Law Commission to brief joint committee of Parliament on simultaneous polls on Thursday

The Constitution amendment bill that seeks to lay down a legal framework to hold simultaneous polls does not require ratification by at least 50 per cent of the state legislatures to come into force, the Law Commission has told a joint committee of Parliament examining the draft legislation.

In a brief opinion rendered to the joint committee on November 28, the law panel said the bill falls under Parliament's power to make laws which does not entail ratification by states.

The brief opinion is a follow-up of a detailed opinion given by the Law Commission to the parliamentary panel in October.

The fresh document was given to the parliamentary committee ahead of its meeting on Thursday when Law Commission chairman Justice Dinesh Maheshwari (retd), Member Secretary Anju Rathi Rana and Joint Secretary Varsha Sinha will brief members on the finer legal points.

The joint committee of Parliament is examining bills on holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The law panel said the proposed amendment does not disturb the basic structure of the Constitution in any way.

''...the Law Commission is clearly of opinion that any curtailment of the term of the House(s) by the proposed amendment does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution,'' it asserted.

On the issue of federalism, the commission said federalism as envisaged and formulated in Indian Constitution is not that of compartmentalisation of different units; it is rather of weaving different units together with a strong Centre as the pivot.

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