File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
If maintenance of law and order is a problem, one of the reasons could be a bunch of obsolete laws and procedures that have to be maintained too. Case in point: A law dating back to the World War II in Gujarat that requires the state police to file an entry every day about pamphlets dropped, or not, from balloons. To date, the police stick to the rule.
It was this, and other such examples, that pushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was earlier the Chief Minister of Gujarat, to repeal outdated laws. On Monday, a Bill to repeal antiquated laws will be tabled in the Lok Sabha.
As of now, 36 old laws are included under it. But the law ministry is at work identifying others.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told NDTV he would be getting rid of another 250 or so during the winter session of Parliament in keeping with the Prime Minister's instructions.
Earlier, the NDA government had set up a commission to review administrative laws led by PC Jain. Of 2,500 such laws, the commission had recommended repealing of more than 1,300 in 1998.
Some of the laws include the Ganges Tolls Act 1857 (Specifies tolls to be levied on the boats plying in Ganges), the Coasting Vessels Act 1838 (branding fishing vessels with the name of the place she belongs) and the Lepers Act 1894 (segregation and medical treatment of lepers who are paupers).
Some laws to handle the post-partition situation are still around and sometimes they lead to rather humourous situations.
The Sarais Act 1867 required sarais (lodges) to provide toilet facilities to the public. Result: People visiting Gateway of India wanted to use the toilet of the nearby five-star hotel. When the hotel raised objections, a PIL was filed and the hotel finally had to build a public toilet outside. But even that clashed with laws related to coastal areas.