Rajya Sabha passes bills to repeal obsolete laws

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed two bills to repeal and amend certain obsolete laws.

The Repealing and Amending Bills, 2014 and 2015, were passed by the upper house by voice vote.

The 2015 bill has 36 redundant bills and three acts in its first schedule, being repealed. The three acts are: The Indian Fisheries Act, 1897, The Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947, and The Sugar Undertakings (Taking Over of Management) Act, 1978.

However, after recommendation of a select committee of Rajya Sabha The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, was deleted from the bill.

The 2014 Bill lists 90 acts, of which 88 are being repealed entirely, while some provisions of the Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008 and the Indian Maritime University Act, 2008 are being amended to rectify typographical errors.

Allaying apprehensions expressed by some members, Law and Justice Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda clarified that the Wakf Act 2013 was not one of those being repealed.

"The Wakf Act 2013 is not obsolete. It is not being repealed," he said.