The government has notified the constitution of the 23rd Law Commission for a period of three years, with a provision to appoint serving Supreme Court and high court judges as its chairperson and members.
The panel advises the government on complex legal issues. Once it is constituted, the government initiates the process of appointing its chief and members.
The term of the 22nd Law Commission ended on August 31 and the new panel has been constituted with effect from September 1, according to a law ministry order issued late Monday.
Though the notification relating to the constitution of the 21st and 22nd law commissions, issued in September 2015 and February 2020 respectively, had provisions for appointing serving SC and HC judges as chairpersons and members, in the recent past, either retired top court judges or former chief justices of high courts have headed the body.
On August 31, the term of the 22nd Law Commission, which was without a chairperson for the past few months, ended with its key report on the uniform civil code (UCC) still in the works.
The report prepared by the law panel on simultaneous elections is ready and pending submission to the law ministry.