Term of 22nd Law Commission ends; Union Cabinet likely to take a call on extending it

The Union Cabinet is likely to take a call on Wednesday on extending the term of the 22nd Law Commission, sources said. The commission's term ended on Monday.

The Union Cabinet, which meets on Wednesday, could take up the law ministry proposal to grant an extension to the law panel which advices the government on complex legal issues.

The length of the extension proposed was not yet known.

The 22nd law panel was constituted for a period of three years on February 21, 2020, and its chairperson, Justice (retired) Rituraj Awasthi, assumed office on November 9, 2022.

The tenure of the chairperson is co-terminus with the term of the commission, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju had informed Rajya Sabha earlier this month.

Sources in the government had earlier indicated that the 22nd law panel could be given an extension as it got very little time in office.

Rijiju had recently told Parliament that the government had requested the 21st Law Commission to undertake an examination of various issues relating to uniform civil code and to make recommendations.

"The term of the 21st Law Commission ended on August 31, 2018. As per the information received from the Law Commission, the matter related to uniform civil code may be taken up by the 22nd Law Commission for its consideration," he had said.

The 22nd Law Commission had recently sought fresh views from various stakeholders, including political parties and the Election Commission, on simultaneous elections on six questions flagged by the previous panel in its draft report on the politically sensitive subject.

Referring to the draft report on simultaneous polls of the 21st law panel, the 22nd commission said it has decided to "again seek the opinion" of stakeholders on the six questions put forth by the previous panel in its draft report.