Advocates (Amendment) Bill, bill on CEC selection panel among 5 bills in upcoming Parliament Special Session

The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 as well as the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 are among five bills expected to be discussed in a special parliamentary session scheduled from September 18 to 22, 2023..This was intimated by the Central government in two bulletins published on Wednesday..The parliamentary session on September 18 is also slated to have a discussion on the subject “Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings.”.As per the parliamentary bulletins, the agenda includes the consideration and passage of five bills. Four of these bills will be placed before the Lok Sabha, of which two have been passed by the Rajya Sabha, and two are yet to be passed by either House of Parliament. One bill is expected to be discussed in Rajya Sabha, which was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2023..Among the bills to be discussed in the Lok Sabha is the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on July 31 before being passed on August 3. The bill is part of Central government's endeavour to repeal "all obsolete laws or pre-independence Acts" that have lost their utility.By way of this bill, the government, after consultation with the Bar Council of India (BCI), seeks to repeal the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 and amend the Advocates Act, 1961. The bill aims at incorporating the provisions of Section 36 of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879 in the Advocates Act, 1961 in order to reduce the number of “superfluous enactments” on the statute books. Section 36 of the Legal Practitioners Act deals with the power to frame and publish lists of touts in courts..The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 is another notable bill that is expected to be discussed by the Lok Sabha. The bill deals with the constitution of a committee responsible for selecting the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the Election Commissioners (ECs).Notably, the panel does not have the Chief Justice of India (CJI) as a member, contrary to the Supreme Court's suggestion in a March 2023 judgment. In the March 2, 2023 judgment, the Supreme Court had said that until the Central government comes up with a law on appointments to the Election Commission of India, the appointments should be done on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the CJI and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.The panel now proposed by the bill consists of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.The Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal had introduced the bill in the Rajya Sabha on August 10. .The three other bills listed for discussion are as follows:1. Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, as passed by Lok Sabha on July 27.The bill, which is to be discussed by the Rajya Sabha, seeks to repeal 65 laws that are obsolete or that have been made redundant by other laws. It also corrects a minor drafting error in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.2. Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, as passed by Rajya Sabha on August 3.The bill repeals the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 and provides for the registration of periodicals, which include any publication containing public news or comments on public news. Periodicals do not include books or scientific and academic journals.3. Post Office Bill, 2023, as introduced in Rajya Sabha on August 10.The Bill repeals the Indian Post Office Act, 1898. It provides for matters related to the functioning of the India Post..[Read Bulletins]