Justice Dinesh Maheshwari has been appointed chairperson of the 23rd Law Commission, which will examine key legal issues including the Uniform Civil Code.
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Dinesh Maheshwari has been appointed as the chairperson of the 23rd Law Commission of India, the Ministry of Law and Justice announced on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointments of Justice Maheshwari, advocate Hitesh Jain, and law professor D P Verma as full-time members of the panel.
The 23rd Law Commission was constituted on September 1, 2024, for a three-year term, following the end of the 22nd Law Commission’s tenure on August 31, 2024. Justice Maheshwari, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2023, officially assumed charge on Tuesday.
Justice Maheshwari began his judicial career in 2004 as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court. He later served as Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court in 2016 and of the Karnataka High Court in 2018 before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019.
Alongside him, advocate Hitesh Jain and Professor D P Verma, a faculty member at Banaras Hindu University and also a member of the previous law panel, have been appointed full-time members. Their tenures will continue until August 31, 2027.
A key mandate for the 23rd Law Commission is to examine the feasibility of implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India. The 22nd Commission had begun consultations and prepared a 749-page draft after holding 70 public meetings, but the process was disrupted after its chairperson, Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, was appointed to the Lokpal.
The UCC remains one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s core ideological goals, alongside the abrogation of Article 370 and the construction of the Ram temple. Uttarakhand has already implemented a UCC, and Gujarat is currently preparing a draft.
The newly appointed commission will consist of a full-time chairperson, four full-time members (including a member-secretary), and ex-officio members from the Legal Affairs and Legislative Departments. It may also include up to five part-time members.
As per government rules, retired chairpersons and members will be paid a consolidated monthly salary of Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2.25 lakh respectively, inclusive of pension or retirement benefits. The Commission’s findings could play a crucial role in shaping legal reforms in India in the coming years.
(PTI inputs)
