabha, Gowda said the law commission and the administrative reforms commission have both given reports on the need to repeal certain acts.

"In order to avoid confusion, it is the intention of the government to periodically review the laws," he said.

Participating in the debate, Bharatiya Janata Party's Meenakshi Lekhi said the laws are being repealed as necessary changes have been duly incorporated in the act.

"To make the arena of Indian legislature free of clutter, the government has taken over from an era which was plagued by policy paralysis," she said.

"Recognizing the need to jumpstart the process, the prime minister has set up a committee to clear redundant laws that could come in the way of good governance," Lekhi added.

Apna Dal MP Anupriya Patel said: "Most of these laws were framed in the colonial times. They need to be done away with as most such laws are related to the weaker sections of society."

BJP's Gopal Shetty said: "These laws need to be changed as coming generations would be troubled by them."

His party colleague Ajay Mishra said such antiquated laws are contributing to the delays in the justice delivery system of the country.