The bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December last year and the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, but had to travel back to the lower house for certain technical amendments made by the upper house.
The enacting formula of the bill had the year 2014 mentioned as the measure was moved last year. The amendment moved by Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda changes the nomenclature of the bill as ‘Repealing and Amending Bill, 2015’ instead of 2014.
The Bill will remove certain Amendment Acts and Principal Acts from the statute books as they have outlived their utility.
This is the first time since 2001 that such an exercise is being undertaken by the Law Ministry in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda to do away with archaic laws which were hindering efficient governance.
Two other similar bills are pending in Parliament in different stages.
Through this bill, government also corrected a ‘patent error’ committed by the Law Ministry during the passage of the Whistleblowers Bill. While the Bill became an Act in May last year, it is called the ‘Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2011’ instead of ‘2014’.
The Amendment Acts which are sought to be repealed through this bill include amendments to the Representation of the People Act, Marriage Act, Election Laws, Divorce Laws and Anand Marriage Act and the Evidence Act.
Two of the stand alone Acts which will also be repealed through the bill are Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947, and Sugar Undertaking (Taking Over of Management) Act.
“The Bill is one of those periodical measures by which enactments which have ceased to be in force or have become obsolete or the retention whereof as separate Act is unnecessary are repealed or by which the formal defects detected in enactments are corrected,” said the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill.
Between 1950 and 2001, over 100 Acts have been repealed. At one time, 100 such Acts were repealed in one go.
PTI