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Indian Human Rights Law & Policy

Legislation

For India, there is no set of consolidated federal laws (updated to reflect amendments), only "bare acts" (session laws). You must take care to search for updating acts, or work with an unofficial consolidated act.

Legislative Process

In Commonwealth countries, most legislation originates either from recommendations of the Law Commission, or government policy.

The Law Commission publishes reports of their studies, and recommendations for legal reform. The substance of government bills is usually promulgated first in a consultation paper, and later in a White Paper, issued from a government ministry, setting out more specific proposals.

Debates on the bill in the two houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) can be found at the Parliment web site. Other work of parliament, such as questions put to ministerial officials, are also recorded and available here. 

India is a federal system, and each state has its own parliament.

Subject Specialist

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Lyonette Louis-Jacques
Contact:
Foreign and International Law
Librarian and Lecturer in Law

D'Angelo Law Library
University of Chicago Law School
773-702-9612