The Central Information Commission directed the Ministries of Legal Affairs and Justice to inform the applicant Mr.ManiramSarma, senior advocate, and the people in general, the opinion or action of the Government on 244 Reports of the Law Commission of India. Disposing of the Second Appeal on June 20, 2014, Information Commissioner Professor Madabhushi Sridhar Acharyulu directed to upload the tracking of the movement of Government’s response on the Law Commission reports by the side of each Report along with Department’s action taken report thereon, on the websites of the Law Commission and concerned Ministry/department of Union Government within 45 days from the date of receipt of this order. The Commission also directed the Department of Legal Affairs to show cause why promised responses were not given earlier, for serious delay in furnishing complete and relevant information to the appellant and delay in implementation of earlier orders of CIC.

Professor Sridhar, Central Information Commissioner observed the Law Commission and people have a right to know the plan of action of Government on the recommendations of Law Commission. He said: Various Law Commissions under richly experienced Judges of Supreme Court as chairpersons, with pains-taking researchhave come out with significant recommendations on highly relevant topics pertinent to the people’s rights hoping immediate action of the Government to reform the concerned law. But it is unfortunate that the Governments of the day did not show enough regard and response to the Reports and respect to their authors. They either deferred their decision or confined Reports to cold-storage. The Government has enough power and authority even to reject the recommendations of the Law Commission with valid reasons after serious consideration. Because of this the reports of Law Commission became subject matters of seminars and symposia among academia only. In the process, the enormous efforts and hard-work of researchers were not appropriately utilized for reforming the law. As the decades rolled out, certain recommendations might have become obsolete or irrelevant. At least the Government should have expressed its opinion and informed back the Law Commission Chairman. This means the people in general and the Law Commission Chairmen (and Members) in particular were denied their right to know the Government’s opinions, discussions oractions on those Reports, Prof Sridhar said.

The Commissioner says that it understood the difficulty of respondent authorities due to the volume of the ‘response’ to be compiled and given on 244 Law Commission Reports, but, somewhere the action should be initiated to tell the people of this country as to what the Government plans to do about these well considered recommendations, without which the enormous public money spent on Law Commissions would be wasted. The Government should account for the money spent on these Reports with due consideration of reports and following up with legal reforms. It is not just the right of applicant alone in this case but the right of millions of people who are entitled to better laws and their better implementation, said the Commission.