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Law-reform panel in Kerala takes note of strike menace
Kerala may be poised for some sweeping amendments to existing legislation if the proposals of the Law Reforms Commission are any indication.
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 23:38 January 7, 2009
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala may be poised for some sweeping amendments to existing legislation if the proposals of the Law Reforms Commission are any indication.
The proposal for a notice of at least a week before a strike is one of the recommendations. Following the ban on shutdowns by the Kerala High Court, the state has been witnessing a wave of hartals (protest actions), which effectively end up paralysing normal life.
The commission, headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer and set up in 2007, has reportedly drawn up some "revolutionary" proposals to be put forward to the state government.
The main objective of setting up the commission was to rectify flaws in existing laws and suggest repeal of obsolete ones, but the commission is learnt to have proposed some path-breaking suggestions.
The recommendations of the commission are expected to be officially submitted to the government on January 24.
Some of the 100-odd proposals are learnt to deal with such contentious issues as the legalisation of euthanasia and the existing law which considers an attempt to commit suicide an offence.
Both of these recommendations are expected to trigger heated debate as and when they come up for discussion, particularly since the church in Kerala is known to have a strong opinion on such issues.
Another suggestion pertains to marrying again during the lifetime of one's spouse, holding that party to be guilty of bigamy when done without the consent of the living spouse.
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