‘Process aimed to facilitate their application to J&K UT’
Nasir Azam
Srinagar : The Government of India is likely to make modifications in almost 30 state laws to facilitate their application to Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory.
Highly placed sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Centre would soon come up with modifications in nearly 30 laws which were retained under the J&K Re-Organisation Act.
“These modifications have become necessary to ensure administrative effectiveness and remove ambiguity in implementation of these laws due to conversion of J&K into a Union Territory,” they said, adding that Ministry of Home Affairs has already made adaptations and modifications, either by way of repeal or amendment, in 138 state laws.
On March 31, the Centre unveiled Jammu & Kashmir Re-Organisation (Adaptation of State Law) Order 2020, to facilitate application of laws enacted by J&K’s erstwhile state legislature to the UT.
Under section 96 of J&K Re-Organisation Act-2019, the Central Government has powers to make adaptations and modifications of the laws, whether by way of repeal or amendment, as may be necessary or expedient for the purpose of facilitating the application of any law made before the appointed date till the expiration of one year from the appointed date in relation to the successor Union territories.
On March 18, 2020, the Centre also came up with adaptation and modifications of 37 central laws made applicable to Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Before issuing adaptation and modifications in state or central laws, the proposals are put up before the Union Cabinet for approval—(KNO)