Parliament passes bill to repeal 76 outdated, obsolete laws

Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to repeal 76 redundant and obsolete laws with the government saying the move is part of its continuing efforts to improve the ease of living and doing business. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 was cleared in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote. Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation on July 27 this year.

In December last year, the government introduced the Repealing and Amending Bill to cull 65 old laws. But the bill could not come up for discussion in subsequent sessions. The government later moved amendment to add 11 more laws to the list, bringing the total to 76 laws.

The bill proposes to repeal outdated laws like the Land Acquisition (Mines) Act, 1885 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950. The bill also seeks to repeal certain Appropriation Acts passed by Parliament in the recent past.

Replying to the debate, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the Modi government since coming to power in 2014 has repealed 1,486 defunct laws in order to improve ease of living. With 76 more added, the list now stands at 1,562 such laws, he added.