Law Ministry

Determined to introduce one nation, one election: Law minister Meghwal

One nation, one election is in national interest and the Centre is determined to introduce it, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Saturday. Meghwal highlighted that Lok Sabha and assembly elections were held simultaneously in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967. "The initiative is in the national interest. The Election Commission, NITI Aayog and the high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind gave their consent (to the policy). The Cabinet approved it after that," he said at an event. Meghwal said two bills proposing simultaneous polls were introduced in the Lok Sabha and being examined by a parliamentary panel. Discussions are being held with various social organisations, he added. A 39-member parliamentary panel is scrutinising two bills on simultaneous elections, including one for amending the Constitution. The Union minister, who inaugurated the third academic block of a private university in Jaipur, also said the three new criminal laws, implemented last Jul

Out of your scope: Law ministry to Parl panel on reverting to ballot papers

The question of holding elections using ballot papers does not fall under the ambit of the joint committee of Parliament examining the two bills on simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, the Union law ministry is learnt to have said. Reverting to the ballot paper system was a "suggestion" made by some of the members of the joint committee and the law ministry was to respond to it in writing. While the ministry's Legislative Department gave elaborate responses to a variety of questions posed to it by the committee, it did not give a direct reply on the suggestion on the ballot paper system. The ministry is learnt to have said that the suggestion on the use of the ballot paper system was "out of scope" of the parliamentary panel. Sources explained that the committee is mandated to examine the bills on simultaneous polls -- the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill -- and give its report on whether they are .

Gyanesh Kumar becomes first CEC appointed under new rule: Law ministry

PM Modi-led selection committee has appointed Gyanesh Kumar as India's next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), replacing Rajiv Kumar, who retires on Tuesday upon reaching the age of 65

Budget: Law min gets Rs 14k cr for carry forward spending on LS polls, EVMs

The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated more than Rs 1,400 crore to the law ministry to meet carry forward expenditure for holding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and purchase of new electronic voting machines for the Election Commission. The legislative department in the law ministry is the nodal agency for the Election Commission (EC), polls, electoral laws and appointment of members to the poll panel. According to the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday, the law ministry has been allotted Rs 500 crore for Lok Sabha elections, another Rs 300 crore for identity cards for voters, and Rs 597.80 crore for "other election expenses". Separately, it has been allocated Rs 18.72 crore for the purchase of new electronic voting machines (EVMs) by the election watchdog. One control unit, at least one ballot unit and one paper trail machine make up for an EVM. Carry forward expenses have been described by law ministry officials as a "book keeping" exercise where

50 Bangladeshi judicial officers to undergo 10-day training in India

The diplomatic row between Dhaka and New Delhi notwithstanding, as many as 50 Bangladeshi judicial officers will undergo 10 day training at state-run academies in India, according to a media report on Saturday. The Law Ministry has given permission to 50 judicial officials of subordinate courts to undergo training at the National Judicial Academy and State Judicial Academy at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh with no cost to Bangladesh. The Law Ministry has given permission in the wake of the Supreme Court's advice, Prothom Alo newspaper said here. These judicial officers will participate in the training from February 10 to February 20. Assistant Judges, Senior Assistant Judges, Joint District and Sessions Judges, Additional District and Sessions Judges, District and Sessions Judges and officers of equivalent rank have been nominated for the training. A circular signed by Abul Hasanat, Deputy Secretary (Training) of the Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamen

We welcome this bill: BJP MPs exude support for 'One Nation, One Election'

'One Nation, One Election' bill, which provides for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies is slated to be introduced in Lok Sabha today

Law minister Meghwal slams Congress for not giving Ambedkar his due

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday slammed the opposition Congress for not giving B R Ambedkar his due and allegedly ensuring his defeat in the first Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the media here, Meghwal credited Ambedkar with the creation of the Reserve Bank of India as well as the Finance Commission but lamented that the Congress "which talks of the Constitution, never gave Ambedkar the due he deserved. He claimed the Congress made supporters of Ambedkar vote twice on ballot papers, making it invalid which led to his defeat. He said Ambedkar wrote to the Election Commission about the way elections were held but the poll body did not act. Meghwal said Ambedkar's representation to the poll panel was now available. He said the Alipore Road residence of Ambedkar here was turned into a memorial by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "But the Congress did nothing," he claimed. The minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the establishment of an ...

Govt floats Bill to set up dedicated commercial courts at district level

The Union law ministry has floated a draft Bill to amend the Commercial Courts Act which, among other things, proposes setting up of "dedicated" commercial courts at the district level. Seeking views of the public on the proposed amendments, the department of legal affairs in the law ministry has said that the aim is to provide further impetus to "quicker and specialised adjudication" of commercial disputes and "simplification of the applicable procedure" related to commercial dispute resolution in courts. According to the prevailing sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Act, the state government after consulting the high court concerned constitutes such number of commercial courts at the district level as it may deem necessary. The proposed sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the draft 'The Commercial Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2024,' states that the state government, after consulting the high court concerned, can constitute such number of commercial courts at the district level, "includin

India may look to curb judges' arbitrary sentences for criminals

The pace of the trial and questions about the legal defence given to the accused fuelled concern among some rights advocates

Govt floats draft bill to amend arbitration law; adds emergency provision

Seeking to provide "further boost" to institutional arbitration and reduce court intervention in such cases, the government has come out with a draft bill seeking views on the proposed amendments. The Department of Legal Affairs in the law ministry has invited comments on the draft Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, saying "the aim and purpose is to provide further boost to institutional arbitration, reduce court intervention in arbitrations and ensuring timely conclusion of arbitration proceedings". The draft bill comes months after an expert committee headed by former law secretary and former Lok Sabha secretary general T K Vishwanathan submitted its report on proposed reforms in the arbitration sector to the law ministry. The draft bill proposes the concept of 'emergency arbitration'. The proposed amendment says arbitral institutions may, for the purpose of grant of interim measures, provide for appointment of "emergency arbitrator" prior to the constitution of

Meghwal questions WB govt over special courts for crimes against women

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday questioned the West Bengal government for establishing fast track special courts in only five to six districts to deliver swift justice for crimes against women. He said only recently, the state has sent fresh proposals to set up such courts in more districts. Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event, the minister said the rape-murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata was shameful. He said mistakes have been pointed out in the action taken after the incident, which even was tardy. "Matter came to the Supreme Court. Then (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter about the need for fast track courts. The scheme (for fast track special courts) already exists," he pointed out. He said except for five-six districts, the courts were not set up (in West Bengal). "Now their proposals have been received for some districts. People of Bengal, doctors across the country are agitated about the incident. "The attitude o

Govt notifies constitution of 23rd Law Commission for three-year period

The government on Monday notified the constitution of the 23rd Law Commission for a period of three years, with serving Supreme Court and high court judges as its chairperson and members. The term of the 22nd law panel ended on August 31. According to a law ministry order issued late Monday through a gazette notification, the panel will have a full-time chairperson and four full-time members including member-secretary. The secretary of the Department of Legal Affairs and the secretary of the Legislative Department will be its ex-officio members. There cannot be more than five part-time members, according to the order. It said the chairperson/members of the Law Commission "who are serving judges of the Supreme Court/High Court shall perform their functions on a whole-time basis up to the date of retirement from the Supreme Court/High Court or expiry of the term of the Commission, whichever be earlier". The time spent by them in the performance of such functions as chairperson/ Memb

Meghwal calls for breaking 'taarikh pe taarikh' perception about judiciary

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday called for collective efforts to break the common perception that justice delivery system in India suffers from "taarikh pe taarikh culture" and asserted such efforts will strengthen the trust factor among citizens. He also proposed a critical analysis of 'aging of pending litigation'. The minister said aging analyses and clubbing of similar cases can help reduce pendency in the courts and lauded some of the high courts for putting such a system in place. Addressing the valedictory session of national conference of district judiciary here in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Meghwal said his ministry has proposed a target of "justice for all". The programme proposes affordable, speedy and technology-enabled citizen-centric justice at doorstep for the people. "It is the collective responsibility of all those present at the programme to break the common perception that the justice delivery system has a taarikh pe taarikh culture," he

Improve skills to avoid mistakes in bill drafting: LM Meghwal to officials

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday stressed the need to have strong communication skills, especially in his ministry as he cited mistakes in the draft women's reservation bill which resulted in officials sitting past midnight to rectify the flaws. He said communication skills have a major role in the legislative department which helps ministries draft bills, ordinances and key policy documents. Small mistakes in the application of commas and full stops can create problems, he said. "We saw this in Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's reservation bill). There were so many mistakes. We had to make officials sit late in the night... perhaps till 2 am... this is not what was said, how did you reach such a conclusion (such issues were pointed out)... you have to understand and learn the communication part more," he told a gathering of legislative department officials. He was addressing officials after a motivational speech delivered by an expert. Responding to certain ...

Law ministry invites proposals to 'comprehensively evaluate' MP-MLA courts

The Union law ministry has invited proposals from top institutes, including IIMs, IITs, law universities and judicial academies, to carry out a "comprehensive evaluation" of special courts set up to hold expeditious trial of criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs to assess their functionality, efficacy and overall impact. The proposals have been invited under 'Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms' of the Department of Justice which functions under the law ministry. Following the directions of the Supreme Court in 2017, the central government had facilitated setting up of 12 special courts in states for expeditious trial of criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs. Accordingly, 12 special courts -- two in Delhi and one each in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala -- were constituted. Ten such courts are currently functional in nine states. The special courts of Bihar and Kerala

No plan for law on electoral bonds for political funding: Law minister

There are no plans to bring a law on electoral bonds for funding of political parties, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. The Lower House was also told that no proposal for funding of political parties through the Election Commission was under consideration of the government. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal replied in the negative on whether the government had any plan to bring a law regarding electoral bonds for political party funding. He was also asked whether an alternative or a substitute was being considered for funding of political parties to contest Lok Sabha and assembly elections. He said no such proposal was under consideration of the government. Responding to a separate question, Meghwal said no proposal was under consideration of the government to fund political parties through the Election Commission. In February, the Supreme Court annulled the electoral bonds scheme for political funding, saying it violated the constitutional right to freedom

Bihar govt mandates detailed registration of temples, mutts, and trusts

The Bihar government has directed all DMs to ensure that unregistered temples, mutts, and trusts in their respective areas are registered and details of their immovable assets are submitted to the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts (BSBRT) for uploading on its website. The BSBRT operates under the state's law department. State Law Minister Nitin Nabin on Thursday told PTI, "All district magistrates (DMs) have been directed to ensure that unregistered temples, mutts, and trusts are registered on a priority basis." He also instructed the DMs to ensure that details of immovable assets of all registered temples and mutts are promptly provided to the BSBRT for uploading on its website. "I recently sent a letter to all DMs in this regard. So far, only 18 districts have submitted data to the BSBRT," he added. The minister added, "According to the Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act of 1950, all public temples, mutts, trusts, and dharamshalas must be registered with the BSBRT. The state .

Over 50 mn cases pending in courts; max 11.8 mn in UP's lower courts

More than five crore cases are pending in various courts across India, with a maximum of over 1.18 core in the subordinate courts of Uttar Pradesh, according to the government's written reply in the Lok Sabha. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said while 84,045 cases are pending in the Supreme Court, 60,11,678 were pending in the various high courts. District and subordinate courts are the biggest contributors, with 4,53,51,913 cases pending with them, according to the minister. Meghwal said several reasons lead to the pendency of cases, including the availability of physical infrastructure and supporting court staff, the complexity of facts involved, the nature of evidence, and the cooperation of stakeholders, including the bar, investigation agencies, witnesses and litigants. Proper application of rules and procedures also plays a key role, he said. Other factors that lead to delays in the disposal of cases include lack of prescribed time frame by courts for disposal of various kin

CBI geared to help states implement new criminal laws, says agency chief

CBI Director Praveen Sood on Thursday said the central agency is geared to help states and other stakeholders implement the three new criminal laws which came into force earlier this week. He also said that the CBI is working with the Law Ministry to successfully implement the three new laws. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) replaced the Indian Penal Code(IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act respectively from July 1. Addressing an event at the CBI academy, Ghaziabad where Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the President's Police Medal (PPM) for Distinguished Service and Indian Police Medal (IPM) for Meritorious Service to 39 CBI personnel, Sood said the agency and the Law Ministry are working in synergy to prioritise more efficient prosecution along with investigation. According to a ministry statement, he noted that CBI's role has been evolving with the ..

Delhi police puts up posters to raise awareness on new criminal laws

The posters have been placed at police stations of Connaught Place, Tughlak Road, Tughlaqabad, and many more